Club Rules – The British Collie Club

The name of the club shall be ‘The British Collie Club’ incorporating The Collie Club, The Northern collie Club, The Rough Blue Merle Club and The Smooth Collie Club and shall consist of an unlimited number of members from all parts of the world.
The object of the Club shall be:
1. To promote and encourage the breeding and exhibiting of pure bred Rough and Smooth Collies in accordance with relevant standards for Collies issued by the Kennel Club.
2. To give prizes at, to support and give exhibitions of collies.
3. To promote, protect and advance in every legitimate way the interests of the Breed and of the Members of the Club.
4. To benefit its members and not to be classed as a trading business so that all profits from any source, function or activities of the Club shall be for the benefit of and for further education of its Members in the management, training, exhibiting and every aspect pertaining to Rough and Smooth Collies.
The Club shall consist of Patrons, President, Vice-Presidents, Honorary Secretary, Honorary Treasurer, Chairman and Vice-Chairman, a Committee of 14 and an unlimited number of Members.
The management of the Club shall be in the hands of the Committee consisting of 14 Members and the following officers :President, Chairman, Vice-Chairman, Honorary Secretary and Honorary Treasure, these positions to be ex-officio members of the Committee. No two offices may be held by the same person or by more than one from the same household.
No British Collie Club official or Committee Member should also be an official or a Committee Member of another Rough Collie Breed Club or Smooth Collie Club in the United Kingdom or in the EU.
One third of the foregoing Committee shall retire annually but shall be eligible for re-election without nomination. All official positions i.e. President, Honorary Secretary, Honorary Treasurer, Chairman and Vice-Chairman shall be for three years duration with at least one officer to retire annually and shall be eligible for re-election without nomination.
Nominations for new Officers and Committee to be submitted in writing to the Honorary Secretary by the closing date of the agenda for the Annual General Meeting. Permission of the nominee is to be obtained in writing prior to submitting. The nominee, proposer and seconder to be aged 18 years or over and paid up Members as at December 31st of the proceeding year and to be current Members of The British Collie Club. All nominees voted on for positions of officers or Committee members of The British Collie Club must obtain at least one third of the total available votes at the AGM before being accepted to serve on the Committee of the Club in either an Officer or Committee capacity.
A casual vacancy caused by an officer retiring during his or her term of office may be filled by the Committee. The person elected to serve until the next AGM.
The Secretary or Treasurer shall have the power to accept any new Members. New applicants for membership of The British Collie Club must be proposed and seconded by an existing Member.Any new member must become a Member prior to the date of a show.
No Member shall be allowed to take part in any meeting or proceeding of the Club or to compete for Club trophies or specials until his or her subscription or any sum he or she may owe to the Club has been paid. No British Collie Club trophy should leave the mainland of England, Scotland or Wales.
Only persons who are paid-up Members of the Club on the 31st December of the preceding year can vote at the Annual General Meeting. Persons eligible to vote at the AGM must be 18 years or over by the 31st December of the preceding year. Each Member of a joint membership is eligible to vote at the AGM.
The management of and the property of the Club shall be vested in the committee. The Committee shall also have the power to make bye-laws and decide upon all matters in dispute not provided for by the rule and appoint sub-committees for any special purpose. The Officers acknowledge that during the month of January each year, Maintenance of the Title fee will be forwarded to the Kennel Club by the Secretary for continuance of registration and that by 31st July each year, other returns, as stipulated in the Kennel Club regulations for the registration and Maintenance of Title ofSocieties and Breed Councilsand the affiliation of Agricultural Societies and Municiple Authorities be forwarded to the kennel Club. The Officers also acknowledge their duty to inform the Kennel Club of any changes of the Secretary of The British Collie Club, which may occur during the year.
The Committee Meeting should be called as often as the Chairman and Secretary may deem advisable; seven day’s notice is to be given of all Committee Meetings. The President, Chairman, Vice-Chairman, secretary and Treasurer to have normal votes, the Chairman to have a casting vote where necessary.
Fifty percent of the Officers and Committee currently in office shall constitute a quorum.
An account shall be opened with a bank in the name of The British Collie Club and all Club money lodged into the account. All payments made by cheque and signed by the Hon. Treasurer and countersigned by two appointed officers. The Committee shall have the power to invest monies which they consider surplus to the running of the Club.
The annual subscription shall be £3.00 single or £4.00 joint (a maximum of 2 people) or such other sums as shall be confirmed at an AGM from time to time. Overseas Memberships to be £10 single and £12 joint. The British Collie Club must make a list of Members of and their addresses available for inspection if so requested by the Members of The British Collie Club or by the Kennel Club.
A Member losing or failing to return a cup or trophy belonging to The British Collie Club shall be barred from winning cups and trophies for such period of time as may be decided by the committee.
The property of the Club shall be vested in the Committee and in the event of the Club ceasing to exist, a General Meeting shall be called to decide the disposal of the assets. Cups and trophies are to be returned to the donor or their heirs or assigns. If there are no heirs or assigns, to another Collie Club for safekeeping. A final statement of audited accounts with a record of the disposal of the Club property shall be forwarded to the kennel Club within six months and the persons named as the Officers and Committee of the Club on the last returns furnished to the Kennel Club will be held responsible by the kennel Club for the proper winding up of the Club.
Any Member who shall be suspended uner Kennel Club rule A42j(4) and/or any Member whose dog(s) is/are disqualified under Kennel Club rule A42j(8) shall ipso facto cease to be a Member of the Club for the duration of the suspension and/or disqualification. If the conduct of any Member shall, in the opinion of the Committee of the Club be injurious or likely to be injurious to the character or interests of the Club, the Committee of the Club may, at a meeting, the notice convening which includes as an object, the consideration of the conduct of the Member, determine that a Special general Meeting of the Club shall be called for the purpose of passing a resolution to expel him/her. Notice of the Special General Meeting shall be sent to the accused Member, giving particulars of the complaint and advising the place, date and hour of the meeting that he/she may attend and offer an explanation. If at that meeting, a resolution to expel is passed by two thirds majority of the Members present and voting, his/her name shall forthwith be erased from the list of Members, and he/she thereupon cease for all purposes to be a Member of the Club except that he/she may, within two calendar months from that date of such meeting, appeal to the Kennel Club upon and subject to such conditions as the Kennel Club may impose. If the Club expels any Member for discreditable conduct in connection with dogs, dog shows, trials or competitions, the Club must report the matter in writing to the Kennel Club within seven days and supply any particulars required.
The Club shall not join any Federation of Societies or Clubs.
The Financial year of the Club shall be from January 1st to December 31st of each year and qualified Accountants shall audit the accounts. Such accountants not to be a Member of the Committee. The accountants are to be instructed to forward direct the Chairman and Secretary signed copies of the audited accounts.
The Annual General Meeting shall be on a date to be fixed by the Committee before 30th June each year, at least 28 days notice to be given to all Members by advertisement in the Breed notes of ‘Dog World’ and ‘Our Dogs’. The AGM to be called for the following purposes:
1. To receive the reports of the Chairman and Treasurer and attendance of the Officers and Committee for the preceding year to the 31st December. The Treasurer is to have available at the meetings the original signed audited accounts and formal evidence of all the Clubs assets.
2. To elect Officers and Committee and to discuss any resolutions duly placed on the agenda. All items and nominations for the agenda to be in the hands of the Hon.Secretary by a closing date pre-determined by the Committee of which at least 28 days notice must be given to all Members via advertisements in the Breed notes of ‘Dog World’ and ‘Our Dogs’. The agenda of the AGM and the minutes of the previous AGM, will be made available at the meeting.
3. The election of the Officers and Committee at the AGM shall be by ballot of those present at the meeting. The Committee may, at any time (and they shall upon a requisition signed by any six Members of the Club and specifying the business for which the meeting is required) summon a Special General Meeting of the Club. If within twenty one days after receipt of any such requisition the Committee do not summon a General Meeting, the requisitionists or any other six Members of the Club may do so.
The rules of the Club shall not be altered except at an Annual General Meeting or Special General Meeting, notice of which includes details of the proposal to alter the rules. Such alterations shall not be brought into force until the Kennel Club has been advised and given its approval of the alterations. New rile amendments introduced specifically to meet Kennel Club requirements shall be adopted immediately and be included in the Club’s Constitution with effect from the Clubs AGM. No business shall be transacted unless notice thereof appears on the agenda, with the exception of routine matters or those which in the opinion of the Chairman of the Meeting are urgent.
The Kennel Club shall be the final Court of Appeal in any matters of dispute.
The British Collie Club agrees to conform to the rules and regulations of the Kennel Club.
The Club will prepare in accordance with the following rules, a list of judges.
1. The list will not be restricted to Club Members.
2. The list will be compiled by a Sub-Committee comprising of the Clubs Chairman, Secretary, all members of the Clubs Committee that have awarded CCs in Rough or Smooth Collies. The Clubs Committee may also co-opt onto the Sub-Committee any other Member of The British Collie Club, who at the time of asking actively awards CCs in Rough or Smooth Collies. The Members of this Sub-Committee are to be elected annually. A quorum of forty per cent of the elected Sub-Committee should be in attendance before the Sub-Committee can sit.
3. A list will be prepared annually by a secret ballot of the Judging List Sub-Committee. A two thirds majority of the Sub-Committee present will be required for inclusion on the list. Names to be considered for the new list will be those from the previous list and nominations for the additional list. Nominations for addition to the new list should be sent to the Club Secretary by the 1st of November prior to the expiry of the old list. An ability to meet the qualifications does not ensure automatic inclusion on the list. Persons currently on the C/B list that would like to be considered by the Clubs Judging list Sub-Committee for upgrade to the B/A list need to apply to the Club Secretary providing the relevant information by the 1st November prior to the expiry of the current year’s list. Movement from A2/A3 lists to the A1 list will take place automatically without application at each annual review once that person has awarded CCs. Movement from the A3 to A2 lists are to be reviewed annually.
4. The list will be divided into five parts as follows :-
  - LIST A1 – All persons whom the Club will support to award Kennel Club CCs and who have been previously approved by the Kennel Club to award CCs in the Breeds.
  - LIST A2 – All persons whom the Club will support to award Kennel Club CCs and whom the Kennel Club would support in principle to award Kennel Club CCs in the breeds for that occasion, should that person be invited by a Society/Breed Club.
  - LIST A3 – All persons whom the Club will support to award Kennel Club CCs but, who, as yet, have not been approved by the Kennel Club to award CCs in the Breeds.
  - LIST B – All persons whom the Club will support to judge the Breeds at shows without Kennel Club CCs and Breed Club/General Society Open Shows, which classify six (6) or more classes of Rough Collies or four (4) or more Smooth Collies.
  - LIST C – All other persons whom the Club will support to judge the Breeds at Open Shows.
5. Judges resident within the United Kingdom will be considered for inclusion in the Clubs list if they have gained the required qualifications in the United Kingdom.
6. Judges resident overseas will be considered for inclusion in the list if they have gained qualifications in their countries of residence.
7. The minimum qualifications for consideration for inclusion in each part of the list are as follows :-
  - A1 LIST ROUGH COLLIES (Breed Specialist) – For persons who have previously been approved by the Kennel Club to award CCs in the Breed and have completed their first appointment. To have the support of The British Collie Club.
  - A1 LIST ROUGH COLLIES (Non Specialist) – For persons who have previously been approved by the Kennel Club to award CCs in the Breed and have completed their first appointment. To have the support of The British Collie Club.
  - A2 LIST ROUGH COLLIES (Breed Specialist) – For persons who fulfil all the requirements for the A3 list and who have been assessed in accordance with the Kennel Club requirements and accepted by the Kennel Club for inclusion on an A2 list and to have the support of The British Collie Club.
  - A2 LIST ROUGH COLLIES (Non Specialist) – For persons who fulfil all the requirements for the A3 list and who have been assessed in accordance with the Kennel Club requirements and accepted by the Kennel Club for inclusion on an A2 list and to have the support of The British Collie Club.
  - A3 LIST ROUGH COLLIES (Breed Specialist) – All nominees must have :-
    1. A minimum of seven (7) years judging experience in the Breed and have the support of The British Collie Club.
    2. Judged two (2) Rough Collie Breed Club Open Shows, one (1) of which may be a Championship Show without CCs which had a minimum entry of twenty five (25) exhibits.
    3. Must have judged a minimum of eighty (80) Rough Collie classes (with an adequate geographical spread) and handled a minimum of two hundred and fifty (250) Rough Collies.
    4. To have attended a seminar given by a Kennel Club Accredited Trainer on Kennel Club Regulations and Judging Procedures.
    5. To have attended a seminar given by a Kennel Club Accredited Trainer on Conformation and Movement.
    6. To have attended a Conformation and Movement ‘Hands-on Assessment’ conducted by a Kennel Club Accredited Trainer and passed the assessment.
    7. To have attended at least one breed specific seminar run by Clubs, recognised and approved by the Rough Collie Breed Council, and in accordance with the relevant Kennel Club Code of Best Practice and passed an examination and/or assessment where applicable.
    8. To have bred and/or owned a minimum of three (3) dogs when they obtained their 1st entry in the Kennel Club Stud Book (save in exceptional circumstances).
    9. To have been assessed on three (3) separate occasions.
    10. To have stewarded at twelve (12) shows.
  - A3 LIST ROUGH COLLIES (Non Specialist) – All nominees must have :-
    1. A minimum of seven (7) years judging experience in any one Breed (to include five (5) years in Rough Collies) and have the support of The British Collie Club.
    2. To have judged a minimum of eighty (80) Rough Collie classes (with an adequate geographical spread) and handled a minimum of two hundred and forty five (245) Rough Collies.
    3. To have judged one (1) Rough Collie Breed Club Open Show or one (1) Championship Show without CCs which had a minimum entry of twenty five (25) exhibits.
    4. To have attended a Rough Collie Breed Specific seminar run by Clubs, recognised and approved by the Rough Collie Breed Council.
    5. To have awarded CCs in one (1) other breed (preferably in the Working or Pastoral Group).
    6. To have stewarded at twelve (12) shows.
  - A1 LIST SMOOTH COLLIES (Breed Specialist) – For persons who have previously been approved by the Kennel Club to award CCs in the Breed and have completed their first appointment. To have the support of The British Collie Club.
  - A1 LIST SMOOTH COLLIES (Non Specialist) – For persons who have previously been approved by the Kennel Club to award CCs in the Breed and have completed their first appointment. To have the support of The British Collie Club.
  - A2 LIST SMOOTH COLLIES (Breed Specialist) – For persons who fulfil all the requirements for the A3 list and who have been assessed in accordance with the Kennel Club requirements and accepted by the Kennel Club for inclusion on an A2 list and to have the support of The British Collie Club.
  - A2 LIST SMOOTH COLLIES (Non Specialist) – For persons who fulfil all the requirements for the A3 list and who have been assessed in accordance with the Kennel Club requirements and accepted by the Kennel Club for inclusion on an A2 list and to have the support of The British Collie Club.
  - A3 LIST SMOOTH COLLIES (Breed Specialist) – All nominees must have :-
    1. A minimum of seven (7) years judging experience in the Breed and have the support of The British Collie Club.
    2. Judged Smooth Collie at a Breed Club Open Show.
    3. Must have judged a minimum of twenty (20) Smooth Collie classes (with an adequate geographical spread) and handled a minimum of eighty (80) Smooth Collies.
    4. To have attended a seminar given by a Kennel Club Accredited Trainer on Kennel Club Regulations and Judging Procedures.
    5. To have attended a seminar given by a Kennel Club Accredited Trainer on Conformation and Movement.
    6. To have attended a Breed specific seminar run by Clubs, recognised and approved by the Rough Collie Breed Council, and have been assessed on three (3) Kennel Club approved assessors on at least two (2) occasions.
    7. To have bred and/or owned a minimum of three (3) Smooth Collies when they obtained their 1st entry in the Kennel Club Stud Book.
    8. To have stewarded at twelve (12) shows.
  - A3 LIST SMOOTH COLLIES (Non Specialist) – All nominees must have :-
    1. A minimum of seven (7) years judging experience in any one Breed (to include five (5) years in Smooth Collies) and have the support of The British Collie Club.
    2. To have judged a minimum of twenty (20) Smooth Collie classes (with an adequate geographical spread) and handled a minimum of eighty (80) Smooth Collies.
    3. To have judged Smooth Collie classes at a Breed Club Open Show.
    4. To have attended a Smooth Collie Breed Specific seminar.
    5. To have awarded CCs in one (1) other breed.
    6. To have stewarded at twelve (12) shows.
  - B LIST ROUGH COLLIES (Breed Specialist) – All nominees must have :-
    1. A minimum of seven (7) years owning and exhibiting Rough Collies and have the support of The British Collie Club.
    2. To have judged a minimum of twenty (20) Rough Collie classes at Open Shows.
    3. To have handled a minimum of eighty (80) Rough Collies.
    4. To have attended a Rough Collie specific training seminar run by Clubs recognised and approved by the Rough Collie Breed Council.
    5. To have some stewarding experience.
  - B LIST ROUGH COLLIES (Non Specialist) – All nominees must have :-
    1. A minimum of ten (10) years general judging experience including five (5) years in Rough Collies and have the support of The British Collie Club.
    2. To have handled a minimum of eighty (80) Rough Collies.
    3. To have attended a Rough Collie specific training seminar run by Clubs recognised and approved by the Rough Collie Breed Council.
    4. To have some stewarding experience.
  - B LIST SMOOTH COLLIES (Breed Specialist) – All nominees must have :-
    1. A minimum of seven (7) years owning/exhibiting Smooth Collies.
    2. To have judged a minimum of three (3) Smooth Collie classes at Open Shows.
    3. To have handled a minimum of twelve (12) Smooth Collies.
    4. To have attended a Smooth Collie specific training seminar.
    5. To have some stewarding experience.
  - B LIST SMOOTH COLLIES (Non Specialist) – All nominees must have :-
    1. A minimum of ten (10) years owning and exhibiting in any one breed and have the support of The British Collie Club.
    2. To have a minimum of five (5) years experience of judging Smooth Collies.
    3. To have handled twelve (12) Smooth Collies.
    4. To have attended a Smooth Collie specific training seminar.
    5. To have some stewarding experience.
  - C LIST ROUGH COLLIE (Breed Specialist). All nominees must have had at least five (5) years experience of breeding and/or exhibiting Rough Collies.
  - C LIST ROUGH COLLIES (Non Specialist). All nominees must have at least 5 years general judging experience and handled a minimum of one hundred (100) exhibits.
  - C LIST SMOOTH COLLIE (Breed Specialist). All nominees must have had at least five (5) years experience of breeding and/or exhibiting Smooth Collies.
  - C LIST SMOOTH COLLIES (Non Specialist). All nominees must have at least 5 years general judging experience and handled a minimum of one hundred (100) exhibits.
Judges for The British Collie Club shows are to be drawn from The British Collie Club judge lists. The judges for all shows to be selected by secret ballot in Committee. No person may judge the same breed at a British Collie Club show more than once in a five (5) year period.
All Members shall receive a current copy of the rules and be issued with all amendments to these rules.
Any Member of The British Collie Club Committee who fails to attend three (3) meetings in a year (AGM to AGM) shall be deemed to have resigned unless extenuating circumstances are presented to the Committee.
No person whilst an undischarged bankrupt may serve on the Committee of or hold any other office or appointment within a Kennel Club Registered Society.
Members of the Committee shall not be considered to judge in any capacity at any British Collie Club show, until they have served on the Committee for a minimum of three (3) years.
Serving Officers and Members of The British Collie Club Committee are not allowed to handle any dog entered at The British Collie Club Championship Show. This does not preclude their partners, Serving Officers and Members and their partners of The British Collie Club Committee will not exhibit at The British Collie Club Open Shows.
The Committee have the power to co-opt committee members during the year if it is felt necessary. Such co-opted members will stand for re-election at the following AGM.