"For member information only"
ARTICLE I Name and Objectives
SECTION I The name of the Club shall be HEARTLAND DOG TRAINING CLUB, INC.
SECTION II The objectives of the Club shall be:
(a) To conduct obedience and agility trials. To conduct fun matches and clinics.
(b) To conduct Educational Seminars/Workshops, which shall be open to all people interested in training their dog, regardless of breed or pedigree.
(c) To provide input to national obedience and agility organizations on the further development of canine performance sports.
(d) To promote obedience and agility training and increase their popularity in a responsible manner.
(e) To promote good sportsmanship in the training and exhibition of dogs.
(f) To associate with others whose training methods reflect a desire to improve their relationship with their dogs and who have a philosophy of education and operant conditioning rather than force and coercion.
SECTION III
(a) The Club shall not be conducted or operated for profit.
(b) No part of any profits or remainder or resides are:
(a) Trial Member. A trial membership is offered for a three month period and does not require sponsors. This allows the applicant to get acquainted with the club's members. Upon completion of the three-month period, the trial member must submit an application to become an active member if the individual intends to continue participating in HDTC activities. Upon receipt of the application to be an active member, the president shall place that individual's name on the agenda for the next regular club meeting. The club members present shall then vote on that individual's application at the meeting. A 2/3 positive vote by secret written ballot of all members present shall be required to induct a new member into the club. The trial membership is offered only once per applicant.
(b) Active Member. An Active Member is a member who is at least 18 years old and works at a minimum of two club functions per year. He/she shall enjoy all privileges and obligations of the club.
(c) Junior Member. A Junior Member shall be between the ages of 8 and 18, shall have fulfilled yearly provisional requirements and be sponsored by an Active Member who shall be responsible for his/her conduct. He/she shall enjoy all privileges of the club, except voting or holding office.
(d) Friend of Heartland. A person interested in supporting the club and keeping up with news about the club, but who cannot attend meetings or assist with club events, may remain in the information loop by donating the cost of annual dues to the club. These individuals shall be known as Friends of Heartland, and shall have no work or attendance obligations, nor will they have voting privileges.
Current fees for membership are Family (two or more family members residing in the same household) $16 per year; Single, $12 per year; Trial; $10 for three months; and Junior, no charge. Membership fees will be adjusted for members joining throughout the year. Members joining April-June pay $12/$9; July-Sept. $8/$6; Oct.-Dec. $4/$3.
SECTION II Dues. The amount of the yearly dues may be changed by the majority of the members present at any regular meeting. Dues are to be payable by the first day of the fiscal year. One month prior to the new fiscal year, the Secretary shall send each member a statement of his/her dues for the ensuing year.
SECTION III Election of Members. Each applicant for membership shall apply on a form approved by the Board of Directors and which shall provide that the applicant agrees to abide by these Constitution and By-Laws and the rules of all national obedience and agility organizations. The application shall state the name, occupation of the applicant, membership in other organizations and it shall carry the endorsement of two members, one of whom must be of Active status. Accompanying the application, the prospective member shall submit dues payment for the current year. All applications are to be filed with the Secretary. Each application is to be read at the next board meeting of the Club and approved or denied. Applicants for membership who have been rejected by the Club may not re-apply within six months after such rejection. The dues will be refunded if membership is denied.
SECTION IV Termination of Membership. Membership may be terminated: (a) By resignation. Any member in good standing may resign from the Club upon written notice to the Secretary; but no member may resign when in debt to the Club. Dues obligations are considered a debt to the Club and they become incurred on the first day of each fiscal year.
(b) By lapsing. A membership will be considered as lapsed and automatically terminated if such member's dues remain unpaid for thirty (30) days after the first day of the fiscal year. However, the Board may grant an additional thirty (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 in Article VII.
ARTICLE III Meetings
SECTION I Annual Club Meetings. The annual meeting of the members of the Club shall be held in the Manhattan area during the first month of the fiscal year. The officers of the Club shall be elected at that time. Written notice of such meetings shall be mailed by the Secretary ten (10) days prior to the date of the meeting. This meeting has no quorum requirement.
SECTION II Regular Meetings. Regular meetings of the Club shall be held as designated by the majority vote of those present at any regular meeting.
SECTION III Special Meetings. Special meetings may be called by the President, the Board or by the Secretary upon receipt of a petition signed by five (5) members in good standing. Notice of such special meetings, stating time, place, and object must be mailed by the Secretary to each member of the Club five (5) days prior to the date of the meeting. A quorum must be present at any special meeting at which official business is to be transacted. A quorum shall consist of 20 percent of the Club members in good standing.
SECTION IV Board Meetings. The President may call meeting of the Board upon his/her judgment. A quorum of five (5) voting members of the Board must be present to conduct business. The Secretary may call a meeting of the Board upon the petition in writing of three Board Members. An annual meeting of the Board shall be held within the month of the Club's Annual Meeting.
ARTICLE IV Directors & Officers
SECTION I There shall be a Board of Directors including the President, Vice-President, Secretary, Treasurer and one non-officer director, as well as the Obedience Training Director and the Agility Training Director. All officers and directors will be elected to one-year terms.
The Board of Directors shall authorize only transactions which are in keeping with the Objectives of the Club and acceptable business procedures. The President shall give regular reports of those Transactions to the membership. If a decision of the Board has been questioned, the membership shall be notified at the time the notices are sent out for the regular meeting. The matter shall be placed on the agenda for that meeting. The agenda shall be prepared by the President.
SECTION II Officers. The Officers of the Club shall be a President, Vice-President, Secretary, and Treasurer. There shall be one board member elected who is not an officer. The Training Directors also will serve on the Board of Directors and have voting privileges. The board shall have a total of seven members. No member may hold an office if he/she has not attend half of the regular meetings in the previous 12 months.
(a) President. The President shall preside at all meetings of the Club and shall have the duties and powers normally associated with the office. He/she may vote on all questions submitted to the Club. He/she may appoint various committees subject to the approval of the Board of Directors, to perform certain duties and cancel such appointments, subject also to the approval of the Board. He/she shall be an Ex-officio member of all committees.
(b) Vice-President. The Vice-President shall, in the absence or disability of the President, perform the duties of the President. He/she shall in the absence of the President, preside over the Board. He/she shall be an Ex-officio member of all committees. It shall be his/her responsibility to maintain correspondence with national obedience and agility organizations and other obedience and agility clubs.
(c) Secretary. The Secretary shall keep a complete record of all meetings of the Club, of the Board of Directors and of any matters which shall be ordered by the Club. He/she shall give each member of the Board of Directors a copy of the Board's minutes before the next Board meeting. He/she shall send each new member a written notice of his/her acceptance into the Club, a copy of the Constitution and By-Laws and a list of the membership, its officers, Directors and Committees. He/she shall notify members of their nomination to office. He/she shall keep a roll of the members and their addresses. It shall be his/her responsibility to see that members are notified of all meetings.
(d) Treasurer. The treasurer shall collect and receive all monies due or belonging to the Club and make receipts and records of all transactions. He/she shall deposit, in the name of the Club, the same in an insured bank (s) and/or Savings and Loan Institution (s) satisfactory to the Board. All monies in excess of $500 shall be paid out by the Treasurer only upon approval by the Board.
(d) Obedience Training Director. The obedience training director shall be responsible for all aspects of the obedience training classes sponsored by the Club. He/she will recruit instructors and coordinate class outlines to ensure quality, uniform instruction in all Club classes. The training director is elected for a period of one year. He/she is a fully participating member of the Board of Directors, with voting privileges.
(e) Agility Training Director. The agility training director shall be responsible for all aspects of the agility training classes sponsored by the Club. He/she will recruit instructors and coordinate class outlines to ensure quality, uniform instruction in all Club classes. The training director is elected for a period of one year. He/she is a fully participating member of the Board of Directors, with voting privileges.
The officers authorized to withdraw money from the accounts will be the Treasurer, President, Vice-President and designated Board Member, with two (2) signatures being required for payments in excess of $500. The pass books for any savings accounts will be held by the Secretary. The Treasurer shall pay all bills and expenses of the Club from its funds, provided such payments are approved by the majority of its members or by the Board. Upon request, the Treasurer's books shall be open for inspection by all members of the Club. A current report shall be given at each meeting. Copies of the report shall be filed with the Treasurer and the Secretary. The books are permanent records which shall be kept by the Treasurer. They may be reviewed and the check book balanced at least by-monthly by a club member appointed by the Board. The Books shall be initialed by the member and dated each time. Immediately after the election of new officers, the retiring and the newly elected treasurers shall present the books to the Board for review. A report shall be given to the membership at the next meeting.
SECTION III Vacancies. Any vacancies occurring on the Board, or in any Office during the Year, shall be filled for the un-expired term of office by a majority vote of the members of the Board at its first meeting following the creation of such vacancy.
ARTICLE V The Club Year, Annual Meeting, Elections
SECTION I Club Year. The Club's Fiscal Year shall begin on the first day of January and end on the 31st day of December. The Club's Official Year shall begin immediately at the conclusion of the election at the annual meeting and shall continue through the election at the next annual meeting.
SECTION II Annual Meeting. The Annual Meeting shall be held in the month of December at which Officers and Directors for the ensuing year shall be elected by secret written ballot from among those nominated in accordance with Section V of this Article. Newly elected officers and directors shall take office immediately upon the conclusion of the election, and each retiring officer shall turn over to his/her successor all properties and records relating to that office within ten (10) days after election.
SECTION III Absentee Ballots. Absentee voting shall be allowed providing the ballot is submitted to the Secretary in writing prior to the meeting when the vote is to be taken. Absentee voting shall be allowed only for the voting in election of officers or on amendments to the Constitution and By-Laws.
SECTION IV Elections. The nominated candidate receiving the greatest number of votes for each Office or Director shall be declared elected for a one-year term.
SECTION V Nominations. No person may be a candidate in a Club election who has not been nominated. Only active members in good standing, who have attended at least one-half of the regular business meetings during the past twelve (12) months shall be eligible to be nominated. During October, the Board shall appoint a Nominating Committee consisting of three (3) members and two (2) alternates. The Board shall name a chairman of the committee, whose duty shall be to call a meeting on or before November.
(a) The Committee shall nominate at least one candidate who will accept the nomination for each office and candidates for the open positions on the Board and immediately report their nominations in writing to the Secretary.
(b) Upon receipt of the Nominating Committee's report, the Secretary shall notify each nominee in writing.
(c) Additional nominations may be made at a meeting prior to the annual meeting by any member in attendance provided that the nominee does not decline when his/her name is proposed.
(d) All nominations for office must be mailed to each member of the club at least ten (10) days prior to the Annual Meeting.
ARTICLE VI Committees
SECTION I The newly elected Board shall meet in January and appoint such committees as needed for the orderly operation of the Club.
SECTION II Any committee appointment may be terminated by a majority vote of the full membership of the Board upon written notice to the appointee. The Board may appoint successors to these persons whose service has been terminated.
ARTICLE VII Discipline
SECTION I National organization suspension. Any member who is suspended from the privileges of any national obedience or agility organization automatically shall be suspended from the privileges of this Club for a like period.
SECTION II Expulsion of a member. The Board reserves the right to approve or revoke membership at any time.
SECTION III Removal of Officers or Board Members. Any Officer or Board Member of this Club may be removed by a majority vote of the membership present at a regular meeting for inattention to his/her duties or for conduct unbecoming to an officer. Any Officer and/or Board Member who fails to attend three (3) consecutive regular or executive meetings without a valid excuse as interpreted by the Board, shall have his/her office declared vacant. The Board of Directors shall appoint a successor to serve until the next regular election.
ARTICLE VIII Amendments
SECTION I Amendments. These Constitution and By-Laws may be amended by a 2/3 majority vote of members present and voting at any regular or special meeting called for any such purpose, but the proposed amendments must be embodied in the call for any such meeting and mailed to each member at least two (2) weeks prior to the date of such meeting.
ARTICLE IX Dissolution
SECTION I Dissolution. The Club may be dissolved at any time by the written consent of not less than 2/3 of all members. After payment of all debts of the Club, its property and assets shall be distributed to such charitable organizations as may be designated by the majority of the members.
ARTICLE X Licensed Events
SECTION I All rules and policies of a national sanctioning organization will be followed at events licensed by that organization and held by the Club.
ARTICLE XI Publications
SECTION I The Club may circulate any informative publication to its membership. Said publication shall be established and approved by a majority of the Board of Directors. The Club shall publish a newsletter for members, which shall be paid for from the Treasury, and overseen by the Board of Directors.
ARTICLE XII Order of Business
SECTION I At meetings of the Club, the order of business so far as the character and nature of the meeting may permit, shall be as follows:
Call to Order
Roll
Guests Welcomed
Minutes of the Last Meeting
Treasurer's Report
President's Report
Report of the Board of Directors
Committee Reports
Unfinished Business
New Business
Adjournment
Program and Refreshments
SECTION II At meetings of the Board, roll shall be recorded. Relevant business shall then be conducted.
ARTICLE XIII Parliamentary Rule
SECTION I Robert's Rules of Order (Revised) shall prevail and govern the conduct of parliamentary procedure in this Club where no method is provided in these Constitution and By-Laws.
Constitution and By-Laws approved as of April 2, 1996, amended Oct. 19, 1996, amended May 17, 1997, amended April 26, 1998
We hereby certify that the foregoing Constitution and By-Laws, consisting of five (5) pages, including this page, constitute the By-Laws of Heartland Dog Training Club, Inc., adopted by its Board of Directors as of April 26, 1998
HDTC AGGRESSION PROTOCOL
PURPOSE
The purpose of this protocol is to:
1 DEFINE aggression issues
2 PROVIDE a mechanism to INFORM members of a perceived or potential aggression problem
3 DOCUMENT incidents of aggression
4 PROVIDE GUIDELINES for the management of individuals involved with an aggression issue
5 ASSIST members in seeking a resolution of an aggression issue
This protocol is intended as a proactive measure to help members while providing for the safety and welfare of all members and their dogs.
Aggression, whether directed at animals or people, is a serious issue. Members are reminded that observing principles of safe handling, exercising appropriate etiquette, and complying with the Club's policies on owner responsibilities, will eliminate a high percentage of situations that may spark an aggressive response.
1 DEFINITION
For the purpose of this protocol, aggression will be defined as, not only those behaviors which are easily recognized as antagonistic, but also those which may be precursors to full-blown aggression. These behaviors include, but are not limited to: repeatedly charging towards others while either on or off leash, or while otherwise confined; biting or snapping; threat displays; and prolonged, intense direct eye contact, especially while moving towards another individual. Regardless of its apparent motivation (e.g., dominance, fear, or play), aggression issues must be addressed as early as possible.
2 and 3 INFORM MEMBERS AND DOCUMENT
Incidents of low-level aggression often go unnoticed, unrecognized, unreported, and therefore untreated. Without proper guidance and handling, aggressive tendencies can quickly become big problems. Early intervention can often mean the difference between success or failure for a rehabilitation program. Members are encouraged to assist in the identification of those dogs who could benefit from aggression intervention. Recognition and reporting of dogs who may be at risk for developing aggressive behavior is the first step in securing help for that dog and owner. This is a responsibility of each club member. If a member is uncomfortable with filling out a written incident report, verbal notification of the incident to the Training Director will suffice.
The owner of the dog then will receive a letter from the Club Officers or, if appropriate, the owner's sponsors. This letter will draw attention to the dog's behavior and inform the owner how to obtain assistance. A copy of this letter will be maintained in the membership records. The owner will be responsible for choosing a course of action consistent with club policies.
4 MANAGEMENT GUIDELINES
The owner must address the management of the dog to facilitate the development of appropriate behavior and to ensure the safety of others who are participating in club activities. While training and behavior support may be available through club members, the owner is solely responsible for the dog's behavior, careful supervision, and physical restraint.
Some cases may require measures such as informing the general membership of the need for their cooperation, the use of special safety equipment, multiple handlers for a single dog, or postponement of participation in club activities.
5 ASSIST MEMBERS
Control of the environment is extremely important when working on any behavior issue. By consistent compliance with the club's policies on owner responsibilities, handlers do their part to maintain an environment in which all feel comfortable. The Club encourages the application of the principles of classical and operant conditioning when addressing behavior problems, especially aggression. Members who have an interest in assisting with the rehabilitation process should identify themselves to the Training Director. Methods which are antagonistic or punitive in nature are discouraged. Instead, methods which develop confident, friendly, compliant attitudes are encouraged. It is, however, ultimately the owner who is responsible for the management and rehabilitation of a dog who has displayed aggressive behavior. The Club reserves the right to request the removal of any dog, who through behavior or management, compromises the comfort and safety of other club members and participants at club events.
HDTC POLICY ON OWNER RESPONSIBILITIES
Members are encouraged to exemplify the highest standards of sportsmanship and personal responsibility. This policy is intended both as a general guideline and to inform members of some specific expectations.
Owners are responsible for all aspects of their dogs' behavior. This responsibility includes, and extends beyond, the use of a pick-up baggie. Owners will closely supervise any interaction between his or her dog and any other person or dog at Club activities and events. Any contact between dogs will only occur with the expressed permission of both handlers. Specific behavior to be avoided include: allowing a dog to approach anyone else's crate or exercise pen or allowing a dog of any age to approach any other dog, working or resting, close enough to affect the other dog's behavior. Handlers should be aware if their dogs' behavior, eye contact, or proximity seems to disturb another dog. When it is apparent that another dog is being affected by one's dog, whether the reaction is reasonable or not, the dogs should be separated and eye contact interrupted.
Members are also expected to exercise responsibility for guests, family members, and provisional members for whom they are a sponsor. It is simply good etiquette to obtain the owner's permission before approaching any dog.
Members are encouraged to allow interaction between dogs when both owners consent and the ensuing activity does not disturb or interfere with the activities of others.