Club Rules

1 – Name and Objects

The club shall be called the Finnish Lapphund Club of Great Britain and shall be registered with the Kennel Club under that name.  The objects of the Club shall be for the protection and furtherance of the interests of the Finnish Lapphund in Great Britain.

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2 – Membership and Organisation

The Club shall consist of two non-executive officers:  Patron and President; four executive officers:  Chairman, Vice-Chairman, Secretary and Treasurer; an elected committee and an unlimited number of members.

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3 – Management

i). The management of the Club shall be in the hands of the executive officers and a committee of up to nine members, with a minimum of five.  One third shall retire annually on a three yearly rota but be eligible for re-election.

ii). The non-executive officers shall be elected by the committee for an indefinite period.

iii). The non-executive officers shall have no voting rights at committee meetings though they may be called upon to chair General Meetings.

iv). Meetings of the committee shall be held as often as deemed necessary but at least once every six months.

v). A quorum for committee meetings shall be two officers and two committee plus one.

vi). Committee meetings shall normally be chaired by the chairman of the Club or, in his/her absence, the vice chairman.  If both are absent then the meeting shall elect a person to chair proceedings.

vii). Any committee member who fails to attend two meetings in any 12 month period without good reason shall be deemed to have resigned.

viii). The committee shall have the power to co-opt members in the event of positions becoming vacant between General Meetings.  Those co-opted shall have full voting rights but will only hold office until the next General Meeting at which an election of Officers and Committee takes place.

ix). No individual who has been a Club member for less than two years may be elected to the committee.

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4 – Membership

i). Any person interested in the breed of dog known as the Finnish Lapphund, whether an owner or not, shall be eligible for membership.  Applications for membership shall be made in writing to the Membership Secretary accompanied by the first subscription.  Applications shall be considered by the committee and the Membership Secretary shall notify the applicant of the decision.  If accepted, the applicant will be provided with a copy of the rules and a receipt for the subscription.   If rejected, the applicant will be so informed and the subscription returned.  No reason need be given.

ii). Those joining before their 16^th birthdays shall be Junior Members and shall not be entitled to vote in the election of officers and committee nor upon any motion at any General Meeting of the Club.  All other members, except overseas members, shall for the purpose of these rules be Full Members.  After reaching the age of 16, a Junior Member shall only become a Full Member after a completed application for membership has been accepted by the committee and the Full Member’s subscription been paid.

iii). A Full Member may be elected as a Life Member by a two thirds majority of those voting at an Annual General Meeting of the Club but shall not thereby cease to be a Full Member.

iv). Two members of the same family or two people owning one or more dogs in common may be Joint Members but each member shall be treated as a Full Member or a Junior Member as above.  A Life Member shall not be part of a Joint Membership.

v). Members will be bound by the Club Rules, including the Code of Ethics.  Members shall not by reason of membership be under any financial liability except for payment of annual subscriptions.

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5 – Membership List

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.  A declaration of the number of members of the Club must be made with the Annual Returns.

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6 – Voting Rights

i). Each Full Member shall be entitled to one vote at a General Meeting provided his/her application for membership has been received and accepted by the Committee by 31^st December of the preceding year and the current year’s subscriptions have been paid.

ii). Each individual in a joint membership shall be treated as a Full Member, with one vote each.   Proxy votes shall not be allowed.  Voting at a General Meeting shall be by show of hands unless decided otherwise by the meeting.

iii). In the event of an equality of votes, the person chairing the meeting shall have a second or casting vote.

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7 – Club Property

i). The property of the Club shall be vested in the Committee.  In the event of the Club ceasing to exist, a final General Meeting shall be called to decide the disposal of the Club’s assets and the outcome of the meeting notified to the Kennel Club.  The officers and committee shall be responsible for the proper winding up of the Club and must forward a final statement of accounts with a record of the disposal of the Club’s property to the Kennel Club within six months.

ii). Any person on ceasing to be a member of the Club shall forfeit any right to and claim upon the Club, it’s assets and funds that arise solely from his/her membership.

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8 – Club Accounts

i). A banking account shall be held in the name of the Club into which all revenues of the Club shall be paid and from which withdrawal shall only be made on the signature of two of a panel of three officers of the Club to be agreed annually by the Club Committee.

ii). The account will be operated by the treasurer, who will produce a report for the preceding financial year to be presented to the Annual General Meeting.  The report must be audited by a qualified accountant who should be appointed at the Annual Meeting to act for the following year. The certifying the accounts must be independent of the committee.

9 – Subscriptions

i). The annual subscription shall be such amount as agreed by members at General Meeting and notified to the Kennel Club.  Subscriptions are payable to the Club treasurer on 1^st January.  No member whose subscription is unpaid shall be entitled to any of the privileges of membership and if the member shall fail to pay outstanding subscriptions by 1^st February his/her name shall be automatically erased from the register.  Acceptance back onto the register will be dependent upon a new application.

ii). Notwithstanding the foregoing: a first subscription received during the last 3 months of the year shall be deemed to include the subscription for the following year.

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10 – Expulsion of Members

i). Any member who shall be disqualified under Kennel Club rule A11.j.(5) and/or Kennel Club Rule A11.j.(9) shall ipso facto cease to be a member of the Club.

ii). 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 may, at a meeting the notice of 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.

iii). 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 the meeting, a resolution to expel is passed by a two-thirds majority of the members present and voting his/her name shall forthwith be erased from the list of members and he/she shall thereupon cease for all purposes to be a member of the Club except that he/she may, within two calendar months from the date of such meeting, appeal to the Kennel Club upon and subject to such condition as the Kennel Club may impose.

iv). 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.

11 – Financial Year/Annual General Meeting:

i). The financial year of the Club shall be from 1^st January to 31^st December.

ii). The Annual General Meeting shall be held before the end of April each year at a date, time and venue to be arranged by the committee.

iii). The Annual General Meeting shall be convened to receive reports from the Officers; the audited Club financial accounts; to elect officers and committee members for the following year; to consider proposed rule changes; to consider special matters raised by the Committee or proposed by members. The certified accounts will be made available on request to members fourteen days prior to the AGM.

iv). The notice convening the meeting shall be sent to members not less than 21 days before the date; notice of matters to be raised and nominations for officers and committee must be submitted to the Secretary not less than 15 days before the meeting and the Agenda shall be circulated 14 days before the meeting.

v). Those officers and committee members retiring under the rota shall, unless they resign, be deemed nominated for re-election.  Other nominations for the Officers and Committee should be in writing signed by two members other than the nominee and include a supporting statement from the nominee not exceeding 80 words.

vi). Those nominated as Officers but not elected will be deemed to have been also nominated for the Committee.

vii). If there are no more nominees than the number of places available then the nominees will be deemed elected.  Outstanding vacancies may be filled by nomination from the floor of the meeting.

viii). No business shall be transacted at the meeting that is not on the Agenda with the exception of routine matters or those which, in the opinion of the person chairing the meeting, are urgent.

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12 – Special General Meeting

i). A Special General Meeting shall be summoned by the secretary within 21 days if not less than 25 members send a signed requisition stating the subject to be discussed and requesting a Special General Meeting to do so.  The Club committee is also empowered to call a Special General Meeting at any time.

ii). No business other than that detailed on the agenda can be discussed at the meeting.

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13 – Amendments to Rules

The rules of the Club may not be altered except at a General Meeting, the notice for which contains specific proposals to amend the rules.  Any proposed alteration to the rules may not be brought into effect until the Kennel Club has been advised and approved the alteration.  New rules or amendments introduced specifically to meet Kennel Club requirements shall be adopted immediately.

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14 – Annual Returns to the Kennel Club:

i). The Officers acknowledge that, during the month of January each year, the Maintenance of Title fee will be forwarded to the Kennel Club by the secretary for continuance of registration and that, by 31^st July each year, other returns, as stipulated Kennel Club Regulations for the Maintenance of Title of Societies and Breed Councils and the Affiliation of Agricultural Societies and Municipal Authorities shall be forwarded to the Kennel Club.

ii). The Officers also acknowledge their duty to inform the Kennel club of any changes of Secretary of the Club which may occur during the course of the year.

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15 – Kennel Club Final Authority

The Kennel Club is the final authority for interpreting the rules of the Club in all cases relating to canine or club matters.

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16 Other Societies

The Club shall not join any Federation of Societies or Clubs.

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17 – Bankrupts

No person while an undischarged bankrupt may serve on the Committee of or hold any other office or appointment within a Kennel Club Registered Society.

18 – Club Judges’ List

i). The Club shall produce a list of Approved Judges each year to be submitted to the Kennel Club as part of the Annual Returns to indicate to interested parties those persons that the Club would support at different levels of judging.  These need not be members of the Club.  The list should include the date on which it expires and a new list must be completed on expiry.  The list should be divided into 5 parts:

A1 list:  Judges who have previously been approved to award CCs in a given breed and have carried out the appointment.

A2 list:  Judges who, if invited to judge by a Society, would in principle be approved by the Kennel Club to award CCs in a given breed for that occasion.

A3 list:  Judges who are recommended by the Club as being suitable to award CCs in the breed but not yet approved by the Kennel Club for inclusion on an A2 list.

B list:    Judges who have been approved by the Club to judge at shows without CCs or at Open Shows.

C list:    Any aspiring judges approved by the Club who do not fall into any of the above categories.

ii). Individuals wishing to be included on the list may obtain a form from the Club secretary.  Applicants will normally be expected to have undertaken the Club’s basic or advance training course as appropriate for the list onto which they will be included.

iii). A Judges Sub-Committee shall be appointed annually by the Club Committee to prepare the lists.  At least 75% of the sub-committee should be CC judges experienced within the breed but need not be members of the Club Committee.  The lists should be drawn up by secret ballot of the Sub-Committee and is not subject to ratification by the Committee or membership of the Club.

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Agreed at Annual Meeting 2016.  Approved by the Kennel Club July 2016.

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Change Control

Document Name Changes

General Code of Ethics Last updated by the Kennel Club – September 2008

Implemented by the FL Club of GB – December 2008.

Oct 09: no longer separately issued.

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Rules & Ethical Guidelines

Rules and Code of Ethics were updated at the AGM 26th March 2006.

Renamed following KC UK wide initiative & implemented by the FL Club of GB – December 2008.

March 2008: approval of changes above following AGM – see Minutes.

December 2008: change of name to Ethical Guidelines.

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FLC Rules Oct 09

Published Oct 09. Rules now separated from Ethical Guidelines following agreement from KC to combine FL Club Ethical Guidelines with KC’s General Code of Ethics, separately published as ‘FLC Code of Ethics’.

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FLC Rules March 2010

Published March 2010. Part of Rule 4 amended: nominees and nominators…reduced from 3 years to 2 years. Approved: March 10 AGM.

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FLC Rules March 2012

Rules were changed in March 2012 and approved by KC in May 2012, distributed to members in May and uploaded to this page in Jan 2013

General Code of Ethics

All breeders who register their puppies, and new owners who register ownership of their dogs with the Kennel Club, accept the jurisdiction of the Kennel Club and undertake to abide by its general Code of Ethics.

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Breed Code of Ethics

The Code of Ethics is intended to serve as a standard of behaviour for all Club Members in any activities connected with the Finnish Lapphund. Compliance with it is a condition of Membership of the Finnish Lapphund Club of Great Britain (see Rule 6).​

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An amendment to the Code of Ethics has been made following an update to the Kennel Club’s code of conduct; A Zero Tolerance Approach. This amendment can be found at point 33

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Breeders/Owners

1 – Will properly house, feed, water and exercise all dogs under their care and arrange for appropriate veterinary attention if and when required.

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2 – Will agree without reservation that any veterinary surgeon performing 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 operations to the Kennel Club.

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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.

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4 – Will abide by all aspects of the Animal Welfare Act.

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5 – Will not create demand for, nor supply, puppies that have been docked illegally.

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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.

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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.

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8 – Will ensure that their dogs wear properly tagged collars and will be kept leashed or under effective control when away from home.

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9 – Will clean up after their dogs in public places or anywhere their dogs are being exhibited.

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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.

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11 – Will supply written details of all dietary requirements and give guidance concerning responsible ownership when placing dogs in a new home.

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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.

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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).

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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.

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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.

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Records

15 – Each Member who breeds from his bitch or uses his dog at stud shall keep accurate records of stock, bred and born, matings and pedigrees and will when requested make these available to the Breed Archives Secretary.

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16 – Any information reported to the Committee, which casts doubt upon any registration, or pedigree shall be referred to the Kennel Club.

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Breeding

17 – Each breeder shall plan each mating with the paramount intention of maintaining the Breed Standard and shall only breed when he is in a position to give proper care to both the bitch and offspring.

      Members should follow these guidelines in regard to DNA testing and prcdPRA status.

      a)   All breeding stock must be DNA tested for prcdPRA before being used in a mating programme, except where gene status is identified by parentage i.e. the               progeny of two DNA tested clear dogs can be assumed to be clear and the progeny of DNA tested clear to affected matings can be assumed to be carriers.

      b)   Identified carriers must only be mated to genetically clear dogs.

      c)   Carriers can be mated to a DNA tested clear dog/bitch. If this is done, the progeny of such a mating must be DNA tested to identify the carrier and clear                   progeny. All untested progeny from such a mating must be endorsed `progeny not eligible for registration`. Such endorsements to be lifted only after the               dog/bitch has been DNA tested.

      d)   Affected dogs must only be mated to a DNA tested clear dogs; all progeny must be endorsed `progeny not eligible for registration`. These endorsements to             be lifted only if the dog is to be mated to a DNA tested clear dog.

      e)   Before breeding from an animal its ancestry should be checked against the international Pompe’s DNA tested dog list. If a known carrier or affected animal             appears in that dog’s pedigree then the dog should be genetically tested  prior to breeding, unless it is hereditarily clear. An identified carrier should only               be mated with a dog which is genetically or hereditarily clear.

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18 – Each breeder shall select sire and dam with regard to health and temperament after a careful study of the Breed Standard, the relevant pedigrees and the basic principles of genetics. Each stud dog owner shall similarly consider these matters when contracting for the use of his dog.

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19 – Each breeder shall safeguard his bitches from unsuitable matings.

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20 – Breeders shall breed only from stock that is free from known hereditary defects. On no account shall an animal of unsuitable temperament be bred from. If an animal is born with any defect or subsequently develops an inherited condition, the full details shall be made available to the Breed Archive Secretary.

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21 – All stock prior to mating must be:

      a)   DNA prcdPRA tested except where the gene status is identified by parentage.

      b)   Eye tested for hereditary cataracts (HC), progressive retinal atrophy (PRA), PHPV, PPM and MRD under the BVA/KC or ECVO Scheme, i.e. a current annual eye               certificate must be held prior to mating.

      c)   Examined for the control of Hip Dysplasia: under the BVA/KC scheme for UK KC registered dogs. Non UK bred dogs must be examined under the approved               relevant scheme in the country of residence/export.

      d)   Copies of the results should be made available to the Breed Archive Secretary and these may be made publicly available.

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22 – As the Finnish Lapphund is a late maturing breed no breeder shall breed from any bitch, or allow his dog to be used on any bitch before she is 24 months of age, or at successive seasons, except on the written advice of a veterinary surgeon.

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23 – Members will, when breeding dogs, adopt as a minimum standard the principles, requirements and recommendations as embodied in the Kennel Club’s Assured Breeder Scheme. It is strongly recommended that members who breed should apply to join the scheme.

Sales

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24 – Breeders must be as careful as possible to ensure that their puppies go to good homes and should therefore not knowingly sell them through pet stores, dealers or other unsuitable outlets.

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25 – For his own protection and that of his buyers the Breeder shall provide written proof of sale and a contract of sale, which declares the limitations on breeding/exhibition etc.

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26 – The breeder shall arrange for the Kennel Club Registration and a signed Transfer form to be sent to the purchaser with the least possible delay. The Registration should be endorsed `Progeny not for Registration` – and this made clear to the purchasers prior to the sale. The breeder should only lift this endorsement once the dog has been tested as in (21) above. A puppy may be sold without registration and transfer papers if that is understood and agreed to in writing by both parties.

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27 – No puppy shall leave the breeder until it is seven weeks old. For Registered Breeding Kennels, no puppy may leave the breeder until it is eight weeks old, and exports must comply with DEFRA regulations. Upon releasing the puppy, the breeder shall follow these guidelines:

      a)   He shall supply a pedigree of at least four generations, which will include: eye test results, hip scores and colours, where known.

      b)   He shall provide written instructions on the future care of the puppy including diet; exercise, training and worming shall stress the need for early training.               He shall also give written information about the care given to the puppy to date, particularly on diet, worming and inoculations.

      c)   He shall provide records from the attending veterinary surgeon detailing any inoculations given, including their dates and the type of vaccines used, and                 the dates on which any future inoculations are due.

      d)   He shall release only those puppies, which to the best of his knowledge are in good health. If the purchaser so requests, the breeder shall supply a                         veterinary certificate of health at the purchaser’s expense.

      e)   He shall supply a written contract, which includes a clause, that if the purchaser is no longer able/willing to keep the dog (at any time in its life)- he will                 return the dog to the breeder for assessment/re-homing.

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Member Relations

28 – In all their activities within the Breed, Members should have uppermost in their minds that the Club exists to maintain the Breed Standard.

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29 – The more experienced owners and breeders shall be ready to give advice and assistance to Members who seek it and shall make their knowledge and experience available for the good of the Breed.

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30 – Members shall be diligent in the handling of their dogs in public places in order to reduce to an absolute minimum the risk of danger and nuisance to humans and other animals.

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31 – Members must recognise their responsibility to protect the reputation of the breed and shall not allow their dogs to roam at large unsupervised or to become a public nuisance, or to be a charge upon an Animal Rescue Society or Dogs Home.

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32 – In all questions of ethics relating to the Breed, whether covered by this Code or not, each Member shall act solely in the best interest of the Breed and shall willingly help any Finnish Lapphund owner to uphold those interests.

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33 – Members will at all times abide by the Kennel Club’s Code of Conduct View Here which includes the use of social media.

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A Zero Tolerance Approach

No-one should be subject to intimidation or made to feel alarmed or distressed or put in fear of reprisal. Harassment is a criminal offence. To that end the Kennel Club adopts a zero tolerance towards all type of harassment activity. Harassment may be defined as causing alarm, distress and anxiety and fear of physical violence or other threat, offensive statements, verbal abuse and threats. Conduct may include speech, obstruction and so on. As such conduct may include a criminal offence the police may be involved and it may be that the Kennel Club will defer any action pending the outcome of such investigation and /or prosecution. It goes without saying that the Kennel Club expects courtesy and co-operation to be shown towards all staff and organisers at any Kennel Club licensed event. Whilst the pressures and tensions which arise at competitive level are understood, any aggression or abuse towards those who are simply undertaking their jobs for the benefit and interest of the exhibitor/competitor and the audience and ultimately the dog itself cannot be tolerated.

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Implementation

34 – Any Member wishing to report an infraction of this Code shall do so in writing to the Secretary and shall include supporting evidence in writing.

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35 – On receiving such a Report the Secretary shall submit it to the Committee. If the Committee decides that it is of sufficient substance to warrant investigation he, the Secretary, shall communicate its contents to the alleged offender inviting his comment, which he shall submit to the Committee as soon as possible. The Committee shall use its discretion in deciding what action to take and in appropriate cases may initiate action in accordance with Rule 8.

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Change Control:                                                                                            

General Code of Ethics

Last updated by the Kennel Club – September 2008

Implemented by the FL Club of GB – December 2008.

Oct 09: no longer separately issued.

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Rules & Ethical Guidelines

Rules and Code of Ethics were updated at the AGM 26th March 2006.

Renamed following KC UK wide initiative & implemented by the FL Club of GB – December 2008.

March 2008: approval of changes above following AGM – see Minutes.

December 2008: change of name to Ethical Guidelines.

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FLC Code of Ethics Oct 09

Published Oct 09. Code of Ethics now separated from Rules following agreement from KC to combine FL Club Ethical Guidelines with KC’s General Code of Ethics.

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FLC Code of Ethics March 10

Published March 2010. Amendment of Rule 1 & addition of 21 A, B, C and D. Approved at March 2010 AGM.

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FLC Code of Ethics April 11

Updated General Code clause 2 as per KC letter of 31/3/11 re caesareans.

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FLC Code of Ethics MAR 12

Added new point 23, KC requirement, as per 2012 AGM proposal. Numbering updated following point 23.

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FLC Code of Ethics Mar 15

Added new point No 33, Zero Tolerance Approach in line with KC’s General Code of Conduct.

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FLC Code of Ethics Mar 17

Updated point 22; age of bitch at time of first mating updated from 18 to 24 months.