I.                    The name of the club shall be the Barbary Coast Samoyed Club, Inc.

II.                 The objects of the Club shall be:

a)      to accept and support the standard of the breed as approved by the American Kennel Club as the only standard of excellence by which the Samoyed shall be judged;

b)      to encourage and promote the ownership, welfare , exhibiting, training, quality in breeding,  and use of the purebred Samoyed in all disciplines to which the breed is suited, including herding, sledding, weight-pulling, skijoring, guarding, and serving as a therapy, companion and service dog;

c)      to do all in the Club’s power to protect and advance the interests of the breed by encouraging sportsmanlike conduct at working competitions and shows;

d)      to encourage good fellowship among Samoyed owners;

e)      To promote and conduct conformation shows, obedience, herding, and agility trials under AKC Rules and Regulations, and other events for which the breed is eligible.

III.               The club shall not be conducted or operated for profit and no part of any profits or remainder or residue from dues or donations to the Club shall inure to the benefit of any member or individual.

IV.              The members of the Club shall adopt and may from time to time revise such by-laws as may be required to carry out these objects.

BY-LAWS

ARTICLE I

Membership

SECTION 1.  Eligibility.  There shall be three types of membership:

a) Individual membership: open to all people eighteen years of age and older who subscribe to the purpose of this club and are in good standing with the American Kennel Club.  Individual members are entitled to vote and hold office.

b) Household membership: open to two people eighteen years of age or older, residing in the same household who subscribes to the purpose of this club and is in good standing with the American Kennel club.  Household members are entitled to hold office but there are a maximum number of two votes per household membership

c) Associate membership: will have the same right as individual members, except that they can not vote nor are they entitled to hold office.

While membership is unrestricted as to residence, the Club’s primary purpose is to be representative of the breeders and exhibitors in its immediate area.

SECTION 2.  Dues.  Membership dues shall not exceed $12.00 for a household (family) membership; $10.00 per year for individual and $8.00 per year for associate, payable on or before the 1st day of September of each year.  No member shall vote whose dues are not paid for the current year.  During the month of August, the Treasurer shall send to each member a statement of dues for the ensuing year.

SECTION 3.  Election to Membership.  Each applicant for membership shall apply on a form as approved by the Board of Directors and which shall provide that the applicant agrees to abide by the Constitution and by-law and the rules of the American Kennel Club.  The application shall state the name, address, and occupation of the applicant and it shall carry the endorsement of two members in good standing.  Accompanying the application, the prospective member shall submit dues payment for the current year.

All applications are to be filed with the Secretary and each application is to be read at the first meeting of the Club following its receipt.  Each applicant’s name is to be printed in the newsletter following its receipt. At the next Club meeting the application will be voted on by the membership present at that meeting. Voting and approval of the new applicant will be by secret ballot requiring two-thirds affirmative votes.

Any person whose membership application has been rejected by the Club may not reapply within six months after such rejection.

SECTION 4.  Termination of Membership.  Memberships 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.  Unpaid dues are considered 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 60 days after the first day of the fiscal year; however, the Board may grant an additional 30 days 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 provided in Article VI of these By-laws.

ARTICLE II

Meetings and Voting

SECTION 1.  Club Meetings.  Meetings of the Club shall be held every two months within the greater Sacramento, CA area, at such hour and place as designated by the Board of Directors.  Written notice of each such meeting shall be mailed by the Secretary at least 10 days prior to the date of the meeting.  The quorum of such meetings shall be 20 percent of the members in good standing.

SECTION 2.  Special Club Meetings.  Special Club meetings may be called by the President, or by a majority vote of the members of the Club or Board who are present and voting at any regular or special meeting of the Club Board; and shall be called by the Secretary upon receipt of a petition signed by five members of the Club who are in good standing.  Such special meetings shall be held within the greater Sacramento, CA area, at such place, date and hour as designated by the person or persons authorized herein to call such meetings.  Written notice of such a meeting shall be mailed by the Secretary at least 5 days and not more than 15 days prior to the date of the meeting.  The written notice shall state the purpose of the meeting, and no other Club business may be transacted. The quorum for such a meeting shall be 20 percent of the members in good standing.

SECTION 3.  Board Meetings.  Meetings of the Board of Directors shall be held every two months within the greater Sacramento, CA area, at such hour and place as may be designated by the Board.  Written notice of each meeting shall be mailed by the Secretary at least 5 days prior to the date of the meeting.  The quorum for such a meeting shall be a majority of the Board.

SECTION 4.  Special Board Meetings.  Special meetings of the Board may be called by the President; and shall be called by the Secretary upon receipt of a written request signed by at least three members of the Board.  Such special meetings shall be held within the greater Sacramento, CA area, at such place, date and hour as may be designated by the person authorized herein to call such meeting.  Written notice of such meeting shall be mailed by the Secretary at least 5 days and not more than 10 days prior to the date of the meeting and no other business shall be transacted. A quorum for such a meeting shall be a majority of the Board 

SECTION 5.  Voting.  Each member in good standing whose dues are paid for the current year shall be entitled to one vote at any meeting of the club at which he/she is present.  Proxy voting will not be permitted at any Club meeting or election.

ARTICLE III

Directors and Officers

SECTION 1.  Board of Directors.  The Board shall be comprised of 8 persons, the officers and 4 other directors, all of whom shall be members in good standing and all of whom shall be elected for a one year term at the Club’s Annual Meeting as provided in Article IV.  General management of the club’s affairs shall be entrusted to the board of directors.

SECTION 2.  Officers.  The Club’s officers, consisting of the President, Vice-president, Secretary and Treasurer shall serve in their respective capacities both with regard to the Club and its meetings and the Board and its meetings.

a) The President shall preside at all meetings of the Club and of the Board, and shall have the duties and powers normally appurtenant to the office of President in addition to those particularly specified in these By-laws.

b) The Vice President shall have the duties and exercise the powers of the President in case of the President’s death, absence or incapacity.

c) The Secretary shall keep a record of all meetings of the Club and of the Board and of all matters of which a record shall be ordered by the Club.  The Secretary shall have charge of the correspondence, notify members of meetings, notify new members of their election to membership, notify officers and directors of their election to office, keep a roll of the members of the Club and their addresses, and carry out such other duties as are prescribed in these By-laws.

d) The Treasurer shall collect and receive all moneys due or belonging to the Club.  Moneys shall be deposited in a bank designated by the Board, in the name of the Club.  The books shall at all times be open to inspection of the Board and a report shall be given at every meeting of the condition of the Club’s finances and every item of receipt or payment not before reported; and at the annual meeting an accounting shall be rendered of all moneys received and expended during the previous fiscal year.  The Treasurer shall be bonded in such amount as the Board of Directors shall determine.

SECTION 3.  Vacancies.  Any vacancies occurring on the Board or among the offices during the year shall be filled until the next annual election by a majority vote of all the then members of the Board at its first regular meeting following the creation of such vacancy, or at a Special Board Meeting called for that purpose.  A vacancy in the office of the President shall be filled automatically by the Vice President and the resulting vacancy in the office of Vice President shall be filled by the Board.

ARTICLE IV

The Club Year, Annual Meeting, Elections

SECTION 1.  Club Year.  The Club’s fiscal year shall begin on the first day of September and end on the last day of August. 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 2.  Annual Meeting.  The annual meeting shall be held in the month of September at which Officers and Directors for the ensuing year shall be elected by secret ballot from among those nominated in accordance with Section A of this Article.  They shall take office immediately upon the conclusion of the election and each retiring officer shall turn over to the successor in office all properties and records relating to that office within 15 days after the election.

SECTION 3.  Elections.  The nominated candidate receiving the greatest number of votes for each office shall be declared elected.  The 4 nominated candidates for other positions on the Board that receive the greatest number of votes for such positions shall be declared elected.

SECTION 4.  Nominations.  No person may be a candidate in a Club election who has not been nominated. On or before April 15th the Board shall elect a Nominating Committee consisting of three members and two alternates, not more than one of who may be a member of the Board.  The Secretary shall immediately notify the committee persons and alternates of their selection.  The Board shall name a Chairperson for the Committee and it shall be such person’s duty to call a committee meeting, which shall be on or before May 15^th.

a) The Committee shall nominate one candidate for each office and positions on the board, and, after securing the consent of each person so nominated, shall immediately report their nominations to the Secretary in writing.

b) Upon receipt of the Nominating Committee’s report, the Secretary shall before June1st notify each member in writing of the candidates so nominated.

c) Additional nominations may be made at the June meeting by any member in attendance provided that the person so nominated does not decline when their name is proposed.  If the proposed candidate is not in attendance at this meeting, the nominating person shall present to the Secretary a written statement from the proposed candidate signifying willingness to be a candidate.  No person may be a candidate for more than one position.

d) Nominations cannot be made at the annual meeting or in any manner other than as provided in this section.

ARTICLE V

Committees

SECTION 1.  The Board may each year appoint standing committees to advance the work of the Club in such matters as dog shows, obedience trials, trophies, annual prizes, membership and other fields which may well be served by committees.  Such committees shall always be subject to the final authority of the Board.  Special committees may also be appointed by the Board to aid in particular projects.

SECTION 2.  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 those persons whose services have been terminated.

ARTICLE VI

Discipline

SECTION 1.  American Kennel Club Suspension.  Any member who is suspended from the privileges of the American Kennel Club automatically shall be suspended from the privileges of this Club for a like period.

SECTION 2.  Charges.  Any member may prefer charges against a member for alleged misconduct prejudicial to the best interests of the Club.  Written charges with specifications must be filed in duplicate with the Secretary together with a deposit of $50.00 which shall be forfeited if such charges are not sustained by the Board following a hearing.  The Secretary shall promptly send a copy of the charges to each member of the Board via certified mail  or present them at a Board meeting and the Board shall first consider whether the actions alleged in the charges, if proven, might constitute conduct prejudicial to the best interests of the Club.  If the Board considers that the charges do not allege conduct which would be prejudicial to the best interests of the Club it may refuse to entertain jurisdiction.  If the Board entertains jurisdiction of the charges it shall fix a date for a hearing by the Board not less than 3 weeks or more than 6 weeks thereafter.  The Secretary shall promptly send one copy of the charges via certified mail to the accused and an assurance that the defendant may personally appear in his own defense and bring witnesses if he wishes.

SECTION 3.  Board Hearing.  The Board shall have complete authority to decide whether counsel may attend the hearing, but both complainant and defendant shall be treated uniformly in that regard.  Should the charges be sustained, after hearing all the evidence and testimony presented by the complainant and defendant, the Board may by a majority vote of those present reprimand or suspend the defendant from all privileges of the Club for not more than six months from the date of the hearing. The Secretary, in turn, shall notify each of the parties of the board’s decision and penalty, if any. If the Board deems that punishment insufficient, it may also recommend to the membership that the penalty be expulsion.  In such case, the suspension shall not restrict the defendant’s right to appear before his fellow members at the ensuring club meeting which considers the boards recommendation.  Immediately after the board has reached a decision, its finding shall be put in written form and filed with the Secretary.  The Secretary, in turn, shall notify each of the parties of the board’s decision and penalty, if any.

SECTION 4.  Expulsion.  Expulsion of a member from the Club may be accomplished only at a meeting of the Club following a Board hearing and upon the Board’s recommendation as provided in Section 3 of the Article.  Such proceedings may occur at a regular or special meeting of the Club to be held within 60 days but not earlier than 30 days after the date of the Board’s recommendation of expulsion.  The defendant shall have the privileges of appearing in his own behalf, though no evidence shall be taken at this meeting.  The President shall read the charges and the Board’s finding and recommendation, and shall invite the defendant, if present, to speak in his own behalf if he wishes.  The members shall then vote by secret ballot on the proposed expulsion.  A two-thirds vote of those present and voting at the meeting shall be necessary for expulsion.  If expulsion is not so voted, the Board’s suspension shall stand.

ARTICLE VII

Amendments

SECTION 1.  Amendments to the Constitution and By-laws may be proposed by the Board of Directors or by written petition addressed to the Secretary signed by 20 percent of the membership in good standing.  Amendments proposed by such petition shall be promptly considered by the Board of Directors and must be submitted to the members with recommendations of the Board by the Secretary for a vote within three months of the date when the petition was received by the Secretary.

SECTION 2.  The Constitution and By-laws may be amended by a two-thirds secret vote of the members present and voting at any regular or special meeting called for the purposes, provided the proposed amendments have been included in the notice of the meeting and mailed to each member at least two weeks prior to the date of the meeting.

ARTICLE VIII

Dissolution

SECTION 1.  The Club may be dissolved at any time by the written consent of not less than two-thirds vote of the members.  In the event of the dissolution of the Club other than for purposes of reorganization whether voluntary or involuntary or by operation of the law, none of the property , proceeds or any assets of the Club shall be distributed to any members of the Club. After  payment of the debts of the Club the remaining property and assets shall be given to a charitable organization for the benefit of dogs selected by the Board of Directors.

ARTICLE IX

Order of Business

SECTION 1.  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: