1. Name
The Society shall be called the Companion Cavalier King Charles Spaniel Club.
2. Objectives
To promote the health, welfare and enjoyment of Cavalier KC Spaniels:-
- By encouraging owners and breeders to maintain high standards of welfare and act in a responsible manner towards the breeding of their Cavaliers.
- By giving pet owners a voice with the Kennel Club, other Cavalier Clubs and other organisations.
- By providing up to date, comprehensive web based information on breed health issues and raising awareness of breed health issues at public events.
- By aiding research into health and temperament problems, working with specialists, organising health clinics and seminars, organising tissue collection scheme.
- By fund raising for research, health screening, and tissue collection.
- By assisting buyers in locating sources of healthy puppies and by campaigning for the establishment of regulations requiring that puppies come from fully health tested parents.
- By offering support and advice for owners of health compromised dogs.
- By enhancing owners’ enjoyment of their Cavaliers and the quality of life of their dogs by means of social contacts and events.
- By organising such other activities that may be found to be desirable or necessary to achieve the objects of the Club (Companion Dog shows, fun days, etc.)
3. Management
- The Officers shall be – Chairman, Treasurer, Secretary.
- Committee – The Committee shall consist of 8 members, of whom three shall be the Officers and one shall be the Vice-Chairman.
- The management of the Society shall be vested in the Committee who shall be responsible for all matters relating to the Society.
- The Committee’s year of office shall commence immediately after the Annual General Meeting.
- The Committee shall meet not less than 4 times a year.
- The quorum shall be 4.
- Fourteen clear days notice of every committee meeting, together with the Agenda for the said Meeting, shall be given.
- The Chair at all meetings shall be taken by the Chairman or Vice- Chairman.
- The Committee shall have the power to appoint other officials as they deem necessary and to fix the duties and remuneration (if any).
- Every officer and members of the Committee and every official appointed by the Committee shall be indemnified by the Society against all costs and expenses which such persons may incur by reason of act or thing done or omitted by him authorised by the Society/and or in discharge of his duties.
- In the event of a casual vacancy occurring on the Committee the Committee shall have the power to co-opt members on to the Committee in the event of positions becoming vacant between General Meetings. Any person so elected to the Committee shall hold office until the next Annual General Meeting whereupon they shall retire but shall be eligible for re-election. Co-opted committee members shall have voting rights at Committee meetings.
4. Election
- Members
- Membership of the Society shall be by the submission of a written application form with subscription fee, and acceptance (if necessary by ballot) at a Committee meeting . Three negatives shall exclude.
- Each Member shall be entitled to one vote immediately upon acceptance of membership.
- Voting shall be by secret ballot at the Committee’s discretion.
- Postal votes will be allowed, at the discretion of the Committee, in the case of important issues affecting the breed.
- A person up to their sixteenth birthday may be elected a Junior Member. They shall have no right to vote.
- Officers
- Chairman- To be elected by the Committee at the first Committee meeting after the AGM.
- Treasurer- To be selected by the Committee and the membership asked to endorse the selection at the next AGM. The Treasurer will remain in office until resignation is offered by the Officer or until asked to resign by the Committee.
- Secretary- Candidate to be selected by Committee and the membership asked to endorse the selection at the next AGM. The Secretary will remain in office until resignation is offered by the Officer or until asked to resign by the Committee.
- The Chairman will offer themself for re-election every year.
- Committee: All Committee Members will offer themselves for re-election every year.
- All Officers and Committee members to have voting rights. The Chairman has the casting vote.
- No individual who has been a member for less than two years may be elected on to the Committee.
- A list of those nominated for election to the Committee (together with the names and signatures of the proposer and seconder in each case) and the names of the retiring members of the Committee who are eligible and willing to stand for re-election accompanied by a record of attendance at Committee Meetings during the preceding year, together with a Ballot paper, shall be sent to every paid-up member of the Club not later than 2 months before the Annual General Meeting.
- Completed Ballot papers shall be returned by email or post to the Hon. Secretary who will pass them on to a scrutineer appointed by the Committee for verification.
- The result of the Ballot shall be announced at the Annual General Meeting.
- The Chairman and Vice-Chairman will be chosen by the Committee elected for that year.
5. Membership List
An up to date list of Members and their addresses will be maintained.
6. Finance
- Subscriptions
- The Annual Subscription shall be such amount as agreed by Members in General Meeting.
- No Member whose subscription is unpaid is entitled to any of the privileges of membership and if the Member should fail to pay outstanding subscriptions by 1st March his/her name shall be automatically erased from the register. Acceptance back on the register will be dependant upon a new application.
- Junior Members shall pay their subscriptions at half the current rate.
- No member joining the Club after 1st October in any year shall be required to pay a further subscription for the following year.
- Accounts
- The Club’s financial year shall be from the 1st January until the 31st December.
- The Secretary shall provide the Treasurer with details of income and expenditure.
- Expenditure above £100 shall not be incurred without prior approval of the Committee.
- The Treasurer shall prepare accounts in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles and submit these for review by the appointed independent reviewer.
- A bank account shall be maintained in the name of the club with authorised signatories of any two of the three Officers.
- The Treasurer will submit the accounts for approval by the Committee and present them at the Annual General Meeting.
7. Meetings
- Annual General Meeting– The Annual General Meeting shall be held before the 30th June each year.
- To announce the Committee.
- To nominate an accountant to review the accounts and fix remuneration.
- To receive the Chairman’s Report of the Club activities and Committee business.
- To receive and if agreed pass the Accounts as presented by the Treasurer
- To fix the remuneration of the Officers.
- To transact any other business of which not less than fourteen days notice has been given in writing to the Secretary or which the Chairman may at his/her discretion allow.
- The chair shall be taken by the Chairman or in his/her absence the Vice- Chairman.
- Notices convening the Meeting shall be sent to all paid up members not less than twenty eight days prior to the date of the Meeting.
- A quorum shall be twenty adult members.
- Special or Extra-ordinary Meeting
- A Special or Extra-ordinary Meeting shall be called on the request of the Committee or on the request of twenty members who must state their reasons for requiring such a meeting.
- The notice convening such a meeting shall specify the nature of the business to be transacted (and no other business than that named in the notice shall be brought before the meeting) and shall be circulated to all members at least 21 days before the date of the meeting.
- A quorum shall be twenty adult members.
8. Club Property
The property of the Society shall be vested in the Committee. In the event of the Society ceasing to exist, a final General Meeting shall be called to decide the disposal of the Society’s assets.
9. Other Matters
The Committee shall be empowered to deal with all matters not covered by these rules.
10. Alterations of Rules
The Rules of the Society shall only be altered at an Annual General Meeting the notice of which contains specific proposals to amend the Rules.
Companion Cavalier Club General Code of Ethics
All members of the the Companion Cavalier Club undertake to abide by its general Code of Ethics.
Club members:
- Will properly house, feed, water and exercise all dogs under their care and arrange for appropriate veterinary attention if and when required.
- Will agree that no healthy puppy will be culled.
- Will abide by all aspects of the Animal Welfare Act.
- Will agree not to breed from a dog or bitch which could be in any way harmful to the dog or to the breed.
- Will not allow any of their dogs to roam at large or to cause a nuisance to neighbours or those carrying out official duties.
- Will ensure that their dogs wear properly tagged collars or harnesses and will be kept leashed or under effective control when away from home.
- Will clean up after their dogs in public places.
- Will only sell dogs where there is a reasonable expectation of a happy and healthy life and will help with the re-homing of a dog if the initial circumstances change.
- Will supply written details of all dietary requirements and give guidance concerning responsible ownership when placing dogs in a new home.
- Will ensure that all relevant documents are provided to the new owner when selling or transferring a dog, and will agree, in writing, to forward any relevant documents at the earliest opportunity, if not immediately available.
- Will not sell any dog to commercial dog wholesalers, retail pet dealers or directly or indirectly allow dogs to be given as a prize or donation in a competition of any kind.
- Will not knowingly misrepresent the characteristics of the breed nor falsely advertise dogs nor mislead any person regarding the health or quality of a dog.
Breach of these provisions may result in expulsion from club membership and/or reporting to the relevant authorities for legal action, as appropriate.
Go to Club Information Page
Go to the Online Application Form