Code of Ethics & Rules

All members of The Toller Club of Great Britain:

  • Will properly house, feed, water and exercise all dogs under their care and arrange for appropriate veterinary attention if and when required.
  • 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.
  • Will agree that no healthy puppy will be culled. Puppies which may not conform to the Breed Standard should be placed in suitable homes.
  • Will abide by all aspects of the Animal Welfare Act.
  • Will not create demand for, nor supply, puppies that have been docked illegally.
  • Will agree not to breed from a dog or bitch which could be in any way harmful to the dog or to the breed.
  • Will not allow any of their dogs to roam at large or to cause a nuisance to neighbours or those carrying out official duties.
  • Will ensure that their dogs wear properly tagged collars and will be kept leashed or under effective control when away from home.
  • Will clean up after their dogs in public places or anywhere their dogs are being exhibited.
  • 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.
  • Will supply written details of all dietary requirements and give guidance concerning responsible ownership when placing dogs in a new home.
  • 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.
  • 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 standalone items (not accompanying a dog).
  • 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.
  • Will, if they are intending to use their dog or bitch for breeding, have a minimum of all current Kennel Club recommended health checks done and submit the results to the clubs’ health secretary.
  • Will not breed from a bitch without consideration for her health and well being and, if she has had a litter previously, her ease of whelping. No bitch should be mated under the age of two, nor over the age of eight without Kennel Club approval. No bitch may be bred from at successive seasons, unless a period of more that twelve months has elapsed. No bitch is to have more than four litters in her lifetime and no more than one in a twelve month period.
  • Will not use a dog at stud before the age of two years. A stud dog owner must be satisfied as to the health and compatibility of the dog and bitch and give consideration to the resultant litter.
  • Will, before breeding a litter from their bitch or allowing their dog to be used at stud, give serious and equal consideration to type, temperament, health and soundness and not undertake a mating that is detrimental to the dog/bitch or the breed that will adulterate the purity of the breed. No unregistered dog/bitch should be used for breeding.
  • Will if they become aware of the mistreatment, abuse or need of relocation of any Toller, notify the details to one of the committee and assist in any other matter where they are able.
  • Will exhibit good conduct in any activity they undertake with their Toller.

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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CLUB RULES

The Toller Club of Great Britain offers a warm welcome to anyone who values the Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever. The Club has no affiliation to any governing body or other organisation and is dedicated to strive for, and cooperate with others to foster, the wellbeing of the breed. The rules of the Club are as follows:

  1. NAME

The club is called THE TOLLER CLUB OF GREAT BRITAIN and is referred to in this document as “the Club”.

  1. OBJECTIVES

The objectives of the Club are to promote, protect and advance the interests of the Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever (NSDTR) to include:

  • the health and welfare of the breed.
  • giving support, advice and education to existing and potential Toller owners.
  • advocating the breeding of the NSDTR to maintain all characteristics of type as defined in the official U.K. breed standard without any overemphasis on any characteristics to the detriment of others.
  • to seek to provide rescue and re-homing for any NSDTR in need.
  • encouraging social interaction between all NSDTR owners and breeders.
  1. MEMBERSHIP

Anyone wishing to become a member of the Club completes a New Membership Application Form (MEMBERSHIP/001/2019/V1) or www.thetollerclub.org.uk/membership-form and thereby confirms their intention to abide by the Rules and Code of Ethics of the Club.

The Application Form and the annual membership fee for the current year are submitted to the Membership Secretary.

Applications for membership are accepted at the discretion of the Committee.

Membership includes up to two adults and all the children living at the same address for whom they have legal responsibility, or a partnership not registered at the same address but have a Toller registered at the Kennel Club in partnership.

Membership includes one copy of Talking Tollers Magazine sent out twice a year and one club membership vote.

Overseas Membership is welcome as above but Talking Tollers will only be sent as a PDF by email Membership fees are published on the Club website and in Talking Tollers.

If membership fees are not paid by April 1st, membership is withdrawn.

No member whose membership fees are in arrears is allowed to attend or vote at a meeting or win any prize offered by the Club and which is confined to members

Membership fees are published on the Club website and in its Newsletter.

Member’s details, names and addresses, telephone numbers and e-mail, are held electronically by the Club, and are subject to GDPR requirements.

Point of Contact: Membership Secretary.

  1. TERMINATION OF MEMBERSHIP

The Committee reserves the right to suspend members pending investigation of any alleged misconduct including behaviour likely to be deemed as defamatory, degrading or bullying.

If the conduct of any member is, in the opinion of the Committee, injurious, or likely to be injurious, to the character or interests of the Club, then the Committee reserves the right to terminate the membership of the/those individual/s involved and exclude access to Club facilities.

At the Committee’s discretion, the Secretary may enter into written communication in an attempt to resolve a perceived disciplinary issue. Depending on the result, this may lead to a Disciplinary Meeting. In such a case, the accused member is given at least 28 days notice of this meeting as well as particulars of the complaint, so that he/she may attend and offer an explanation. If at the Disciplinary Meeting a resolution to expel is passed by a majority of the Committee members present and voting, his/her name is immediately erased from the list of members and he/she thereupon ceases to be for all purposes a member of the Club.

  1. THE COMMITTEE

There is an elected Committee, the purpose of which is to carry out the general business of the Club and provide for the control, management and administration of its affairs, finances and property.

The Committee consists of no more than 12 (twelve) members, elected by the Club membership, each of whom serves for a term of 3 (three) years.

Any member may nominate any other member for election to the Committee, provided that a nominee has been a fully paid-up member of the Club for at least two years and has been proposed and seconded by fellow members of the same status. A nominator may not also be a nominee in the same round of voting. When nominating, members understand that nominees may not serve on the Committee if:

  • they are an undischarged bankrupt
  • they would be concurrently serving on any other NSDTR related committee.

Each nomination for a seat on the Committee, together with the name of the proposer, seconder and a completed application form is to be received by the Secretary no less than 28 (twenty eight) days before the A.G.M. In the event of there being more Committee nominations than available seats, a ballot of the Club Membership is undertaken and voting papers are sent out at least 14 (fourteen) days before the date of the A.G.M.

A group of 4 (four) Committee members retire each year in rotation and as a result a minimum of 4 (four) positions are open for re-election by a ballot of the Club Membership. In the event that there are no more candidates than available positions to be filled, retiring Committee members who wish to serve again may do so and at this stage new nominees may then be adopted at the discretion of the Committee.

The Committee may from time to time seek to appoint co-opted members to fill unexpected Committee vacancies that may arise. If they wish, those members co-opted to fill such vacancies will be considered as nominees for positions open for re-election at the next A.G.M. Those co-opted in this way have voting rights on Committee business.

The Committee may, as needed, form sub-committees to deal with special tasks, and to co-opt onto such sub-committees anyone the Committee thinks suitable. (Those co-opted in this way have no voting rights on Committee business).

  1. Officers of the Committee

The Officers are the Chairperson, the Secretary and the Treasurer who, having taken into consideration the strengths and skills of the individuals available, are appointed by the Committee to represent them in their collective duty to conduct the affairs of the Club.

Anyone seeking an Officers position must have served a minimum of 1 (one) year on the committee.

The Committee member occupying each Officer’s role may serve in that role for a period of 3 (three) years, one such member retiring each year, in rotation.

After the re-election of the Committee is itself complete, the Committee member who will serve for the coming 3 (three) years in the vacated Officer’s role is then elected, a majority of the Committee present at the meeting held after the A.G.M. being required.

The roles of the Officers are briefly described below:

The Chairperson takes charge of all Club meetings, upholds the Club rules and exercises general supervision of the affairs of the Club.

The Secretary conducts the correspondence of the Club and has responsibility for the custody of all documents belonging to the Club (with the exception of membership forms and financial documents). He/she keeps a full and correct minute of all proceedings and keeps records of all activities of the Club. He/she organises meetings and Club activities.

The Treasurer keeps the accounts of the Club (keeping a record of monies received and paid out), reports on the state of the finances to the Committee and prepares the Annual Statement of Accounts of the Club which, after independent review, is presented at the A.G.M.

The Vice Chairperson acts as Chairperson in any situation where the Chairperson is unavailable and when so doing has the same authority and status as the Chairperson.

  1. Other Defined Committee Roles

Other Committee roles are the Deputy Chairperson and the Membership Secretary.

The Membership Secretary maintains a list of members with their names and addresses, telephone numbers and e-mail details and manages new member applications and membership renewals.

The Health Co-Ordinator collates information regarding health and observes trends as reported by members. If any trends are observed they will be reported via the Club. The identity of the dogs given to the Health Secretary remains confidential and can only be shared with the owner’s permission.

  1. The Conduct of Committee Business

Meetings of the Committee are held quarterly unless the affairs of the Club demand more frequent meetings, one such meeting to be held on the day of, prior to and after, the A.G.M. The Committee may, from time to time, take advantage of electronic methods for reaching agreement on issues arising between face to face meetings.

The Secretary in consultation with the Chairperson has the power to summon a Committee meeting at any time.

The quorum for a Committee meeting will be 5 (five), to include at least 2 (two) of the Club Officers. The Secretary seeks items for discussion such that an agenda can be circulated to all Committee members 14 (fourteen) days before the due date of any meeting.

Each member of the Committee (including anyone co-opted to fill a vacancy) has full voting rights. The Chairperson however will abstain from voting unless required to cast a vote in the event of a tie.

Any member of the Committee missing two consecutive meetings without reasonable excuse in writing shall cease to be a member of the Committee unless, in the judgement of the Chairperson and the Secretary, there are exceptional extenuating circumstances.

The minutes of every meeting are recorded and circulated to the Committee within 21 (twenty one) days after the meeting. At the subsequent meeting they are approved and confirmed by vote.

The Committee has the power to deal with any questions not expressly provided for in the rules.

  1. GENERAL MEETINGS OF THE CLUB

The quorum for a General Meeting of the Club is 8 (eight) to include at least 5 (five) Committee members of which 2 (two) of these need to be Officers of the Club.

Any resolutions passed at a General Meeting of the Club cannot be altered except at a subsequent General meeting.

  1. A G. M.

The Annual General Meeting is held no later than the end of June in each year on a date to be arranged by the Committee.

Members are given notice of the date of the A.G.M. no less than 5 (five) weeks beforehand in writing.

Any matters for the agenda must be received by the Secretary not later than 14 (fourteen) days before the meeting.

Agendas are available at the meeting, where the independently reviewed accounts of the Club and reports are presented and, if required (i.e. if open Committee positions are contested), any election of Committee members is completed.

  1. Special General Meetings.

A Special General Meeting may be called by 1/5 (one fifth) of the membership of the Club. A letter detailing the issue and bearing the signatures, names and addresses of at least 1/5 (one fifth) of the members at that time is sent to the Secretary. The Secretary then has 28 (twenty eight) days from receipt of the letter to give notice of the convening of a Special General Meeting of the Club membership, to be held within 56 (fifty six) days of the letter’s receipt.

  1. FINANCE

Bank Accounts are held in the name of the Club into which revenue of the Club is paid and from which appropriate withdrawals are made as authorised by two of the signatures of the Chairperson, Secretary or the Treasurer.

Accounts are reviewed by a person considered by the Committee to be suitably qualified and independent.

  1. ALTERATION TO THE RULES

Rules are subject to review annually and any proposed changes are put to the vote at the AGM.

Changes to the Rules are adopted after approval by a majority of those members of the Club attending the A.G.M.

  1. DISSOLUTION

In the event that it becomes necessary for the Club to dissolve, any existing members at the time will, where possible, be informed in writing. If no appropriate alternative course of action is forthcoming any remaining assets of the Club will be made available for the continued care of any NSDTR subject to rescue by the Club. Any residue will be donated to a recognised, ongoing Toller health research project.