STANDING RULES
of the
SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA DOG OBEDIENCE COUNCIL, INC.

Adopted February, 1968
(As amended May 17, 2019)

All articles and sections referred to in these standing rules shall be interpreted as Articles and Sections of the Bylaws of the Southern California Dog Obedience Council

Section I – Membership

A. Effective in 2019, the annual dues shall be $50.00 per membership which shall include 3 copies of the Council Directory. The Council Bylaws and Standing Rules stand as published on the website. Prorating shall apply as in Article IV, Section 1.

B. Represented clubs shall have the right to use the words “Member of the Southern California Dog Obedience Council, Inc.” on the club’s stationery or seal.

C. A directory information sheet shall be sent to each membership along with the dues notice for the ensuing year. The information shall be compiled into a Council Directory published no later than March of each year.

Section II – Council Meetings

A. No individual will offer for sale at Council Meetings or events anything relating to fundraising in connection with non-member clubs, charities or commercial enterprises.

B. Members who have not been sworn in within 3 months of their club’s letter stating a change in members shall present a new letter before being sworn.

C. Guests of members may attend Council meetings and may be introduced, but shall take no part in any debate or discussion in progress on the Council floor. The President may invite a guest to address the Council but shall restrict such invitations to guests whose technical knowledge would assist the members in their deliberations, or to a guest who has been invited as a speaker or to conduct a Council ceremony.

D. A raffle shall be conducted each month with one-half of the proceeds going to the winner of the raffle.

E. All Board business for the General Meetings and the Raffle must be completed before adjournment.

F. At elections a candidate for office will be given the opportunity to speak regarding his/her platform with limitations of time as set by the nominating committee.

G. The starting time of Council meetings shall be published in the announcement for the meetings.

Section III – Members

A. A Council-recognized organization referred to in Article VII, Section 2, Paragraph C of the Bylaws is one of the following: AKC, UKC, CKC, FCM, FCI, ASCA, plus any legitimate breed registry which holds obedience competitions.

B. Members shall have the right to use said titles on all correspondence or stationery during their term of office.

C. Liaison Delegates: The category “Liaison Delegates” is established for the specific purpose of providing official Council recognition of certain organizations which are involved in dog obedience but which do not and cannot meet the requirements for Council membership.

  1. Organizations which are eligible to be represented in the Council by one liaison delegate are:
    a. Concerned Dog Owners of California (CDOC)
    b. National Animal Interest Alliance (NAIA) – should this stand as it’s not a California organization?
    c. California Federation of Dog Clubs (CFODC)
    d. Other organizations of a similar nature when approved as eligible
  2. Organizations classified under Paragraph 1 shall not be members of the Council and shall not be subject to payment of Council dues.
  3. A liaison delegate:
    a. Shall have been a member of the organization he/she is to represent for at least one year prior to being introduced to the Council;
    b. Shall be selected by his/her organization by a method prescribed by that organization;
    c. Shall be introduced to the Council by written application addressed to the Corresponding Secretary of the Council;
    d. Should serve as such for at least one year;
    e. May be a person who is a member of Council;
    f. Shall be recognized by the chairperson in Council meetings with the same privileges as apply to members, except that said delegate shall have no vote on Council matters and shall not be eligible for election to the Council BOD, unless said delegate is also concurrently serving as a member of the Council for a represented club.

Section IV – Miscellaneous Functions

A. Certain miscellaneous functions shall be repetitive and shall be assigned to committees in accordance with Article XIII. These functions shall include, but shall not be limited to the following:

  1. Council Directory
  2. Communications Committee
  3. Top Dog Exhibition
  4. Legislative Liaison

Additional repetitive functions may be added as desired by the members. Such additions may be accomplished under Article XIII. Repetitive functions may be deleted under Article XIII.

B. Council Directory shall contain:

  1. A list of Council officers and directors, with their addresses, phone number(s) and emails.
  2. A section identifying all represented organizations, their presidents, corresponding secretaries, Council members, and such other information as may be desired: addresses, zip codes, area codes, and telephone numbers and emails shall be included.
  3. A list of those persons acting as liaison delegates, and committee chairpersons;
  4. Any other information which the members consider to be appropriate.

C. Permanent committees of Council are:

  1. Legislative Liaison Committee (if more than one person)
  2. Top Dog Rules Committee
  3. Badges and Bars Committee
  4. Communications Committee – responsible for distributing information to the website, Facebook, or other social media in vogue, appointed by and reporting to the Corresponding Secretary.

Section V – Top Dog Exhibition

A. The Top Dog Exhibition shall be an annual event. The basic rules for the exhibition shall be those currently approved by the Council. Committee recommendations affecting rule changes shall be read at one meeting and voted on at the next meeting of the members. Letters shall be submitted on club letterhead signed by an officer of the represented club. The committee shall review and report to Council all letters along with the committee recommendation. Changes to Top Dog rules and regulations shall be made at least six months prior to the closing date of the Top Dog Exhibition.

B. The location, date, and entry fee of the exhibition shall be subject to approval by the members.

C. The time of day and other features of the exhibition shall be the responsibility of the Exhibition Committee.

D. Council shall establish a perpetual trophy for Top Dog in honor of Carl Spitz, SR, which shall be awarded to the Top Team, with said team’s name inscribed on the trophy and which shall be retained by the winning team’s club until the following year, and said perpetual trophy shall be the property of Council and shall be purchased with Council funds.

E. Council shall award the following Top Dog perpetual trophies for:

The above trophies are all perpetual trophies, to be housed with the winner of the trophy and returned to the Top Dog competition the following year. If there is no plate on the trophy, the winner will obtain the necessary plate.

a. The highest scoring team at Top Dog in honor of Carl Spitz, Sr.;
b. The top Scoring Junior Handler at Top Dog in Memory of Roy and Edna Smith (donated by Les and Martha Buckwalter);
c. The highest scoring dog in the first round of judging at Top Dog in memory of Milt Gibian;
d. The highest scoring All American service/rescue dog in the first round of judging at Top Dog in memory of Ruth Nunn (donated by CHAOS).

F. Represented club entering Top Dog must have been represented in Council for at least 6 months prior to the closing of entries before they are permitted to enter Top Dog, effective 1978 and any year thereafter.

G. Each year there will be a random drawing from among the clubs to perform a major task (raffle, equipment/setup, lunch, hospitality, etc.). Once drawn a club will not be in the drawing until all clubs have been drawn.

Section VI – Legislative Liaison

A. The Board should appoint a Legislative Liaison to report back to Council all new proposed legislation in California. The appointed person may enlist the help of other Council members to assist. Reports should include: ramifications of how these proposals can affect Council members in specific and the California dog world in general, who’s proposing the law, and what we can do to oppose or support the proposed legislation.

Section VII – Shows, Trials, Sanctioned Matches, and Practice Matches of Represented Clubs

A. Represented clubs shall submit a written request in accordance with paragraph D below to the Corresponding Secretary for posting of their events on the website, FB, and Yahoo list;

The written request shall:
1. confirm the reservation of the standard date;
2. be submitted as soon as possible and at least more than 1 month ahead of the event to the Board.

B. An organization which applies for representation in the Council shall receive a copy of these Standing Rules and shall be required to agree in writing that, as a represented club, it will honor the standard dates of other represented clubs and conform to these Standing Rules. Failure to submit such written agreement will result in rejection of their application for representation.

C. Only clubs represented in Council shall be allowed to distribute flyers at Council meetings.

Section VIII – Policy

This section has been established to be a central location for policy decisions made by the Council members over the years along with interpretation of the bylaws as provided in Article IX, Section 3 of the Bylaws.

A. The President shall inform the represented clubs of Council of the activities and accomplishments of Council.

B. Letters from represented clubs shall be submitted to Council on club stationery and signed by an officer of the club (for effecting rules or Bylaws changes).

C. All represented clubs shall file with the Recording Secretary a copy of their bylaws along with any changes as they are made.