Name and Headquarters

1  - The name of the Association shall be THE WIRE FOX TERRIER ASSOCIATION. The headquarters shall be the address of the Honorary Secretary at which address all monies are due.

Objectives

2 - The objectives of the Association shall be to promote the breeding of wire-haired fox terriers, to publish a description of the true type and actively encourage the adoption of such type on breeders, judges, etc.; to do all in its power to protect and advance the interests of the breed by giving prizes, supporting shows and any other steps deemed necessary.

Membership

3 - Any person favourable to the objects of the Association is eligible as a member.  The Committee shall have the power to elect as Honorary Members such persons as they may see fit from time to time. A member, having once resigned from the Association, shall not be eligible for further membership for a period of three years, except under special conditions, which shall be considered by the Committee. No member can resign whose subscription for the year is unpaid.

3a - 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 Association.

If the conduct of any member shall, in the opinion of the Committee of the Association be injurious or likely to be injurious to the character or interests of the Association, the Committee of the Association may, at a meeting the notice convening which includes as an object of consideration of the conduct of the Member, determine that a Special General Meeting of the Association 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 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 Association 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.

If the Association expels any member for discreditable conduct in connection with dogs, Dog Shows, Trials or Competitions, the Association must report the matter in writing to the Kennel Club within seven days and supply any particulars required. 

An up to date list of members and their addresses, and those of branch members where appropriate, must be maintained and, if so requested, made available for inspection by the Kennel Club and members of the society.  A declaration of the number of members of the society must be made with Annual Returns.

Subscription

4 - The annual subscription shall be decided at the Annual General Meeting for the current year and payable by 1st January each year. No member whose subscription for the current year is unpaid shall be eligible to compete in any members classes for special prizes offered by the Association or for any of the Association’s trophies. Any member whose subscription remains unpaid on 31st March in any year shall be declared in arrears and not eligible to vote at the Annual General Meeting. Notice of this fact shall be sent to him/her by the Hon. Secretary and if this subscription remains unpaid on 30th April of the same year, his/her name shall be struck off the list of members and he/she shall not, at any future date, be eligible for further membership of the Association except under special circumstances, which shall be considered by the Committee. New members must have joined and paid their subscription 6 calendar months before the date of the Annual General Meeting in order to attend and vote at such a meeting. Joint members shall have one vote each.

Officers

5 - The officers shall consist of a President, a Vice-President, a Chairman, a Vice-Chairman, a Secretary and a Treasurer. The President shall serve for one year only and judge the Association’s Championship Show at the end of that year in office. The Vice-President shall be elected at the Annual General Meeting and will also serve for one year only, succeeding the President at the end of that year in office. Neither shall be permitted to serve again until after a period of three years has elapsed.  The Honorary Secretary, Treasurer and Year Book Editor shall be awarded an honorarium annually, the amount to be set by the Members at the Annual General Meeting.

Committee

6 - All concerns of the Association and all arrangements for its management shall – save as otherwise expressly provided by the Rules – be conducted by the Committee. The members shall elect a Chairman and a Vice-Chairman who will preside at all Committee and General Meetings. In the event of an equal division of votes, the Chairman shall have a second or casting vote. In the event of both being absent from the meeting, the President shall take the Chair. The Committee should consist of not more than 15 members, each elected to serve for three years unless a casual vacancy occurs by the early resignation of one of the committee. Five members, those being the five who shall have been the longest in office (if this is applicable) shall retire at the end of each year and if they so desire, offer themselves for re-election. The President, Chairman, Vice-Chairman, Honorary Secretary and Honorary Treasurer should be ex-officio member of the Committee. The President, Vice-Chairman, Honorary Secretary and Honorary Treasurer will be eligible to vote a Committee Meetings but the Chairman will only have a casting vote.  No person is eligible for nomination for election to the Committee unless he or she has been a continuous member of the Association for a period of not less than 3 years (period of qualification reduced at AGM 20.10.12). No person, whilst an undischarged bankrupt, may serve on the Committee, or hold any other office or appointment, within the Association. The Committee meetings shall be called as often as is necessary, seven to form a quorum. The Committee shall have the power to appoint a sub-committee to deal with any matters that may arise. 

Any member of the Committee who does not attend three consecutive meetings without a valid and reasonable excuse will be deemed not to be a committee member and thus a casual vacancy will have been created. Members elected into a casual vacancy will serve out the term of the person who created the vacancy, and subsequently offer themselves for re-election in the normal way.

Any member of the Association wishing to see the minutes of the Committee Meetings will be permitted to do so by requesting sight of the minute book from the Honorary Secretary, Chairman or Vice-Chairman at the Annual Championship Show or at the Annual General Meeting. The minute book may not be removed from the Honorary Secretary’s table at the Championship Show.

Sub-Committees

7 - The work of a sub-committee shall be carried out by both meeting and by correspondence directly emanating from the Honorary Secretary. The President, Chairman, Vice-Chairman, Honorary Secretary and Honorary Treasurer shall be ex officio members of all sub-committees. Such sub-committees are, in all cases, subservient to the General Committee and their reports shall, from time to time, be reported to the General Committee for ratification.

Meetings

8 - An Annual General Meeting of the Association shall be held at such time and place as the Committee deems fit.  Notice of the Annual General Meeting will be given to members 1 month before either in writing or by notice in the publicised weekly publication of either Dog World, Our Dogs, and will also be publicised on the Associations Web Site, www.wfta.co.uk and Face Book Page. The Agenda will be circulated at the meeting.  The election of committee members shall be by ballot by all paid-up members of the Association. Members of the Association present at the Annual General Meeting shall be required to vote for up to, but not more than, the number of vacancies on the Committee.  All nominations for the Committee for consideration at the Annual General Meeting and items for the agenda shall be submitted to the Honorary Secretary not less than fourteen days before the Annual General Meeting. Nominations for the Committee should be proposed and seconded by fully paid-up members and accompanied by a letter of consent from the nominee. Any items for the Agenda must be proposed and seconded by fully paid-up members. New nominees for Office and Committee MUST attend the Annual General Meeting as must their proposers and seconders. Members submitting items for the Agenda must also be present.

Special General Meetings may be called at such other times as may be necessary.

A Special General Meeting must be called by fourteen members of the Association signing a notice of their desire for such a meeting and forwarding such notice to the Honorary Secretary. Notice of a Special General Meeting shall be announced in the weekly publications OUR DOGS and DOG WORLD and will also be published on the Association’ website, www.wfta.co.uk no later than 28 days prior to the date of such a meeting. The Agenda will be circulated at the meeting. The Committee is also empowered to call a Special General Meeting at its direction.

At a Special General Meeting no business other than that detailed on the agenda can be discussed 

The Rules of the Association 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 the Kennel Club requirements shall be adopted immediately.

Accounts

9 - A bank account in the name of The Wire Fox Terrier Association shall be opened into which all revenue of the Association shall be paid and from which withdrawals shall only be made with two signatures out of three designated signatories. Two of the signatories shall normally be the Chairman and the Honorary Treasurer and the third either the Vice-Chairman or Honorary Secretary as nominated by the Committee, utilised only in the event of the Chairman being unavailable. All expenses incurred by the Honorary Secretary and Treasurer for or on behalf of the Association shall be defrayed out of the funds of the Association. Should there be an adverse balance, such balance may be met by a call on the members. The financial year is from 1st January to 31st December.

The accounts shall be certified by one qualified Accountant or two unqualified individuals with accountancy experience.  Those undertaking the certification must be independent from those who prepared the accounts. The Annual Statement of Accounts will be posted to Members 14 days prior to the Annual General Meeting and will be available for inspection by members at the Meeting.

Annual Report

10 - An Annual Report of the work of the Association, together with the Rules, List of Officers, etc. of the Association and the audited Statement of Accounts, shall be printed and supplied to members not later than 31st March each year.

Prizes

11 - The question of giving members classes, special prizes, etc. at any show shall be decided by the Committee which shall satisfy itself as to the classification and generally to all matters not later than 31st March each year.

Honorary Members

12 - Honorary Life Vice-Presidents may be elected as the membership deems requisite at the Annual General Meeting, the procedure being as for the nomination and election of the Committee contained in Rule VIII above. Honorary Life Vice-Presidents may attend meetings of the Committee but may not vote at any meeting of the Association.

Acceptance of Rules

13 - Any member of the Association, in taking up his/her membership, shall be deemed to have read the Rules of the Association and be prepared to abide by them.

Kennel Club Final Authority

14 - The Kennel Club is the final authority for interpreting the rules of the Association in all cases relative to canine or society matters.

 Annual Returns to the Kennel Club

15 - 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 Honorary Secretary for continuance of Registration and that by 31st July each year, other returns as stipulated in Kennel Club Regulations for the Registration and Maintenance of Title of Societies and Breed Councils etc. will be forwarded to the Kennel Club. 

The Officers acknowledge their duty to inform the Kennel Club of the month in which the Association’s Annual General Meeting is held, notify the Kennel Club of any subsequent amendments to that date and of any change of Honorary Secretary of the Association which may occur during the course of the year.

Association Property

16 - The property of the Association shall be vested in the Committee.  In the event of the Association ceasing to exist, a General Meeting shall be called to decide the disposal of the Association’s assets and the outcome of the meeting notified to the Kennel Club.  If a Registered Association is wound up or ceases to be a Registered Association under the regulation, a final statements of accounts, with a record of the disposal of the property of the Association, shall be forwarded to the Kennel Club within six months and the persons named as Officers and Committee of the Association will be held responsible by the Kennel Club for the proper winding up of the Association.

17 - The Association shall not join any Federation of Societies or Clubs

Judges Lists

18 - Breed Society Judges Lists

The Association will produce lists of Judges each year, which will be submitted to the Kennel Club as part of the Associations Annual Returns.  The purpose of such lists is to indicate to interested parties those persons the Association would support at differing levels of judging.  Membership of the Association is not a pre-requisite for the inclusion on the lists. Judges lists will be divided into for parts, namely A1, A3, B and C, with the option of a further A2 list, and will indicate the date the date on which the list will expire. On expiry a new list will be compiled.

A1 indicates persons whom the Association will support and who have previously been approved to award Challenge Certificates and have carried out the appointment.

A2 indicates all persons who, if invited to judge by a Society, would in principal be approved by the Kennel Club to award Challenge Certificates for that occasion.

A3 indicates persons we would recommend as being suitable to award Challenge Certificates in the breed, but not yet approved by the Kennel Club for inclusion in the A2 list.

B indicates persons to judge at Shows without Challenge Certificates or Open Shows.

C indicates all other persons who do not fall into any of the above categories.

The list will indicate to members the method by which persons may be nominated for inclusion and the judging experience necessary for inclusion on the five lists.