By Laws: ----------------- Word Format

CONSTITUTION AND BY-LAWS OF THE
GERMAN SHEPHERD DOG CLUB OF GREATER NEW HAVEN, INC.

ARTICLE 1

NAME AND OBJECTIVE

Section 1. The name of the Club will be the German Shepherd Dog Club of Greater New Haven, Inc.

  Section 2. The objectives of the Club will be:

a) To encourage and promote the quality breeding of pure-bred German Shepherd Dogs and to do all possible to bring their natural qualities to perfection.

b) To urge members and breeders to accept the Standard of the Breed as approved by the American Kennel Club as the only Standard of excellence by which German Shepherd Dogs shall be judged.

c) To do all in its power to protect and advance the interests of the Breed by encouraging sportsmanlike competition at dog shows, obedience trials and performance events.

d) To conduct sanctioned matches, licensed specialty shows, obedience trials, performance events and any other event for which the club is eligible under the Rules and Regulations of the American Kennel Club.

Section 3. The Club will not be conducted or operated for profit and no part of any profits or remainder or residue from dues or donations to the Club will inure to the benefit of any member or individual.

Section 4. The members of the Club will adopt and may from time to time revise such by-laws as may be required to carry out these objectives.

ARTICLE 2

MEMBERSHIP

Section 1. Eligibility, Duties, and Privileges: There will be three (3) types of membership open to all person who are in good standing with the American Kennel Club and who subscribe to the purposes of this Club.

a) Individual Membership: Any person at least 18 years old who is voted into the club and whose dues are paid. This member may hold office, vote and have any other privilege of membership.

b) Junior Membership: Any person not 18 years old who is voted into the club and whose dues are paid. This member may NOT hold office, this member may NOT vote but MAY have any other privilege of membership.

c) Life Membership: Members in good standing automatically become eligible for Life Membership upon completion of 20 consecutive years of membership.  Life Membership will be for the duration of a member's life, without the requirement of being voted on annually.  Such member will have all the privileges of an active member.  Life Memberships are conveyed to eligible candidates free of charge.

Section 2. Dues: Membership dues are payable on or before the first day of January of each year. The current membership fees are contained in the club's Policy & Procedure Manual. Dues will not exceed the following fees without a change to this section of our By-Laws.

$50 for Individual Membership,
$25 for Junior Membership,
No dues for Life Membership.

During the month of November, the Treasurer will send to each member, a statement of dues for the ensuing year.

No member my vote whose dues are not paid for the current year.

Section 3. Election to Membership: Each applicant for membership will apply on a form as approved by the Board of Governors and which will provide that the applicant agrees to abide by this Constitution and By-Laws and the rules of the American Kennel Club. The application will state the name and the address of the applicant. Space is provided for the applicant's occupation and the endorsement of two members in good standing, however these are optional.  Accompanying the application, the prospective member will submit dues payment for the current year. All applications will be referred to the Membership Chairperson who will file such applications with the Corresponding Secretary who will then publish such applications in the next Meeting Notice.  At the next Board meeting of the Club, new applicants to membership will be voted on and elected or rejected by majority vote of the Board.  Applicants for membership who have been rejected by the Board and the club may not reapply within six months after such rejection.

Section 4. Termination of Membership. Membership may be terminated under the following conditions:

(a) By Resignation. Any member in good standing may resign from the Club upon written notice to the Corresponding Secretary; but no member may resign when in debt to the Club.  Obligations other than dues are considered a debt to the club and must be paid in full prior to resignation.

(b) By Lapsing. A membership will be considered as lapsed and automatically terminated if such member's dues remain unpaid for 30 days after the first day of the fiscal year; however, the Board may grant an additional 30 days of grace to such delinquent members in meritorious cases.  In no case, may a person be entitled to vote at any Club meeting whose dues are unpaid as of the date of that meeting.

(c) By Expulsion. A membership may be terminated by expulsion as provided for in Article VII of this Constitution and By-Laws.

Section 6. Definition of Member in good standing.  Any member whose dues are paid for the current year and who is not suspended from the privileges of the AKC or the GSDCA will be considered in     good standing.

ARTICLE 3

MEETINGS AND VOTING

Section 1. Regular Club Meetings: Meetings of the Club will be held once each month in the area of Greater New Haven at such day, hour and place as may be designated by the Board of Governors.  If there is no business before the Club during July and August, they may, by vote of the Club, be omitted.  Written notice of each meeting (or omission) will be provided to each member in a Monthly Meeting Notice prepared by the Corresponding Secretary and approved by the President. The quorum for such meetings shall be 10 percent of the adult members in good standing.

Section 2. Special Club Meetings: Special Club meetings may be called by the President or by a majority vote of the members of the Board who are present and voting at any regular or special meeting of the Board, or by the Corresponding Secretary, upon receipt of a petition signed by ten members of the Club who are in good standing.  Such Special Meetings will be held in the area of Greater New Haven and at such day, hour and place as may be designated by the person or persons authorized herein to call such meeting.  Written notice of such meeting will be provided by the Corresponding Secretary at least five days and not more than fifteen days prior to the date of the meeting; and said notice will state the purpose of the meeting and no other  Club business may be transacted there-at.  The quorum for such a meeting shall be 10 percent of the adult members in good standing.

Section 3. Board Meetings: Meetings of the Board of Governors will be held in the area of Greater New Haven at such day, hour and place as may be designated by the Board of Governors. The quorum of such a meeting will be a majority of the Board.

Section 4. Special Board Meetings: Special meetings of the Board of Governors may be called by the President or by the Corresponding Secretary upon receipt of a written request, signed by at least five members of the Board.  Such special meetings will be held in the area of Greater New Haven at such day, hour and place as may be designated by a person authorized herein to call such meetings.  Written notice of such meetings will be provided to each member by the Corresponding Secretary at least five but not more than ten days prior to the date of the meeting.  Any such notice will state the purpose of the meeting and no other business will be transacted thereat. The quorum for such a meeting will be a majority of the Board.

Section 5. Voting:  Each adult member in good standing whose dues are paid for the current year will be entitled to one vote at any meeting of the club at which he/she is present.  Proxy voting will not be permitted at any club meeting or election.  Adult and life members are entitled to vote and hold office. Junior members cannot vote or hold office.  The President, as a member of the club, is entitled to vote by ballot at such time as the vote is taken. Any vote that results in a tie will be re-voted once following discussion.  If the second vote also results in a tie, it will be automatically tabled until the next regular or special meeting.  The affirmative vote of a majority of members present and voting at any regular or special meeting at which there is a quorum will be necessary and sufficient for the adoption of any resolution.

The voting procedure for the Annual Election is contained in Article 5, Section 5.

ARTICLE 4

DIRECTORS AND OFFICERS

Section 1. The Board of Governors: The Board of Governors will be comprised of the President, Vice President, Recording Secretary, Corresponding Secretary, Treasurer and four other persons, all of whom shall be members in good standing and all of whom will be elected for a term of one year at the Club's Annual Meeting as provided for in Article 5. The property and affairs of the Club shall be managed and controlled by the Board of Governors.  Any action of the Board of Governors may be revised, rescinded, or reversed by a two-thirds vote of members present at any regular meeting. No permanent investment of the Club's resources will be made except by two-thirds vote of members present at any Regular Meeting or Special Meeting, where such affairs are brought before the Chair.

Section 2. Officers: The Club's officers, consisting of the President, Vice President, Recording Secretary, Corresponding Secretary, and Treasurer, will serve in their respective capacities both with regard to the Club and its meetings and the Board and its meetings.

a) President. The President will preside over all meetings of the Club and of the Board and will have the duties and powers normally appurtenant to the office of President, in addition to those particularly specified in these Constitution and By-Laws. The President may be an ex-officio member of all committees except the Nominating Committee.

b) Vice-President: The Vice-President will perform all of the duties of the President in the latter's absence, and will be governed by the rules laid down for the President.

c) Recording Secretary: will have charge of typing and keeping all Minutes of the Club, the Board of Governors and Show Committee meetings and any other Committee that will request minutes to be taken. The Recording Secretary will provide typed copies of the last Board of Governors and/or Regular meeting to all members present. The approved minutes of the meetings may also be posted on the club's website where members may have access to them.  The content of the approved minutes may not be altered in any way.

d) Corresponding Secretary: It is the duty of the Corresponding Secretary to send out proper notice of all called meetings and of other meetings and conduct the correspondence of the Club. The Corresponding Secretary is further charged with the responsibility of reporting (at Board and Regular Meetings) any and all correspondence addressed to the Club and makes it available for review by any member requesting same.

e) Treasurer: The Treasurer will collect and receive all monies belonging to the Club and forthwith deposit same to the credit of the club in such financial institution as may be designated by the Board of Governors, and will, as directed by the Board, disburse the monies of the Club. The Treasurer shall keep regular books of accounts of all monies received and disbursed, and a report of all bills paid shall be read at the meeting of the Board of Governors and Regular meeting following payment. The Treasurer will report at each meeting on the financial conditions of the Club, and at the Annual Meeting, will report in full, and in writing, on the financial transactions of the Club for the preceding year. The Treasurer will notify all members of their indebtedness to the Club and endeavor to collect the same before reporting these members delinquent.

Section 3. Bills. All bills shall be authorized for payment by the Board of Governors before being paid.  All bills presented to the Treasurer for payment/reimbursement will be itemized and dated.

Section 4. Periodic Audits. The Treasurer will prepare and make available for review, the books and accounting records of the Club for periodic audits as directed by the President. The Treasurer will be bonded to the amount decided upon by the Board of Governors.

Section 5. Vacancies. Any elective office of the Club that will become vacant, whether by resignation or undue absence for two consecutive Board meetings can be filled for the unexpired term of office by a majority vote of all of the then members of the Board of Governors at its first regularly scheduled meeting following the creation of such vacancy.  Such a vacancy in the office of President shall be filled by the Vice-President and the resulting vacancy in the office of Vice-President shall be filled by the Board.

ARTICLE 5

THE CLUB YEAR, ANNUAL MEETING AND ELECTIONS

Section 1. Club Year: The Club's fiscal year will begin on the first day of January and end on the 31st day of December.  The Club's official year will begin immediately upon the conclusion of the election held at the Annual Meeting and will continue through the election at the next Annual Meeting.

Section 2. Annual Meeting: The Annual Meeting will be held in the month of January at which time Directors and Officers for the ensuing year will be elected by secret, written ballot from among those nominated in accordance with Section 4 of this Article. They will take office immediately upon the conclusion of the election and each retiring officer will turn over to his/her successor in office, all properties and records relating to that office within thirty days after the election.

Section 3. Elections: The nominated candidate receiving the greatest number of votes for each office or position will be declared elected.

Section 4. Nominations:

a) At the regular October meeting of the Club, a Nominating Committee will be elected as follows:

No less than three members will be nominated from the floor.

Each member present and voting will vote in writing for three of those nominated.

Not more than one member of the board may be a member of the Nominating Committee.

The three receiving the highest number of votes will become the Nominating Committee, and the member receiving the greatest number of votes will become the Chairman of this Committee.

b) This Committee will, within thirty days, and after securing the signed consent of each person nominated, immediately provide the Corresponding Secretary with a written list of nominations for President, Vice President, Recording Secretary, Corresponding Secretary, Treasurer and four members for the Board of Governors.

c) The Corresponding Secretary will send a list of all nominees to each member of the Club at least ten days prior to the Annual Meeting.

d) Additional nominations may be made at the Annual meeting by any member in attendance, provided that the person so nominated does not decline when their name is proposed, and provided further that if the proposed candidate is not in attendance at this meeting, the proposer will present to the Recording Secretary a written statement from the proposed candidate signifying willingness to be a candidate.

e) No person may run for more than one elective office on any one slate.

Section 5. Voting: Voting will proceed by ballot as follows:

a) A ballot will be prepared with the names of the offices to be filled.  The names of the candidates will NOT appear, but be filled in by the individual voting member.

ARTICLE  6

COMMITTEES

Section 1.  Immediately after the Annual Meeting the President will begin appointing standing committees to advance the work of the Club in such matters as dog shows, obedience trials, trophies, annual awards, membership and other areas which may well be served by Committees.  The President will also designate a Chair of each Committee or may permit the Committee itself to nominate a Chair.  All committees will always be subject to the final authority of the Board.  Special committees may also be appointed by the Board to aid it on particular projects.

Section 2.  Any committee appointment may be terminated by a majority vote of the full membership of the Board upon written notice to the appointee; and the Board may appoint successors to those persons whose services have been terminated.

ARTICLE 7

DISCIPLINE

Section 1. American Kennel Club Suspension: Any member who is suspended from the privileges of the American Kennel Club automatically will be suspended from the privileges of this Club for a like period of time.

Section 2. Charges. Any member may prefer charges against a member for alleged misconduct prejudicial to the best interests of the Club or the breed.  Written charges with specifications must be filed in duplicate with the Secretary together with a fee of $50.00.  The Secretary will promptly send a copy of the charges to each member of the Board, or present them at a Board Meeting, and the Board will first consider whether the actions alleged in the charges, if proven, might constitute conduct prejudicial to the best interests of the club or the breed.  If the Board considers that the charges do not allege conduct which would be prejudicial to the best interests of the club or the breed it may refuse to entertain jurisdiction. If the Board entertains jurisdiction of the charges, it will fix a date of a hearing by the Board not less than 3 weeks or more than 6 weeks thereafter.  The Secretary will promptly send one copy of the charges to the accused member by registered mail together with a notice of the hearing and an assurance that the defendant may personally appear in his own defense and bring witnesses if he/she wishes.

Section 3. Board Hearing: The Board will have complete authority to decide whether counsel may attend the hearing, but both complainant and defendant will be treated uniformly in that regard.  Should the charges be sustained, after hearing all the evidence and testimony presented by the complainant and defendant, the Board may choose one of the following, by a majority vote of those present,

a) REPRIMAND. The defendant verbally or in writing. The reprimand will be noted in the minutes of the Board at that time.

b) SUSPEND. The defendant from all privileges of the Club for not more than six months from the date of the hearing.

c) EXPEL.  In such case, the suspension will not restrict the defendant's right to appear before his/her fellow members at the ensuing Club meeting which considers the Board's recommendation.  Immediately after the Board has reached a decision, its findings will be put in written form and filed with the Recording Secretary.

The Recording Secretary, in turn will notify each of the parties of the Board's decision and penalty, if any.

Section 4. Expulsion: Expulsion of a member from the Club may be accomplished only at a meeting of the Club following a Board hearing and upon the Board's recommendation as provided in Section 3 of this Article.  Such proceedings may occur at a regular or special meeting of the Club to be held within 60 days but not earlier than 30 days after the date of the Board's recommendation for expulsion.  The defendant will have the privilege of appearing in his/her own behalf, though no evidence will be taken at this meeting.  The President will read the charges and the Board's findings and invite the defendant, if present, to speak in his/her own behalf if he/she wishes.  The members will then vote, by secret written ballot, on the proposed

Expulsion.  A two-thirds vote of those present at the meeting will be necessary for expulsion.  If expulsion is not so voted, the Board's suspension will stand.

ARTICLE 8

AMENDMENTS

Section 1. Amendments To The Constitution and By-Laws: This Constitution and By-Laws may be amended by a two-thirds vote of the members present and voting at any regular or special meeting called for the purpose; but the proposed amendments must be embodied in the call for any such meeting and provided to each member at least two weeks prior to the date of such meeting.  Amendments to the constitution and bylaws may be proposed by the Board of Governors or by written petition addressed to the Corresponding Secretary and signed by 20 percent of the membership in good standing.  Amendments proposed by such petition will be promptly considered by the Board of Governors and must be submitted to the members with recommendations of the Board by the Corresponding Secretary for a vote within three months of the date when the petition was received by the Secretary.

ARTICLE 9

DISSOLUTION

Section 1. The Club may be dissolved at any time by the written consent of not less than 2/3 of the members in good standing.  In the event of the dissolution of the Club other than for the purposes of reorganization whether voluntary or involuntary or by operation of law, none of the property of the Club nor any proceeds thereof nor any assets of the Club will be distributed to any members of the Club, but after payment of the debts of the club its property and assets will be given to a charitable organization for the benefit of dogs selected by the Board of Governors.

ARTICLE 10

ORDER OF BUSINESS

Section 1. At meetings of the Club, the order of business, unless otherwise directed by a majority vote of those present, and so far as the character and nature of the meeting may permit, will be as follows:

Call meeting to order.
Announcement of guests and new members.
Reading of the Minutes of the last Board Meeting.
Report of the President.
Report of the Corresponding Secretary.
 Report of the Treasurer.
Reports of Committee Chairmen.
Election of Officers & Board (at Annual Meeting).
Unfinished Business.
New Business.
Brag Session. (included in Minutes).
Adjournment.
Program.

Section 2. At meetings of the Board, the order of business, unless otherwise directed by a majority vote of those present, will be as follows:

Roll call.
Reading of the Minutes of the last Board Meeting.
Report of the President
Report of the Corresponding Secretary.
Report of the Treasurer.
Reports of Committee Chairmen as appropriate.
Unfinished Business.
Election of New Members.
New Business.
Adjournment.

ARTICLE 11

ANNUAL AWARDS DINNER

Section 1. An Annual Awards Dinner will be held once each year for the purpose of recognizing the accomplishments of the members of the Club. Appropriate awards and certificates of accomplishment will be presented at the Dinner.  Complete details of the requirements for the awards and certificates are contained in the GSDC/GNH Policy and Procedures Manual.

ARTICLE 12

ANNUAL SPECIALTY SHOWS, MATCHES, AND SELECTION OF JUDGES

Section 1.  The Club will hold no more than two Specialty shows and two sanctioned Match shows per calendar year. The Fall Specialty Show will be designated the Annual Specialty Show. The Fall sanctioned match show will include breed and obedience competition.

Section 2.  Selection of Judges.  Judges for any events will be chosen by the procedures documented in the Policy and Procedures Manual.  All members are to be notified thirty days in advance of any meeting where judges will be voted on.  

A RTICLE 13

PARLIAMENTARY AUTHORITY

Section 1. The rules contained in the current edition of Robert's Rules of Order, Newly Revised, “will govern the club in all cases to which they are applicable and in which they are not inconsistent with these bylaws and any other special rules of order the club may adopt”. All parliamentary questions will be decided by the current edition of Robert's Rules of Order, Newly Revised.

By Law Committee:   Barb Lopez / Richard Lewis / Linda Chernak / Joan M Tuthill

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