Club Rules
1. Name and Objects of the Club
The name of the Club shall be ‘The Alaskan Malamute Club of the United Kingdom’.
The object of the Club shall be to further the interests of the pure bred Alaskan Malamute; to encourage the correct management of the breed at all levels of ownership; to advocate that breeding shall be to the Breed Standard and in the light of currently known hereditary abnormalities; and to encourage judges to assess dogs by the Breed Standard and not by any other criteria.
2. Members Of The Club
The Club shall consist of an unlimited number of members.
New applicants shall be required to send a completed New Members Application Form to the Membership Secretary, accompanied by the appropriate subscription fee.
New applicants shall be:
1. Proposed and seconded by any two full members
2. Elected by majority vote by the General Committee at the earliest opportunity.
Addition of new members to an existing membership (e.g. adding a partner to a single membership to become a joint membership) shall be subject to the same process. A list of new members approved by the committee shall be published in the next Sled Dog magazine.
Probationary Membership
Membership shall begin from the date that the application and payment is received by the Membership Secretary, but shall be on a probationary basis for the first 12 months from the start date.
In the event that a membership application is refused by the Committee, the applicant(s) will be notified and the payment returned. The Committee reserves the right to withhold an explanation for the refusal. Probationary members shall have entitlement to all of the benefits of Club membership but they shall have no voting rights and may not hold any Club Cups or Trophies. If, during the 12 month probationary membership period, their conduct contravenes club rules, or is deemed injurious to The Club or harmful to the breed, then full membership may be withheld by the committee. A decision to withhold is subject to appeal in writing to the Committee within 14 days of notification, but a majority vote by the committee shall then be the final arbiter.
Full Membership
Full membership shall be granted upon successful completion of the Probationary period (12 months after the date of receipt of application).
Each full member shall be entitled to one vote each in any ballots, elections and Annual or Special General meetings held by the Club.
Definitions of membership types available
Single Membership – For one person aged 16 years or over resident in the UK.
Joint Membership – For two people aged 16 years and over living at the same address in the UK.
Family Membership – For a maximum of 4 people aged 16 years and over, from the same immediate family and living at the same address in the UK.
Junior Membership – For anyone under the age of 16 who has a parent(s)/guardian) who is/are full member(s) of the AMCUK. Junior members shall have no voting rights.
Overseas Membership – For Members living outside of the UK. For Club purposes, ‘the UK’ shall include The Channel Islands.
Each individual member aged 16 or over is allowed one vote each regardless of Membership type.
An up to date list of members and their addresses must be maintained and, if so requested, made available for inspection by the Kennel Club and members of the club
No person who is a member of the Club shall use his/her/their status as a member of the Club for the advertisement of his/her/their business or any other undertaking.
3. Subscriptions
The annual subscription to the Club shall be paid on application and thereafter on the first day of January each year.
New membership paid from 16th September qualifies probationary members for membership for the following year. No one shall be deemed a member of the Club or entitled to any of the privileges of membership until the annual subscription has been paid. It shall be competent for any member to withdraw from the Club by giving notice to the Secretary in writing before 31st December in any one year provided always that any such member shall be liable for his/her/their subscription for the current year in which he/she/they gives notice and for any other monies due to the Club.
No member whose subscription is unpaid is entitled to any of the privileges of membership and if the member shall fail to pay outstanding subscriptions by 31st January, his/her/their name[s] shall be automatically erased from the membership list. Acceptance back on the membership list will be dependent upon the committee receiving a satisfactory explanation and, at the discretion of the committee, the payment of arrears.
The annual subscription fee for Single, Joint and Junior Membership shall be such amount as agreed by members at the AGM and notified to the Kennel Club.
The subscription fee for Family Membership shall be one and a half times the prevailing joint membership subscription and for Overseas Membership shall be the appropriate UK rate plus a supplement of 75%.
4. Expulsion of Members
Any member who shall be disqualified under Kennel Club Rule A11.j.(5) and/or Kennel Club Rule A11.j.(9) shall be ipso facto cease to be a member of the Society.
If the conduct of any member shall be, in the opinion of the committee of the Society, be injurious or likely to be injurious to the character or interests of the Society, the committee of the Society may, at a meeting give the notice convening which includes as an object the consideration of the conduct of the member, determine that a Special General Meeting of the Society shall be called for the purposes of passing a resolution to expel him/her/them.
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/they may attend and offer an explanation. If at that Meeting, a resolution to expel is passed by a two-thirds majority of the members present and voting, his/her/their name[s] shall forthwith be erased from the list of members and he/she/they may, within two calendar months from the date of such a Meeting, appeal to the Kennel Club upon and subject to such conditions as the Kennel Club may impose.
5. NO PERSON WHO SHALL HAVE BEEN EXPELLED FROM THE CLUB shall be entitled to recover any portion of his/her/their subscription or have any claim against the Club, its Officers or Committee.
6. Officers of the Club
The Officers of the Club shall consist of President, an unlimited number of Vice-Presidents, Honorary Secretary, and Honorary Treasurer.
7. Management of the Club
The management of the Club shall be in the hands of the three Officers of the Club and up to ten Committee members.
The Committee shall elect its own chairman and Vice-Chairman at the first committee meeting after the Annual General Meeting each year. In the event of both Chairman and Vice-Chairman being absent, the members of the Committee shall elect a Chairman for that meeting from those present.
Meetings of the Committee shall be held as often as deemed necessary and in any case not less than four times a year.
A quorum for the transaction of Committee business shall be five of whom at least one shall be an Officer. In the event of any equality of votes, the Chairman of the meeting shall have the casting vote. The President does not have a vote at Committee meetings.
A Committee Member of the Alaskan Malamute Club of the United Kingdom may not serve as a Committee Member of any other specialised club of the same breed in the United Kingdom, with the exception of the Alaskan Malamute Club of the United Kingdom’s Rescue Trust.
The Committee shall have the power to co-opt on to the Committee in the event of positions becoming vacant between Annual General Meetings
N.B The position of Vice-President is entirely complimentary and holders are not ex-officio members of the Committee.
Sub-Committees:
The Committee may from time to time appoint such Sub-Committees as it may deem necessary or expedient to assist in the conduct of the business of the Club.
The Committee may delegate any of its functions and powers to any Sub-committee and may likewise at any time amend or revoke such delegation.
All the Sub-Committees shall conduct their business in accordance with the directions of the Committee and shall periodically report their proceedings as directed by the Committee for ratification.
Each Sub-Committee shall have its composition, functions, reporting requirements and discretionary powers defined by a constitution that is specific to that Sub-Committee. Such constitution shall be ratified by the Committee who shall retain the power to amend it as deemed necessary.
The following specific rules apply to Sub-Committees:
i. The membership of each Sub-Committee shall be subject to ratification by the Committee and at least one member of each Sub-Committee shall be a member of the Committee.
ii. Members of a Sub-Committee shall remain members thereof until the Clubs Annual General Meeting in the third year following the nomination or election to the Sub-Committee. However if a vacancy occurs for any reason a replacement may be nominated or elected in accordance with the composition of the appropriate Sub-Committee except that the person so nominated or elected will only serve for the term of the person he replaces.
iii. Each Sub-Committee at its first meeting held after the Clubs Annual General Meeting each year shall elect a Chairman and may elect a Vice-Chairman from its number, both of whom shall be members of the Club.
8. The Property of the Club
The property of the Club shall be controlled by the Officers and Committee of the Alaskan Malamute Club of the United Kingdom who shall have the power to make the necessary by-laws to deal with any matter not provided for by the rules. All by-laws must be ratified by the members at an AGM or SGM.
9. Disposal of Assets
If, for any reasons, the Club shall cease to exist as a Club registered at the Kennel Club, all cups and trophies shall be returned to the donors, their heirs or executors or, should this prove impossible, they shall be disposed of with any other assets of the Club in such a manner as the Committee shall deem fit.
10. The Books of the Club
A report of the business transacted at all meetings shall be entered in a Minute Book for that purpose by the Secretary. The Secretary and Treasurer shall keep proper books of accounts showing all receipts and expenditure. All money received shall be paid into the Bank Account which shall be in the name of the Club and operated by any two of the following Officers: President, Treasurer, Secretary or Committee Chairman.
The accounts will be certified annually and presented to the Members at the Annual General Meeting. Certification of accounts must be carried out by one qualified accountant or two individuals with accountancy experience. Those undertaking the certification must be independent from those who prepared the accounts “and” a copy of the annual statement of accounts to be available on request 14 days prior to the AGM.
11. Financial Year / Annual General Meeting
The financial year of the Club shall be from 1st January to 31st December. The Annual General Meeting of the Club shall be held before July of each year at a time and place to be decided upon by the Committee for the following purposes: To announce the Officers & Committee for the ensuing year, to receive the Committee Chairman’s report and the balance sheet duly certified; to elect the Auditors for the ensuing year and to transact any other business of which notice appears on the Agenda with the exception of routine matters or those which in the opinion of the Chairman of the Meeting are urgent, notice of such matters must be provided to the Chairman prior to the meeting commencing.
At least forty two days notice of the Annual and other General Meetings shall be given to each member. All matters for the Agenda of the Annual General Meeting must reach the Secretary at least thirty five days before the date of such a meeting and such agenda shall be sent to members at least fourteen days before the meeting. A Chairman for the Annual General Meeting shall only be elected at the Meeting when the Chairman of the Committee cannot attend. Six members present shall form a quorum for the transaction of business.
At any General Meeting, at least two members of the quorum shall be Committee members.
12. Election of Officers and Committee
At each Annual General Meeting the Vice Presidents and all Committee members shall retire from office but shall be eligible for re-election. The President, Secretary and Treasurer shall hold office for three years but shall be eligible for re-election. Nominations for committee/office shall be made in writing to the Secretary, nominations must be proposed and seconded by full members of the Club and shall include a written statement from the nominee of willingness to stand. This statement must be signed by the nominee, proposer and seconder and the original document shall be received by the Secretary not later than 1st February prior to the Annual General Meeting. Electronically generated signatures are not accepted. All nominations are to be accompanied by a brief (i.e. less than 100 words) resume of the nominee’s qualifications for the office. Members shall receive voting papers where necessary at least twenty eight days prior to the Annual General Meeting and which must be returned in a sealed envelope marked ‘Ballot’ fourteen days prior to the Annual General Meeting. The voting papers shall be opened and counted by scrutineers appointed by the Committee and the results announced by the Chairman at the Annual General Meeting. All members shall have completed one year probationary membership before being elected as an Officer or Committee Member.
13. Special General Meetings
A Special General Meeting shall be summoned by the Secretary if a minimum of 50 full members send a signed requisition stating the subject to be discussed and requesting a Special General Meeting to do so. The Committee of the Society is also empowered to call a Special General Meeting at such time and place, as it shall determine.
The notice convening the meeting, which will be sent to all members, shall specify the business to be transacted and no other business shall be brought before the Meeting.
14. Failure to attend
Committee members must attend at least two thirds of the meetings held and not less than three per year. Failure to do so will result in that person being removed from the Committee and they will not be eligible to stand for re-election the following year, unless there are exceptional circumstances.
The president and all committee members are to receive at least 28 days notice of the next committee meeting.
15. Challenge Cups
All Challenge Cups not won outright shall be controlled by the Committee who may make such rules with regard to them, as they think fit, subject to specific instructions from the donor. Any member who has won a Challenge Cup or trophy and wishes to take possession of it must sign the relevant book guaranteeing that the same must be returned to the Cup Steward on or before the appropriate competition at their own expense either by registered post or insured rail, and in a clean condition.
Should it be decided by the donor of the cups that the record of wins be engraved on cups or trophies, such engraving shall be carried out in replica by a silversmith at the expense of the winner who shall also defray the cost of the insurance whether direct or by paying a specified amount towards the cost of the comprehensive policy taken out by the Club.
Cups and trophies can only be held by full members of the Club. In case of joint-ownership of dogs, both owners must be members, either individually or in partnership, in order to hold a trophy.
16. The Club shall not join any Federation of Societies or Clubs.
17. Judging Lists
Judging lists of the Club shall be up-dated when deemed necessary or at least once per year, by the Judges Sub-committee, in accordance with Kennel club Regulations
People wishing to be nominated for inclusion on the B list must forward details of their judging experience to date to the Secretary. Membership of the Club is not a pre-requisite for inclusion on the lists.
Judges for the Alaskan Malamute Club of the United Kingdom Club Show must not have judged the Breed in the UK for a period of at least twelve months prior to the date of the Show.
Judges for Alaskan Malamute Club of the United Kingdom Club Show Rescue Stakes classes must not have judged the breed in the UK for a period of at least six months prior to the date of the Show.
All judges it is deemed necessary to remove from the judging lists are to be written to, informed of the reasons and given 28 days to respond in writing. All final decisions of the committee are to be properly recorded in the minutes of the next committee meeting.
18. Officers and Committee may handle dogs at Club Shows
19. Annual Returns to the Kennel Club
The Officers acknowledge that during the month of January each year, Maintenance of 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 Kennel Club Regulations for the Registration and maintenance of Title of Societies and Breed Councils and the Affiliation of Agricultural Societies and Municipal Authorities be forwarded to the Kennel Club. The officers also acknowledge their duty to inform the Kennel Club of any changes of Secretary of the Society, which may occur during the course of the year.
20. These Rules shall not be altered or added to except at the Annual General Meeting or any Special General Meeting of the Club. Details of any proposed rule changes must be included on the notice of the meeting, a majority of those present is required to carry out any alterations or additions and such alterations shall not be brought into force until the Kennel Club has been informed and given approval of the alterations. The code of ethics and any new positions within the Club can only be changed by the members at an AGM. Adherence to the Code of Ethics to be included in Club rules.
NB. All proposals to changes of rules and code of ethics passed at an AGM are to be included in the rules, after Kennel Club approval has been gained.
21. 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.
22. The Kennel Club is the final authority for interpreting the rules of the society in all cases relative to canine or society matters.
23. Minutes of committee meetings to be published in the sled dog
Updated April 2019
AMCUK Code Of Ethics
All members of the A.M.C.U.K undertake to abide by the Code of Ethics.
Club members:
1 Will properly house, feed, water and exercise all dogs under their care and arrange for appropriate veterinary attention if and when required.
2 Will agree without reservation that any veterinary surgeon who performs an operation on any of their dogs which alters the natural conformation of the animal, or who carries out a caesarean section on a bitch, may report such operation to the Kennel Club.
3 Will agree that no healthy puppy will be culled. Puppies which may not conform to the Breed Standard should be placed in suitable homes.
4 Will abide by all aspects of the Animal Welfare Act.
5 Will not create demand for, nor supply, puppies that have been docked illegally.
6 Will agree not to breed from a dog or bitch which could be in any way harmful to the dog or to the breed.
7 Will not allow any of their dogs to roam at large or to cause a nuisance to neighbours or those carrying out official duties.
8 Will ensure that their dogs wear properly tagged collars and will be kept leashed or under effective control when away from home.
9 Will clean up after their dogs in public places or anywhere their dogs are being exhibited.
10 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.
11 Will supply written details of all dietary requirements and give guidance concerning responsible ownership when placing dogs in a new home.
12 Will ensure that all relevant Kennel Club 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.
13 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 sell by sale or auction Kennel Club registration certificates as stand alone items (not accompanying a dog).
14 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. ( KC/GJ September 2008)
15 BREED STANDARD All breeding stock should closely follow the official Kennel Club Breed Standard in all aspects and it is important that all members familiarise themselves with the Breed Standard, with particular attention being paid to the conformation and temperament of the dogs. Dogs, which manifestly depart from the Breed Standard, are not suitable for breeding.
16 BREEDING PURPOSES All breeding should include the overriding objective of improving the overall standard of Malamutes. Equal weight should be given to type, temperament, health and soundness. Nervous or aggressive dogs are not satisfactory as breeding stock or pets. Litters should be conscientiously planned using both healthy mature bitches and stud dogs, of sound temperament and conformation. Members will be honest in dealing with prospective buyers and fellow breeders and will endeavour to co-operate towards a programme of improvement for the breed.
17 REGISTRATION & ENDORSEMENTS All dogs used for breeding should be registered with the Kennel Club and full details of their pedigree should be known. All puppies should have their registration endorsed by the breeder “Progeny not for Registration” and, in addition (unless being exported by the breeder) “Not for Export”. The purchaser of a puppy must be advised of these endorsements in writing before the purchase has been completed. The purchaser of a puppy and the breeder must sign an agreement which may include a clause as to the conditions to be satisfied for lifting these restrictions.
18 PLANNING OF LITTERS No one should breed a litter unless he/she has the right facilities for dam and litter, and the time to devote proper care and attention to rearing the puppies and the well being of the dam. There should be some demand for the puppies before the bitches are mated.
19 BREEDING AGE LIMITS Bitches will not be mated before her third season, and will not under any circumstances be mated before her second birthday. If a bitch is to be bred from, she must whelp for the first time before her 6th birthday. A bitch must not whelp after her 8th birthday, unless KC permission is granted.
20 WELFARE OF THE BITCH No bitch will be bred from twice within a 12 month period. No bitch should have more than 4 litters in her lifetime
21 STUD DOGS Only entire dogs with two fully descended testicles should be used at stud and not before eighteen months of age. Members who own stud dogs should be aware of the need to improve the breed and enhance the reputation of the sires. They should refuse stud services to inferior specimens of the breed. A stud dog owner must be satisfied as to the conditions under which the litter will be reared and acknowledge their own responsibility for the resultant litter. It is considered prudent to restrict the use of a stud dog services until the health and quality of progeny is proven.
22 PUPPY SALES Prospective buyers of puppies should be screened for suitability and ability to provide long term homes. They should be advised of the characteristics and problems of the breed. These include the need for grooming, exercise, family contact and the need to socialize ass soon as possible, as the breed has a tendency to dislike other dogs.
23 PUPPY INFORMATION Ideally no puppy should leave the breeder before 8 weeks of age and in any event never before 7 weeks of age. Each purchaser of a Malamute puppy should be provided, at the time of sale, with an accurate pedigree, a Kennel Club transfer form and a registration certificate. He/she should also receive a diet sheet and information about training, worming and vaccination. Advice should be given about suitable books and membership of the breed club. It is strongly recommended that breeders identify their litters by a permanent form of ID (microchip or tattoo) before sale. It is further recommended that breeders provide a DNA profile for any puppies they have bred.
24 PUPPY VARIATIONS No puppy, which has a physical defect or shows a clear departure from the Breed Standard, should be sold without the buyer being made fully aware of the defect or departure from the Breed Standard. Breeders should replace any puppy, which develops a defect to such a degree, that, on the advice of two independent veterinary surgeons, the puppy has to be put down, or they should refund the purchase price. The breeder is to be properly notified before any such action is taken. It is advisable for breeders to take out insurance cover on any puppy.
25 HEREDITARY DISEASES It is recommended that breeders in their breeding programmes have an awareness and a reasonable understanding of basic genetics. When planning a litter, breeders must avoid using any dog that is known to be affected by an undesirable inherited condition, and must also avoid mating a known carrier of an undesirable inherited condition to another carrier of that condition. If a carrier of any condition is used in a mating, then the progeny from that mating must also be tested for that condition:-
A) Must have a permanent form of ID (microchip or tattoo) before any of the tests in B, C and D take place and these numbers recorded on all paperwork relating to these tests.
B) Must be x-rayed for hip dysplasia and the x-ray plates submitted to the BVA for scoring under the KC/BVA Hip Dysplasia (HD) scheme. The breeder must be in possession of the hip score certificate of the bitch and have received a copy of the stud dog’s hip score certificate prior to any mating taking place.
a) The x-ray should be carried out by a suitably qualified veterinary surgeon after the dog has attained the age of twelve months.
b) Consideration is to be given to the score of each hip (the lower the score the less the degree of HD) and will influence the decision to breed and the choice of stud dog. It is highly recommended that breeding stock with an unacceptably higher score than the prevailing breed average or significantly uneven scores should not be used for breeding purposes. To this end, consideration should be given to the BVA guidance: “If the scores of the two hips are markedly different, the worse of the two hips should be considered to be more representative of the dog’s hip status, and doubling that single hip score will give a more realistic overall score for the purposes of selection for breeding.
c) It is recommended that the combined hip scores for both sire and dam should not exceed 200% of the prevailing breed average score. For example, if the breed average score is 13, the combined hip scores for both sire and dam should not exceed a total of 26. Scores over 20 are to be considered high and a score of 12/1 although breed average is unbalanced and highly undesirable.
d) It is strongly advised that all x-ray plates are submitted to the BVA for scoring, even if on general veterinary surgeon’s advice the hips are considered poor, so that a true picture of HD in the breed can be assessed.
C) Must be eye tested under the joint KC/BVA/ISDS eye scheme for hereditary cataract (HC) before a mating takes place. Tests for HC carried out under the ECVO (European College of Veterinary Ophthalmologists) and AHT (Animal Health Trust) schemes are also acceptable. It should be noted, however, that tests carried out under the ECVO and AHT schemes, whilst recorded in the Kennel Club Breed Records Supplement, may not be recorded on the Kennel Club database and, as such, the registration certificates. Therefore, if these schemes are used, appropriate action should be taken by the breeder to ensure that all parties are aware that these tests have been carried out in accordance with KC and AMCUK requirements.
a) For the avoidance of doubt, a current valid eye certificate, within the last 12 months, unaffected by HC, must be held by the dam’s owner prior to any mating taking place and the stud dog owner must have furnished the breeder with a similarly current valid eye certificate. In cases where frozen sperm is used a valid eye certificate must be held at the time of collection and/or, if the donor is still available, a current valid eye certificate unaffected by HC must be held at the time of insemination.
b) The eye examination should be carried out by a suitably qualified eye specialist under the above mentioned scheme after the dog has attained the age of 12 months.
c) Breeders must test for HC annually and only dogs which are unaffected are to be bred from/to.
D) Must be tested for Alaskan Malamute Polyneuropathy (AMPN) and the breeder must be in possession of a certificate confirming the clinical status of both the sire and dam prior to any mating taking place. It is accepted that the progeny from a mating where both sire and dam are certified as ‘clear’ will be considered to be ‘clear by parentage’. Any dog to be bred from that is ‘clear by parentage’ will not need to be tested for AMPN, but the breeder must be in possession of copies of both the parents certificates. Note: This ‘clear by parentage’ exemption currently only applies to the first generation. In cases where frozen sperm is used, a valid AMPN test certificate must be held at the time of collection. If this is not available and an AMPN test cannot be carried out, breeders must assume carrier status for the sire and it may only be used with a bitch certified as clear.
E) If a foreign dog is used in any breeding it must meet the breeding requirements of its country of its origin or the country where it resides and this must include hip scoring and eye testing. The exception to this is an imported foreign dog/bitch of less than 24 month of age who is too young to qualify for an OFA (Orthopaedic Foundation for Animals) number and has only an OFA preliminary report or equivalent. A preliminary report is not acceptable to the AMCUK in respect of testing for HD. Any breeder wishing to breed imported foreign dog/bitch with only an OFA Preliminary Report or equivalent must have such dog or bitch re-tested for HD under the KC/BVA (HD) scheme. Similarly, an imported foreign dog/bitch only being in possession of a preliminary eye test report will be required to be re-tested for HC under either the KC/BVA/ISDS (HC) schemes or the ECVO and AHT schemes.
It is recommended that all breeding stock should have a DNA profile prior to a mating taking place.
Should breeders find hereditary problems occurring in their bloodlines, they should be honest and open about it to ensure that it is not unknowingly perpetuated in the breed.
Breeders shall keep accurate records of all their breeding stock.
26 CONDUCT Officers and Committee of the Breed Club are always ready to help with members’ problems, whenever possible. Members should conduct themselves at all times to reflect credit on the ownership of dogs. Members should not allow dogs to roam and cause a nuisance to other people. They should accept responsibility for cleaning up after their dogs in public places
Breach of these provisions may result in expulsion from club membership, and/or disciplinary action by the Kennel Club and/or reporting to the relevant authorities for legal action, as appropriate.
Amended April 2016
Sub-Committee Rules & Constitutions
General
In accordance with, and subject to, Rule 7, the Sub-Committees listed in succeeding paragraphs are appointed to advise and make recommendations to the General Committee with regard to such matters as the General Committee may refer or if so authorised by the General Committee are appointed to act for the General Committee to decide upon such matters.
- Sub-Committees shall consist of a number of people relevant to each Sub-Committee, at least one of which shall be a serving member of the General Committee.
- Each Sub-Committee shall meet at least twice a year, and as often as is deemed necessary for the Sub-Committee to fulfil its required function.
- Sub-Committee members shall receive 7 days notice in writing of meetings together with the agenda. No matter may be dealt with unless appearing on the agenda, save matters of ordinary office routine or matters arising out of the minutes of the previous meeting or matters which are urgent in the opinion of the chairman of the meeting.
- Each Sub-Committee shall provide to the General Committee a detailed report of all its activities at the General Committee meeting immediately following each Sub-Committee meeting.
- The quorum for any meeting of a Sub-Committee shall be three, at least one of which shall be a serving member of the General Committee.
- In addition to the election of a Chairperson in accordance with rule 7(iii), each Sub-Committee shall elect from its number one person to act as Secretary to that Sub-Committee.
Composition, functions and executive/discretionary authority specific to each sub-committee:
Health:
Composition: A minimum of four and a maximum of eight people.
Function: To consider and advise on any matters relating to the health of the breed. To advise on the development and organisation of a programme of educational events relevant to the health of the breed.
Executive/Discretionary Authority: None.
Judging:
Composition: A minimum of four and a maximum of eight people, which consist of at least 75% of persons who award CCs in the breed. All those [club] Committee members who have previously awarded CCs in the breed should be included on the sub-committee and all sub-committee members should be active in the breed.
Function: To consider and advise on any matters relating to the suitability of persons to judge the breed at all levels. To compile and maintain lists of judges, and advise on the criteria required for inclusion on such lists, in accordance with Kennel Club and AMCUK regulations and guidance. To advise on the development and organisation of a programme of judges educational events. To advise on the suitability of judges for AMCUK Shows.
Executive/Discretionary Authority: Whilst the compilation of and amendments to the Clubs judges lists is subject to Rule 7 ratification procedures, the Judges Sub-Committee has the authority to submit the Clubs judges lists to the Kennel Club without such ratification if necessary. *
Show:
Composition: A minimum of four and a maximum of six people.
Function: To consider and advise on any matters relating to AMCUK Shows. To be responsible for the organisation and running of AMCUK Shows. This is subject to Rule 7 ratification procedures and is with the exception of the appointment of judges.
Executive/Discretionary Authority: None.
Working:
Composition: A minimum of four and a maximum of eight people.
Function: To consider and advise on any matters relating to breed working disciplines. To be responsible for the organisation and running of AMCUK Working Events, subject to Rule 7 ratification procedures.
Executive/Discretionary Authority: None.
November 2011. * Amended July 2016
AMCUK Sub Committee Code of Conduct
All Sub-Committees are defined by their own specific functions that have been deemed necessary to delegate outside the General AMCUK Committee. It is composed of a minimum four and maximum eight group of individuals for the purposes of diversity and for an even sharing of work load. A minimum of two meetings will be held a year and all individuals are expected to work together as a team in fulfilling these functions, ultimately delivering for the betterment of the Breed and the Breed Club.
As with all aspects of Kennel Club affiliated activities, members of a Sub Committee are to conduct themselves in a responsible manner so as to best deliver the duties required by the Breed Club. This Code of Conduct it is not meant to penalise or cause difficulty but is in place to clearly outline the expectations from the Committee.
It should go without saying that the AMCUK expects courtesy and co-operation to be shown during Sub Committee discussions and activities, whether via email, at meetings or at events. Whilst personal opinions will always vary, being part of a Sub Committee means that the ability to discuss and communicate in a reasonable and professional manner, to share duties evenly, and to adopt a unified front in final decisions, is required to deliver its functions successfully. Through this process of discussion and shared responsibility, the Sub Committee should function at its best to better fulfil the delegated duties of the breed club. As in any aspect of the Club, abusive or aggressive behaviour, or that which is deemed to the detriment of the Sub Committee or AMCUK in general, will not be tolerated and if necessary the Committee will remove the delegated duties from individuals acting in such a manner.
The AMCUK direct all Committee, Sub Committee and Members of the Club to the Kennel Club’s Code of Conduct, including the use of Social Media, in highlighting this, in conjunction with relevant regulations as listed in the AMCUK Rules and the Kennel Club Year Book.
October 2014