ClubRules & Regulations

  1. Name: The Club shall be called The Irish Great Dane Club.
  2. Objects: The objects of the Club shall be - To improve the breed of Great Danes, to have their excellent qualities better known to the public and to do all things possible to promote the interests of the Club. To encourage and foster interest in the breed in Ireland.
  3. Members: The Club shall consist of an unlimited number of members whose names and addresses shall be entered in a special book for that purpose, and kept by the Hon Secretary. This register of members shall be open to the inspection of members at all reasonable times.
  4. Admission: The election of members shall be vested in the Committee. Candidates for membership must be proposed and seconded by fully paid up members of the Club. The name and address of the proposed member must be forwarded to the Hon Secretary who shall include it in the Agenda of the next Committee Meeting. The Committee have the sole right to reject an applicant for membership and a period of one year shall elapse before any applicant, so rejected, shall be eligible again for election. Upon the election of a candidate, the Hon Secretary shall notify him/her in writing, and furnish him/her with a copy of the Rules and request payment of the first year's subscription. Life Membership may be granted on an honorary basis to persons who, in the opinion of the Committee, have given outstanding service to the Club or breed.
  5. Subscriptions: The financial year of the Club shall be from 1st January to 31st December. The Annual Subscription for each Member shall be payable in advance. The amount of the Annual Subscription will be agreed from time to time by the Club in General Meeting. If the subscription of any member shall remain unpaid for one calendar month after the same has become due, he/she shall be given written notice by the Hon Secretary. If, at the expiration of the second calendar month his/her subscription still remains unpaid, the Hon Secretary shall inform the Committee at their next meeting and the name of such defaulting member will be removed from the Register of Members and thereupon he/she shall cease to be a member of the Club. No member shall be allowed to vote or compete for prizes or trophies of the Club, or in any way whatsoever, enjoy the privilege of membership until his/her current subscription and all other outstanding amounts due by him/her to the Club shall have been paid. Having defaulted, the past member must re-apply as set out in Rule 4, but in addition, pay any outstanding amounts due by him/her to the Club. The payment of the subscription shall be deemed to be an acknowledgement of the acquiescence of the member to the Rules and Regulations of the Club.
  6. Officers: The Officers of the Club shall consist of a President, two Vice Presidents, an Honorary Secretary, An Honorary Treasurer, an Assistant Honorary Secretary, and any other officers deemed advisable by the Club. The Officers shall be ex officio members of the Committee and shall retire annually, but shall be eligible for re-election. The Irish Kennel Club Representative shall be elected annually and must be a member of the Club.
  7. Committee:

a) The Committee shall consist of not more than six members, who shall retire annually, but shall be eligible for re-election. In the absence of the President or a Vice President, the Committee shall elect one of their members to act as Chairman at a Committee Meeting.

b) The Committee shall have the power to delegate authority to Sub-Committees consisting of one or more Committee or Club Members.

c) If any member of the Committee shall fail to attend two consecutive Committee Meetings without furnishing a satisfactory reason, he or she shall be deemed to have resigned from the Committee.

d) Four members of the Committee shall form a quorum.

  1. Election of Committee and Officers: Fourteen days before the Annual General Meeting the Secretary shall request Members to signify, in writing, their willingness to act as a member of the Committee if elected. Such notification shall be received by the Hon Secretary three days before the Annual General Meeting. Only those who have been fully paid up Members of the Club for the previous three years may stand for election. At the Annual General Meeting 12 persons shall be elected by secret ballot and from that 12 a President, 2 Vice Presidents, A Hon Secretary, Assistant Hon Secretary and Hon Treasurer and any other officers deemed advisable by the Club shall be elected. All members wishing to stand for election must attend the Annual General Meeting or furnish an acceptable excuse for their absence. No person, other than paid up Members, shall be entitled to be present or vote at the Meeting. If a vacancy occurs on the Committee during their term of office, the Committee shall have the right to co-opt a member to fill the vacancy.
  2. Votes of Officers: All Officers have full voting powers at Committee Meetings.
  3. Property: The property of the Club shall be vested in Trustees appointed by the Club in General Meeting.
  4. Management: The management of the Club shall be entrusted to the Committee whose decisions shall be final. In cases of dispute between members, the Committee shall arbitrate if requested to do so. The Committee shall have power to deal with any question relating to the management of the Club not provided for in these rules. All decisions made by the Irish Kennel Club shall be paramount in all matters concerning the Club.
  5. Committee Meetings: Committee Meetings shall be held at least quarterly. Any four members shall form a quorum. The Secretary shall notify all members of the Committee, in writing, 10 days prior.
  6. General Meetings: A General Meeting of Club Members shall be held once a year, and fourteen days previous notice in writing shall be sent by post to each and every Club Member. Any four members shall form a quorum. At any General Meeting the President, or a Vice President, or in the absence of both, a Chairman elected by the members present shall preside. In the event of an equal number of votes on any point, the Chairman shall have a casting vote.
  7. Extraordinary General Meetings: An Extraordinary General Meeting must be called by the Secretary or Chairman on demand, in writing, by six members, one of whom may act on behalf of the six, and if within fourteen days, such Meeting is not called, then the said six members shall be empowered to call such Meeting having given at least fourteen days notice through the Dog Press, or any other means thought desirable. At such meetings, any business transacted shall be deemed to be in order. The Members calling the meeting shall specify the objects of the meeting, to which objects alone discussion shall be confined.
  8. Reports on Meetings: No member shall take upon himself or herself to publish or cause to be published either in part or in whole, any account of the proceedings of either a General or a Committee Meeting. Reports of the Meetings shall be furnished to the press by the Chairman and Secretary if desirable or required
  9. Officers, Honorary: All officers of the Club shall be Honorary and no Member shall be allowed to make the Club a means of private speculation or trade.
  10. New Rules: The Rules of the Club may not be altered or changed except at an Annual General Meeting, or Special General Meeting and such alteration, if approved, shall not be brought into force until the Irish Kennel Club has been advised and given its approval of the alterations.
  11. Finance:

a) All expenses properly incurred by the Hon Secretary and Hon Treasurer, with the consent of the Committee, for and on behalf of the Club, shall be defrayed out of General or Special Funds of the Club alone. The financial year shall end on the 31st December each year.

b) A Banking Account shall be opened in the name of the Club into which all revenue of the Club shall be paid and from which withdrawals shall be made on the signature of the Hon Secretary and Hon Treasurer.

c) No member is empowered to pledge the credit of the club without obtaining authority from the Committee.

  1. Annual Report: An Annual Report, together with the names of the Members, Committee, Officers, etc. shall be supplied to all Members.
  2. Expulsion of Members: Any Member suspended by The Irish Kennel Club shall cease to be a Member of the Club. No member so expelled shall have any claim against the Club, nor be entitled to any repayment of any part of his subscription and shall forthwith return to the Club any cups or trophies that, being the property of the Club, are in his possession at the time of such expulsion. If the conduct of any Member shall, in the opinion of the Committee, be injurious to the character or interests of the Club, the Committee may, at a meeting, decide to call a Special General Meeting for the purpose of passing a resolution to expel him. Notice of this Special General Meeting shall be sent to the accused, giving particulars of the complaint and, advising of the place, date and hour of the Meeting at which the Member may attend and offer an explanation. If at that Meeting a resolution to expel is passed by two thirds of the majority of the Members present, his name shall be erased from the list of Members.
  3. Disputes: Matters of dispute that cannot be resolved by the Club shall be resolved by the Irish Kennel Club. The final authority in all matters of disagreement or dispute shall be the Irish Kennel Club, such determination shall be final and binding.
  4. Notices: All notices shall be sent to the last recorded address of the respective Members in the Register of Members, and shall be considered as having been duly delivered when such notices are posted.
  5. Duties of Members: Members shall advance the interests of the breed in Ireland to the best of their ability and, at all times, obey the current code of ethics as issued by the Club (and of The Irish Kennel Club). The Committee will be empowered to require the resignation of any member whose conduct is deemed to be prejudicial to the stated aims of the Club, subject to rules 21 and 22.
  6. Disposal of Assets: In the event of a decision to wind up the Club, all Cups and Trophies, purchased by, or donated to the Club, shall be vested in three Trustees. Such Trustees shall pass on the custody of the Cups and Trophies to The Irish Kennel Club. These Trustees shall be elected by the Club in General Meeting. In the event of a decision to wind up the Club, all funds shall be handed to The Irish Kennel Club in accordance with their rules. However, it should be noted that it is the wish of the Club that a substantial donation should be made to the Dublin Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals