ARTICLE
I: Name of Club
The
name of this association is the Oregon State Working dog association
and maybe abbreviated with “Oregon State WDA” and shall be known as
such.
ARTICLE II:
Object of the Club
Support
and organize trials, breed surveys, and conformation shows under the
requirements the German Shepherd Dog Club of America-Working Dog
Association, Inc. (GSDCA-WDA) and according to the rules of the
Verband Fuer Das Deutsche Hundewesen (VDH).
- To
train dogs for the sport of Schutzhund.
- The
promotion of working dogs for the sport of Schutzhund, police
work, search & rescue work, and service/therapy dogs.
- Support
movements that demonstrate the advantages of Schutzhund
training.
- Support
and organize trials for Schutzhund.
- Support
the use of dogs by public organizations.
- To
interest and educate the public about Schutzhund, police, and
search & rescue training.
- To
preserve the German Shepherd Dog in accordance with the breed
standard as a working dog, to promote humane training methods for
the working dog and to support responsible dog ownership and
breeding practices.
- To
support the Breed Surveys and Conformation
shows.
ARTICLE III
The club shall be conducted as a nonprofit organization. All dues, levies and other
income shall be disbursed to promote the objectives of this club,
along with associated social activities.
ARTICLE IV
The
club may be dissolved at any time by the written consent of two
thirds (2/3) majority vote of its active members in good
standing. In such case,
after payment of all debts and liabilities of the club, its assets
and property shall be divided equally among the active members in
good standing.
ARTICLE V:
Membership
Section
A: The Club shall
consist:
1.
Active
members. These members
shall be entitled to vote, hold office and benefit in all the
advantages of this organization. All active members must also
be members of GSDCA-WDA.
2.
Honorary
members. These members
are non-voting, and no dues are required
3.
Junior
members. These members
are non-voting and dues are not required, but are entitled to all
other benefits of the membership in the club. They must be less than 18
years of age. Once they
reach the age of 18, they can become active members once they pay
the dues that are requited for that status.
4.
Associate
members. These members
are non-voting, may not hold office bur are entitled to all the
benefits of the club.
The dues for this membership shall be one half of the Active
members.
Section
B: Application for
Election to Membership
1.
Applicant
shall attend two (2) training sessions as a non-member. The Training Coordinator
will, at these sessions, evaluate the applicant’s dog for its
suitability. The
Training Coordinator will make his recommendation to the Board, and
if found suitable the Applicant will become a member upon completing
a membership form and paying the Club’s and GSDCA-WDA dues to the
Secretary/Treasurer.
2.
Completed
applications for membership and dues shall be made to the
secretary.
3.
The
Board of Directors shall appoint honorary
Members.
SECTION
C:
Resignation
1.
Any
member may resign at any time and may be deleted from the membership
upon receipt of resignation, in writing, by the
Secretary.
SECTION
D:
Suspension
1.
Any
member may be suspended by a three-quarter (3/4) vote of the Board
of Directors or automatically as provided for
elsewhere.
2.
Any
member under suspension shall not be entitled to vote or participate
in training sessions.
3.
Any
member under suspension for four (4) months shall be expelled from
membership automatically.
If a member of the Board or an Officer, resignation in
writing will be required.
4.
Any
member who does not renew their membership to GSDCA-WDA and this
club’s secretary is notified by the GSDCA-WDA Treasurer of said
fact, will have thirty (30) days in which to renew their GSDCA-WDA
membership and provide the club with a photocopy of that membership
card with expiration date.
Failure to renew GSDCA-WDA membership and provide proof of
membership will result in suspension.
ARTICLE VI: Dues
and Special Levies
SECTION
A: Dues and
Fees
1.
The
individual Membership dues, for one person with one dog, shall be
established
by the Officers and Board Members at the annual meeting which
will be held in January of
each year.
2.
The
Family Membership dues, for two people living at the same address
each with
one
dog, shall be established by the Officers and Board Members at the
annual meeting which will be held in January of each
year.
3. The
Board can decide to levy an extra dog fee for members wishing to
work
more
than one dog six (6) months or older at a training
session.
4. There
is a training fee ($10.00 per dog) for non-members wishing to train
with the Club.
this fee shall be waived for those applying for
membership
5. Membership dues
are due in January of each year, and will be pro rated for
membership
starting
later in the year.
SECTION
B: Special Levies
The
membership may approve by a majority vote the collection of special
equal levies against
the membership, to meet the expense of the club.
SECTION
C: Non payment of dues or special levies
1.
An
active member whose dues remain unpaid by the 31st of
January, the member will be notified the Secretary and automatically
suspended. If dues are
not paid by March 1st, membership will be
cancelled.
2.
Any
member whose share of a special levy remains unpaid for one (1)
month after
approval
by membership vote, must work out a payment schedule with the
Treasurer. If the
agreed upon schedule is violated, the Officers and Board members
must review the situation with the member and make their decision
known to the membership.
Their decision will be final.
ARTICLE
VII: Charges for misconduct
Any
member may prefer charges against a member for alleged misconduct
prejudicial to the
interests of the club.
Written charges with specifications must be preferred in
duplicate and forwarded to the Secretary/Treasurer of the club with
a deposit of $50, which shall be forfeited if such charges are not
sustained. All charges
shall be heard by the Board of Directors only. The Board shall fine,
suspend, or expel from the club or take such other measures as may
be deemed advisable.
The accused member must be allowed to
present his case to the Board.
Any member against whom charges have been filed may, by a
three-quarter (3/4) vote of the Board of directors, be suspended for
a period not exceeding sixty (60) days, or expelled from
membership. If the
party is an Officer or member of the Board, their resignation in
writing will be required.
ARTICLE
VIII: Board of Directors
1.
The
control and management of the affairs of the club shall be vested in
the Board of
Directors,
consisting of at least five (5) but no more the nine (9)
members.
2.
The
Board of Director shall consist of:
a.
President
b.
Vice
President
c.
Secretary
d.
Treasurer
e.
Sergeant
at Arms
f.
Director
at Large who shall be appointed from the active members. In addition, the elected
Board shall appoint a Training Coordinator, for an indefinite term,
who shall also be a voting member of the board of Directors.
3.
Regular
meetings of the board of Directors shall be called by the President
at least
quarterly. Board meetings may precede
or follow regular general membership meetings.
4.
Special
meetings of the Board of Directors shall be called by the President
or three
Directors
acting in concert.
5.
A
majority of the Directors in office being present shall constitute a
quorum to
conduct
regular business.
6. The
Secretary/Treasurer shall keep minutes of the Board meeting, which
shall be
available
to any member at any time.
7. The Board shall have
general supervision over all disbursements of the
Treasurer
and shall appoint an auditing committee to consist of three (3)
members of
the Board who shall audit accounts and records every two (2)
years prior to the annual meeting.
8. The
Board shall have the power to appoint committees and assistant
officers from among
the
membership.
ARTICLE
IX: Officers and their responsibilities
1.
President: The President shall preside
at all meetings and act as the chief executive
of the club.
He/She shall be a member of all
committees.
2.
Vice
President: The Vice
President shall in the absence of the President,
perform
all the duties of the President.
3.
Secretary: The Secretary shall have
charge of all correspondence, keep the records and roll of members,
the minutes of meetings and Board meetings, and elections results
4.
Treasurer: He/She shall receive,
collect, and disburse all funds of the club. Disbursements shall be made
only by signed vouchers, which shall be kept as a part of a
permanent record
system, which shall include an account book of receipts and
disbursements. He/She
shall render a formal statement regarding the club funds annually
and informally at all
regular meetings.
5.
Sergeant-at-Arms: The Sergeant-at-Arms shall
be in charge of maintaining all
equipment used in the training program, and all club
property. He/She shall
provide or otherwise arrange for various equipment necessary to keep
the training program operating. He/She shall officially
greet visitors and control their location and movement at the
training grounds while dogs are in training. He/She shall also answer
questions, offer explanations and in general provide good relations
for the interested public.
ARTICLE
X: Election of Officers and Directors
1.
The
Officers and Directors shall be appointed at the first annual
meeting of the club when it is formed. They will remain in office
for a period of five (5) years. During the first five (5)
years Officers and Board Members may resign in writing. At which time the
Officers and Board Members will appoint a replacement for the
remaining term.
2.
This
policy shall be reviewed at the end of the five (5) year period,
By-Laws may be adjusted accordingly.
3.
If
at the formation of the club, there are fewer than nine (9) Officers
and Board Members, additions may be appointed by a majority of the
Officers and Board Members.
These appointees will serve the same term as the original
Officers and Directors.
4.
Any
active member whose membership fees or levies remain unpaid on
election day
shall
be disqualified from voting or holding office.
ARTICLE
XI: Parliamentary Authority
The current edition of “Sturgis” shall govern this
association in all parliamentary situations that is not covered in
the law, or in these constitution and bylaws, or adopted rules. In case of conflict between
the provisions of the constitution and bylaws and the parliamentary
provisions of “Sturgis” the provisions of these constitution and
bylaws shall prevail.
ARTICLE
XII
The general membership meeting to conduct business shall be
held in conjunction with the training sessions. Unless otherwise announced,
these meetings shall be held on the first training session of each
month.
ARTICLE
XIII: Constitutional Amendments
1.
The
constitution and Bylaws may be amended, altered or repealed by a
two-thirds (2/3) vote of the active members in good standing other
than the term of the Officers and Board
Members.
2.
Any
proposed changes to the Constitution and Bylaws shall be formally
read at the monthly meeting preceding the meeting at which actual
voting takes place, and shall appear in the minutes of that
meeting.
ARTICLE XIV: Training Director
A Training Director shall be appointed for an indefinite
term, but not to exceed five (5) years, by the Board of
Directors. He/She shall
fulfill all requirements to maintain a satisfactory and successful
training program.
He/She shall be in charge of all club activities at the
training grounds during normal training hours. He/She shall be a member of
the club. The Training
Director is a member of the Board of Directors by appointment,
should He/She already be holding office, the Assistant Training
Director would then become the appointed Board member. The Training Director, any
assistants, trainer or helper shall not be reimbursed for club
activities.
ARTICLE
XV: Training
1.
It
is the policy of this club that one (1) dog per person will be given
priority over extra dogs.
The
training of extra dogs at any one session can be done only with the
consent of the Training
Director and must not interfere with the timely training of
the other dogs. Extra
dogs (and non-member dogs) may be trained last in the
session.
2.
Extra
dogs owned by club members that are under six (6) months of age may
be tied out
during
training sessions, or brought to sessions for socialization, without
paying the extra dog fee, provided that such action does not
interfere with the training of other dogs. A helper with the consent of
the Training Coordinator may work puppies briefly. Any substantial training or
evaluation of a new dog or puppy will require a training fee of
$10.00.
3.
Prospective
members and guests of members may attend any training session. They may not enter into
training activities of the club except by consent of the presiding
officer or Training Director .
Before participating in any of the three phases of
Schutzhund, non-members shall be required to register with the
Secretary or Treasurer or any active member participating at the
training session and pay the non-member training fee of $10.00.
4.
A
member cannot participate in training sessions unless their
membership dues are paid in
full. This
does not apply to outstanding special levies.
5.
Members
are not required to do the protection phase and participate in
tracking
and/or
obedience only.
ARTICLE
XVI: Club dues to the GSDCA-WDA
The
club must pay to the treasurer of the GSDCA-WDA, an annual fee as
prescribed by that organization.
ARTICLE XVII: Selection of Judges and Trial
dates
ARTICLE XVIII:
Web Site
The web site will be maintained by an active member of the
club. If that member
chooses to resign or cease web site management for any reasons,
He/She will automatically turn all materials pertinent to
maintaining the web site over to the board who will then petition
for another member to assume the
responsibilities.
The web site and its contents are the property of the Oregon
state Working Dog Association.
Copyright law will be strictly maintained and copyrighted
material not officially given authorization for its use will not be
allowed to be posted.
Members
providing material to the web site automatically assign the
copyright to the club.
ARTICLE XIX:
Voting
Voting by email is allowed except for election of Officers or
Directors (see Article X: Election of Officers and Directors) and
can be initiated by any Member in good standing. A simple majority will carry
the vote.
If
an active member does not have access to email, the President or his
representative is required to contact that member and inform him of
the voting action and get his/her response. The President or his
representative will assure that this vote will be
recorded.
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