Rules & Code of Conduct

RULES OF THE BEAGLE ASSOCIATION

 

1. NAME & OBJECTS
The name of the Association shall be The Beagle Association (hereinafter referred to as the
B.A.) and its objects shall be: (i) To encourage the welfare, breeding and ownership of pure
bred Beagles. (ii) To maintain the breed in accordance with the standard approved by The
Kennel Club.

(iii) To achieve the above through running shows and training judges, and to further the
education of its members in the management, training, showing and breeding of Beagles and
in every aspect pertaining to canines.
2. CONDUCTING THE AFFAIRS
The Affairs of the B.A. will be conducted for the benefit of its Members and will not be classed
as a trading business. Any surplus funds that have been generated from the various activities
will be maintained for the further promotion of the objects of the B.A
3. OFFICERS & MEMBERS
a. The B.A. may consist of: (a) Patron, President, Vice-President(s), Chairman,
Vice-Chairman, Hon. Secretary, Hon Treasurer, Assistant Secretary and a Committee of not
more than twelve members. The Patron, President, Vice-President(s) shall be ex-officio
members of the Committee, but shall not have voting rights. The Officers of the B.A. being the
Chairman, Hon. Secretary & Hon. Treasurer, shall be ex-officio members of the Committee,
but shall have voting rights and in addition the Chairman may exercise a casting vote. None
of the above mentioned offices may be held by a person under the age of 18 years.
(b) An unlimited number of Members without any residential qualifications, the names and
addresses of whom shall be recorded by the Hon. Secretary and be available for inspection if
so required by the members of the B.A or The Kennel Club.
4. TERMS OF OFFICE
The Chairman, Hon. Secretary and Hon. Treasurer shall hold office for a term of three years
and after this term they shall be eligible to stand for re-election. They shall retire in the above
named rotation, commencing with the Chairman in 2003. The Committee shall be elected for
a term of two years and shall be eligible for re-election. Half shall retire annually and
commencing in 2003, those with surnames when listed alphabetically fall on odd numbers will
serve for a term of two years and those which fall on even numbers will serve for a term of
one year in this first instance. The Committee will propose the Patron, President and
Vice-President(s) and if these are endorsed by a simple majority at a General Meeting they
will be invited to accept the posts until the next Annual General meeting. The holders of the
above positions will be entitled to Honorary Membership of the BA during their tenure of
office. The Chairman, Hon. Secretary and Hon. Treasurer shall hold office from the conclusion
of the Annual General Meeting at which they are elected. Except in an emergency, no person
may hold simultaneously more than one named position in the B.A.
5. GENERAL MEETINGS
The Agenda for General Meetings will be available at the meetings. Those members who
require copies prior to the meeting must contact the Secretary. At General Meetings Joint
Membership is restricted to a maximum of two votes. Overseas Members, Junior Members
and no person under the age of eighteen years will be entitled to vote at General Meetings.

6. ANNUAL GENERAL MEETINGS

The Annual General Meeting shall be held before 31st March at a place and time to be
decided by the Committee. At least 42 clear days notice of the Meeting shall be given to all
current members by direct mailing or by announcements placed in Our Dogs. The Annual
General Meeting shall be held to receive the reports of the Officers and the certified
Statement of Accounts for the last financial year, to appoint either one qualified Accountant or
two unqualified individuals with accountancy experience to certify the accounts, to receive the
result of the ballot for Committee Members and Officers from the appointed Scrutineers and
to discuss any resolution duly placed on the Agenda, of which at least fourteen days prior
notice in writing has been given to the Secretary. The certified accounts shall be made
available to members 14 days prior to the AGM. Those certifying the accounts shall be
unconnected to the committee.
No business shall be transacted at the Annual General Meeting unless notice thereof appears
on the agenda, with the exception of routine matters or those that, in the opinion of the
Chairman of the Meeting, are urgent. At Annual General Meetings only those eligible
members who are present will be entitled to vote. The AGM will need a minimum of 12
members to make a quorum.
7. NOMINATIONS & ELECTIONS
The Officers and Committee for the current year shall be elected at the Annual General
Meeting. All nominations for Officers and Committee shall be proposed & seconded only by
fully paid up members of the Association, and shall be made in writing, together with the
nominee’s signature of consent, and received by the Hon. Secretary no later than 28 clear
days before the date of the Annual General Meeting. All nominees must have been members
of the BA for at least two consecutive years prior to the year of nomination. If the number of
nominees exceeds the number of vacancies the Hon. Secretary shall send out numbered
voting papers at least 18 days prior to the meeting. These voting papers must be returned, in
the envelope provided, to the Scrutineers postmarked at least ten days prior to the meeting.
The Scrutineers shall submit the result of the ballot in a sealed envelope to be opened by the
Chairman of the Annual General Meeting in the presence of the Members. Those names
obtaining the highest number of votes will be elected to fill the vacancies for the ensuing
terms of office and in the event of a tie a ballot of fully paid up eligible members at the
meeting will decide. In all other instances the voting at meetings shall be by a show of hands,
unless otherwise agreed. The Scrutineers shall keep the ballot papers in a sealed envelope
for a minimum of one calendar year. The Chairman shall have a casting vote. The Chairman’s
ruling on any matter shall be binding. No member of the B.A. Committee may take office on
the Committee of any other Beagle Breed Club, Society, Association, etc, without the consent
of the B.A. Committee. No person whilst an un-discharged bankrupt may serve on the
Committee of or hold any other office or appointment within a Kennel Club Registered
Society. Should any position fall vacant during a term of office, the Committee may, by
co-opting a member if necessary, fill the vacancy according to the above criteria, and that
person shall complete the remaining term of office.
8. SPECIAL GENERAL MEETINGS
A Special General Meeting shall be called by the Hon. Secretary if directed to do so by the
Committee, or on having received a written request which has been signed by twenty fully
paid up members, excluding Junior and Overseas Members, who have been members of the

B.A. for at least the preceding twelve calendar months. Not less than forty-two days notice will
be given to members by announcements in Dog World or Our Dogs or by direct mailing to all
fully paid up members. No business other than that matter on the Agenda may be discussed
at a Special General Meeting. Twenty members shall form a quorum at Special General
Meetings, one of whom must be an Officer, except when the committee has called such
meetings when the number of members required to form a quorum will be eight.
9. APPOINTMENT OF SCRUTINEERS FOR POSTAL VOTING
The members with voting rights will appoint scrutineers, who must be qualified as Solicitors or
Certifiers of Accounts, at the Annual General Meeting.
10. ALTERATION TO THE RULES
The Rules of the Club shall only be altered at Annual or Special General Meetings, the
notices of which must include mention of any proposed changes. Any alterations to the Rules
shall not be brought into force until they have been submitted to and approved by The Kennel
Club. New rules or amendments introduced specifically to meet The Kennel Club
requirements shall be adopted immediately and such changes will be included in the new B.A.
rules which will be put to the members for ratification at the next Annual General Meeting.
11. MAINTENANCE OF TITLE
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
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 together with a list of names and addresses of members.
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.
12. COMMITTEE MEETINGS
The Hon. Secretary shall call a meeting of the Committee as often as is deemed necessary
but at least three meetings will be held per year. Six will be a quorum at Committee Meetings,
one of whom must be an Officer and the remainder made up of Committee Members with
voting rights. At the first meeting following each Annual General meeting, the Committee will
choose a Vice-Chairman from within its ranks to preside over Committee Meetings in the
absence of the elected Chairman, and in such capacity, that person will assume the voting
rights of the elected Chairman. With the approval of the Committee the Secretary shall be
permitted to appoint from the Committee an Assistant Secretary. Any member of the
Committee who is absent from TWO meetings (AGM to AGM) shall have his / her attention
drawn to the fact and unless a valid reason if forthcoming the said member ‘s seat may be
declared vacant
13. JUDGES SUB COMMITTEE

At the first meeting following each Annual General Meeting the Committee will nominate a
Judges Sub Committee to be made up of not less than 4 members of which at least 75% shall
be CC judges for the breed. The Judges Sub Committee will be responsible for compiling the
Beagle Association Judging Lists each year and act in accordance with Kennel Club
requirements of Judges Sub Committees.
13. MEMBERSHIP
Membership shall be divided into 5 categories – Single, Joint, Honorary, Junior and Overseas.
Single members are entitled to vote at General meetings or by postal ballot. Joint Members,
who shall have the full privileges of membership, are two of a family or two persons who
exhibit in partnership. They are entitled to one vote each. Junior Membership shall cease on
the 31st
of December following the member’s 18th
birthday.
Junior and Overseas members shall not be entitled to a vote.
The Committee shall have the power to grant Honorary Membership for life or a shorter
period as it may decide, and during this time such persons shall be entitled to all the rights
and privileges of fully paid up members. It is a condition of all types of membership that
members must agree to their names and addresses being stored on a computer for club
mailing purposes, and the list of names made available to members, as Members’ Lists in BA
Publications and also forwarded to The Kennel Club as required. No member whose
subscription is not fully paid up shall be entitled to any of the privileges of membership. If the
annual subscription for the renewal of membership is not fully paid up by 1
st
June or the
closing date of entries for the Championship Show, whichever is the earlier, the Committee
shall have the power to erase the name(s) from the list of members. However if all of the
arrears are subsequently paid the Committee shall have the power to restore the name to the
Membership List.
14. NEW MEMBERS
Candidates for membership of the B.A. shall be proposed and seconded by fully paid up
members and will be considered at Committee Meetings. Two or more negative votes will
exclude.
15. SUSPENSION
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 Society. If the conduct of any
Member shall, 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 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
purpose of passing a resolution to expel him/her.
Notice of the Special General Meeting shall be sent to the accused Member, giving particulars
of the complaint and advising the place date and hour of the meeting thathe/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 Society 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. Should any
member be expelled for discreditable conduct in connection with dogs, Dog Shows, Trials or
Competitions the matter will be reported to The Kennel Club in writing within seven days.
16. BANKING ACCOUNTS
The financial year of the B.A. shall be from 1st January to 31st December. There shall be
banking accounts in the name of the B.A. into which all revenue shall be paid, and from which
withdrawals shall only be made on the signature of two of the three officers, one of who shall
be the Hon. Treasurer. Any form of electronic banking that permits transfer of B.A. funds to
any accounts not in the name of the B.A. shall require the written authority of the signatories
specified above.
The Hon. Treasurer shall keep the accounts and supply certified accounts for the financial
year prior to the Annual General Meeting. The resulting balance sheet will be presented to the
members at the Annual General Meeting but may be available to members prior to the
meeting upon request. All material and documents concerned with any financial aspect of the
B.A. will be retained for a further minimum period of five calendar years after that Financial
Year to which they relate and may only be disposed of with the specific permission of the
Committee.
17. MANAGEMENT
The management of the B.A. shall be vested in the Officers and Committee, which shall have
the power to make byelaws and decide on matters not provided for by the Rules. However
The Kennel Club shall be the final authority for interpreting the Rules of the B.A. and for all
cases relating to canine or club matters.
18. TROPHIES
All cups, trophies and awards that have been donated to the Association
shall be deemed to be the sole property of the B.A., and it is only under this condition that
they will be accepted. The Officers and Committee shall make every effort to ensure that the
wishes of the donors will be respected.
19. PROPERTY
The property of the B.A. shall be vested in the Officers and Committee and in the event of the
B.A. ceasing to exist; a Special General Meeting shall be called to decide the disposal of any
assets. A final statement of certified accounts with a record of disposal of the property of the
B.A. must be forwarded to The Kennel Club within six months, and the persons named as
Officers and Committee of the B.A. on the last return furnished to The Kennel Club will be
held responsible by The Kennel Club for the proper winding up of the B.A.
20. JOINING FEDERATIONS The B.A. shall not join any Federation of Societies or Clubs

without the specific consent of The Kennel Club.
CODE OF CONDUCT OF THE BEAGLE ASSOCIATION
Code of Ethics

All members of the Beagle Association undertake to abide by its general Code of Ethics.
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, including breed health screening. It is strongly recommended that members who
breed should apply to join the Scheme. Members will follow current Government legislation
regarding dog breeding
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 operations 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.
Breeding Guidelines:
15. The primary aim in breeding a litter will be to produce Beagles which are structurally
and temperamentally sound and conform to the Breed Standard.

16. Breeders, to ensure there is always a reasonable expectation of placing puppies in
suitable homes, and should adopt a planned breeding programme.
17. Breeders should ensure they have the facilities and knowledge to ensure the well being
of the bitch and puppies.
18. A bitch should not be mated before she is 18 months of age
19. Members should only breed from beagles (both dogs and bitches) which are KC
registered and, as a minimum, have been tested (or be hereditary clear) for conditions as
listed in the Kennel Club priority and important health schemes and tests for Beagles.
(Currently MLS, NCCD and Lafora’s). In the event of their being a carrier this must be
taken into account in any future breeding plans. Owners of any puppies resulting from a
mating should be made fully aware of the risks involved and consequent action to be taken.
20. A bitch should not whelp after her eighth birthday (except when approved by the KC
committee).
21. A bitch should not whelp twice within a 12 month period.
22. A bitch should not whelp more than 4 litters.
23 Mating between father and daughter, mother and son or brother and sister are not
allowed save in exceptional circumstances or for scientifically proven welfare reasons and
permission has been received by the KC.
24. A bitch must not be mated if it has already had two litters delivered by caesarean
section, save for scientifically proven welfare reasons, and this only provided an application
is made to the Kennel Club prior to the mating.
25. Stud dogs should only be used on bitches which are proven to be KC registered and,
as a minimum, have been tested (or be hereditary clear) for conditions as listed in the
Kennel Club priority and important health schemes and tests for Beagles. (Currently MLS,
NCCD and Lafora’s). All relevant guidance should be given to owners of the bitch
regarding health testing and any necessary ensuing action to be taken.
26.Stud dog owners must refuse the use of their dog if there is any doubt as to the
intentions of the breeder.
27. Stud dog owners should give advice and help to novice breeders.
28. It will be as much the stud dog owner`s responsibility, as that of the brood bitch owner
to ensure that these guidelines are observed.
Sale/Placement of Beagles:
29. Ensure that prospective owners are informed of the special characteristics and
requirements of the breed and provide an effective advisory service to new owners.

(Information booklets are available from the BA.)
30. Actively assist with the re-homing of a Beagle, if the initial circumstances change or are
found to be unsuitable.
31. No puppy shall be placed in a new home until it is physically and mentally ready, and in
no circumstances under eight weeks of age.
32. In line with legislation, puppies will be microchipped and recorded by the time they are
eight weeks old and before they are sold. When a dog is transferred, the new owner’s
(keeper’s) details must be added to the database.
33. Special care must be taken when exporting Beagles; facilities are often available to
check prospective owners and guidance should be sought in any cases of doubt.
These guidelines create a common basis for all, and ensure puppies are guaranteed a
fair start with the expectation of a long, healthy and happy life. Used with discretion
they can be the means whereby the Committee may be empowered to ask a Member to
answer a complaint against him, and in extreme cases, in conjunction with Rule 15,
expel that member from the Association.