The Old English Sheepdog Breed Council was formed in 1995. The original concept for a council was suggested by Mr.Raymond Oppenheimer who was the Chairman of the Kennel Club Judges Sub-Committee at a meeting held on the 12th.December 1976 which was attended by the then six breed clubs recognised by the K.C. to represented our breed.

It was not until the 21st.September 1993 when at a committee meeting of the Lancastrian OES Club, Mr John Yates asked about the possibility of forming an OES Breed Council. The suggestion met with the approval of the meeting and the discussion closed with the agreement that the secretary would write to all breed clubs to ascertain their interest.

A positive reply was received from all the 12 breed clubs and a meeting was arranged for Saturday 30th.July 1994. Delegates from those clubs who were able to be present discussed the formation of an OES Breed Council. They decided that in principal a Breed Council was a step forward and beneficial to the breed. Breed Club representatives agreed to report back to their respective committee’s as to the progress which had been made and that another meeting be arranged.

This meeting took place on Saturday 11th.February 1995 where interim Rules and Regulation were approved and acting Officers elected, delegates from some of the clubs present requested time to discuss developments with their committee’s and the representatives agreed to attend another meeting which was arranged for the 17th.June 1995.

The meeting on this date proved to be conclusive with the majority of the Breed Clubs agreeing that the acting officers write to the Kennel Club formally applying for the recognition of an OES. Breed Council.

Approval from the K.C. was soon forthcoming and the first meeting of the OES Breed Council was held on Sunday 11th.November 1995 at the Longford House Hotel Watling St. Cannock with the following Breed Clubs present,

East Anglian	Lancastrian	Midland	North Eastern
North Western	OES Club of Scotland	OES Club of Wales	South Eastern

The Officers of the Breed Council were:-

Chairperson Mrs.L.Lewis	Vice Chairperson Mrs G.Mogford
Secretary Mr R G Wilkinson	Treasurer Mrs G Biggar

The membership of the Breed Council increased with the South Western Club joining and attending their first meeting on the 20th.April 1996 and in March 1998 the number of breed clubs making up the Breed Council became 11 when the Greater London Club applied for membership.

Rules of the Old English Sheepdog Breed Council

1 Name

(a) The Council shall be called The Old English Sheepdog Breed Council.

2 Objectives

(a) To protect and promote the interests of the Old English Sheepdog.
(b) To enable all Old English Sheepdog Clubs to speak with a united voice.
(c) To maintain the Breed as defined by the Breed Standard, accepted and held by the Kennel Club of Great Britain (hereafter referred to as the Kennel Club).

3 Membership

(a) Membership is voluntary and is open to all Old English Sheepdog Clubs registered with the Kennel Club. [R&R - Part III, C3.d.(2)]
(b) Notification of Intention to join the Council must be in writing to the Council Secretary and must be submitted three months prior to the next meeting of the Council.
(c) A new member will have to pay full annual subscription regardless of the number of months remaining in the financial year.
(d) A new member will have no voting rights at their first meeting: to avoid any situation where Clubs may decide to join for a specific issue and to influence its outcome.
(e) Any member club wishing to resign must do so in writing to the Secretary, preferably giving reasons for their decision.
(f) The Council will maintain an up to date list of members and their addresses, or that of the member Clubs, and make it available for inspection by the Kennel Club and members of the Council. [R&R - Part III, C3.a.(14)]

4 Constitution
(a) Club shall mean a member club of the Council. All member Clubs are entitled to be represented at Council meetings. [R&R - Part III, C3.d.(5)] The Council shall comprise of a maximum of three delegates from each Club appointed by their Club committee.
(b) Delegates must be Officers or Committee members of the Club they represent. A Deputising Delegate may attend on behalf of a Club. The Deputising Delegate must be a Club member and the Club must intimate their details to the Secretary prior to the day of a meeting. The Deputising Delegate will have full privileges appropriate to their Club. No Delegate shall represent more than one Club at a meeting.
(c) The Officers of the Council shall consist of a Chairperson, Vice Chairperson, Secretary, Assistant Secretary, Treasurer and Assistant Treasurer.
(d) No person whilst an undischarged bankrupt may serve on the Committee of or hold any other office or appointment within a Kennel Club Registered Society. [R&R - Part III, C3.a.(13)]
(e) The Officers shall be elected by the Council members at the first meeting of the financial year. The Officers will serve for a period of two years. The Chairperson and Secretary will retire in alternative years (Chairperson, Vice Chairperson & Treasurer & Assistant Treasurer / Secretary & Assistant Secretary). Retiring officers will be eligible for re-election. [R&R - Part III, C3.d.(1)]
(f) The Officers will not be considered as delegates and will have no voting rights. [R&R - Part III, C3.d.(1)]
(g) In the event of any vacancy in the Officers by death, resignation, or otherwise, occurring after the first meeting of the financial year the delegates shall have the power to co-opt a member to Office. Those co-opted shall only hold office until the next first financial meeting of the year at which an election of Officers takes place.
(h) The Officers shall have powers to call extra meetings as required and to deal with more minor matters, all of which shall be reported at the next Council meeting.
(i) The Breed Council shall have the power to appoint sub-committees. These sub-committees are to be set precise terms of reference and time limits for reporting back to the Council.

5 Election of Officers [R&R - Part III, C2.d.(4), C3.a.(1) and C3.d.(1)]
(a) Nominations for Officers will be submitted to the Secretary three months prior to the date of the first meeting of the financial year for inclusion on the agenda. All nominees shall be required to accept their nominations in writing to the Secretary of the proposing Club. The written acceptance will be forwarded with the nomination to the Council Secretary within the timescales laid down for Officer nominations.
(b) The election of Officers shall be by secret ballot. Official voting slips will be sent with the agenda to Club Secretaries and will be sent out with at least two months before the date of the meeting. These will be returned to the Council Secretary in the envelopes provided at least one month before the date of the meeting. These envelopes will be opened by the Chairperson at the meeting and the voting slips sent to the Kennel Club for verification. Any spoiled or defaced voting slips will be counted as void and not included.
(c) Any split vote will be decided by secret ballot of member Clubs present at the meeting and recorded in the minutes for the Kennel Club.

6 Breed Council Property
(a) In the event of the Council ceasing to exist, a final Council meeting will be called to decide the disposal of the Council's assets and the outcome notified to the Kennel Club. [R&R - Part III, C3.a.(9) and C3.d.(7)]
(b) In the event that the Council being wound up or ceasing to be a final statement of audited accounts with a record of the disposal of the property of the Council shall be forwarded to the Kennel Club within six months. [R&R - Part III, C3.a.(10)]

7 Breed Council Accounts
(a) The financial year of the Council shall run from 1st March to the end of February in each year. [R&R - Part III, C3.a.(4) and C3.d.(5)]
(b) A banking account shall be held in the name of The Old English Sheepdog Breed Council, appointed at the discretion of the Council and into which all revenue of the Council shall be paid and from which withdrawals shall only be made on two signatures from three, namely the Secretary, Assistant Secretary or the Treasurer, provided that the said Officers are not related by blood or reside at the same address. [R&R - Part III, C3.a.(3) and C3.d.(4)]
(c) Accounts will be certified annually and presented to the Council members at the Annual General Meeting. (Note - Certification of accounts must be carried out by one qualified accountant or two unqualified individuals with accountancy experience. [R&R - Part III, C3.a.(15) and C3.d.(10)]
(d) Subscriptions for the current financial year must be with the Treasurer by the 31st March of that year. The annual subscription will be agreed or amended at the Annual General Meeting. [R&R - Part III, C3.d.(3)] Failure to pay subscriptions on time will result in loss of privileges accustomed to that member Club until such time as the Treasurer receives the arrears. Member Clubs making late subscription payments at a Council meeting will not be entitled to member privileges during the course of that meeting. [R&R - Part III, C2.d.(4) and C3.a.(2)]
(e) An auditor will be appointed annually at the discretion of the Council.

8 Meetings
(a) Meetings of the Council shall be held three times a year: the date, time and place of each meeting being decided at the previous meeting. The first meeting of the financial year will be called the Annual General Meeting and will immediately precede the second meeting of the year.
(b) No business shall be transacted at an Annual General Meeting unless notice thereof appears on the agenda. [R&R - Part III, C3.a.(5) andC3.d.(6)]
(c) A quorum for a Council meeting shall consist of half the number of member Clubs (half numbers being rounded up) plus one and with at least one Officer. [R&R - Part III, C3.d.(5)]
(d) Items for the agenda shall be submitted to the Secretary three months prior to the next meeting. Proposals sent to the Secretary must be accompanied by notes explaining the subject to be discussed. The Secretary shall consolidate proposals put forward by the member Clubs and will circulate a copy of the agenda to each Club Secretary two months before the next meeting. [R&R - Part III, C3.d.(5)]
(e) The Secretary may table at the Council meeting any matter of an urgent nature under the agenda note of 'Items Reserved'. Notwithstanding the foregoing, no new business shall be transacted unless, in the opinion of the Chairperson of the meeting, they are urgent. A brief written report will be made available for the Chairperson on which to base their decision.

9 Meeting Duties/Responsibilities
(a) The Secretary will conduct all correspondence of the Council and make the necessary returns to the Kennel Club.
(b) The Secretary will produce a minute of the issues from every meeting which will be sent to member Club's Secretaries and also forwarded to the dog press for publication.
(c) Minutes of the previous meeting shall be issued with an agenda for the next meeting.
(d) The Chairperson will conduct the business of Council meetings, field discussion and maintain the orderly running of the agenda.
(e) The Chairperson may consent to non-member clubs attending a meeting, other than an Annual General Meeting, if their purpose for attending is to consider membership of the Council. They may send no more than three guests. Unless permitted by the Chairperson, a guest has no permission to contribute to discussions of the meeting and has no voting rights.
(f) The Chairperson has the discretion to ask anyone attending the meeting who is not a delegate to leave the meeting during the discussion of any particular item.
(g) Where, in the opinion of the Chairperson, a delegates conduct is considered disruptive to the business of the meeting or not conducive to the harmony of the Council the Chairperson, on agreement with the majority of the delegates present, will ask the delegate to leave the meeting for the remainder of its business. The Chairperson will submit a written report to the Council secretary as soon as possible after the meeting, a copy of which will be forwarded to the delegate's Club Secretary.


10 Voting Procedures at Council Meetings [R&R - Part III, C2.d.(2)]
(a) Each Club present at the meeting will have one vote. Postal votes will not be accepted. In extreme circumstances and at the discretion of the Meeting a telephone vote will be accepted on the day and minuted as such.
(b) For recommendation to be carried it must be a straight majority of Clubs at the meeting.
(c) In the event of a tied decision in a Council meeting the Chairperson will return the issue to the member Clubs for further discussion and, where considered appropriate, a postal vote. Where there is a deadline for any decision this will be strictly adhered to and any late submissions will be excluded from the vote.


11 General Principles of Business
(a) Reference to submissions to the Secretary will be defined by the date of postage, as indicated by the postmark.
(b) The preferred medium of submission is signed original letter however facsimile and electronic mail are permissible. Where the latter are used the sender must seek a confirmation of receipt. The original must be retained unless requested by the Council Secretary at any time up to, and including, the meeting. Telephone text messaging is not a permissible medium of Council correspondence.

12 Amendment to Rules
(a) The rules of the Council may not be altered except at an Annual General Meeting or Special General Meeting, the agenda for which contains specific proposals to amend rules. [R&R - Part III, C3.a.(5) and C3.d.(6)]
(b) Any proposed alteration to the rules may not be brought into effect until the Kennel Club has been advised and approved the alteration. [R&R - Part III, C2.d.(2) and C3.d.(6)]
(c) New rules or amendments introduced specifically to meet the Kennel Club requirements shall be adopted immediately and be included in the Council's rules with immediate effect from the Council meeting. [R&R - Part III, C3.a.(5) and C3.d.(6)]

13 Annual Returns to the Kennel Club [R&R - Part III, C3.a.(17) and C3.d.(11)]
(a) The Officers acknowledge that during the month of January each year Maintenance of Title fee will be forwarded to the Kennel Club whether by the Secretary or by Direct Debit, for continuance of registration.
(b) The officers acknowledge that by the 31st July each year, returns, as stipulated in Kennel Club Regulations for the Registration and Maintenance of Title of Societies and Municipal Authorities will be forwarded to the Kennel Club.
(c) The officers acknowledge their duty to inform the Kennel Club of any changes of Secretary of the Council which may occur during the course of the year.

14 Council Judging Lists [R&R - Part III, C2.d.(2)]
(a) The Council will produce a list of judges each year and submit it to the Kennel Club as part of the Council's Annual Returns. With the exception of the A1 list, the Council will decide the criteria required for inclusion on each list. Membership of the constituent Clubs is not a prerequisite for inclusion on the lists.
(b) Judges lists shall be compiled annually and expire on the 31st March each year.
(c) The completed lists will be circulated to all general championship show Secretaries.

15 Kennel Club Liaison
i) The Council will elect a Kennel Club Liaison Officer as and when required by the Kennel Club. The election will be an agenda item. The nomination and voting procedure will follow that for an Officer of the Council.

16 The Old English Sheepdog Breed Council shall not join any Federation of Societies or Clubs. [R&R - Part III, C3.a.(12) and C3.d.(9)]

17 Cessation of Membership
(a) For the purposes of this rule, a member refers to a delegate.
(b) Any Member who shall be suspended under the Kennel Club Rule A42.j.(5) and/or any member whose dog(s) is/are disqualified under Kennel Club Rule A42.j.(9) shall ipso facto cease to be a Member of the Society. [R&R - Part III, C3.a.(6)]
(c) 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 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 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 conditions as the Kennel Club may impose. [R&R - Part III, C3.a.(7)]
(d) If a member is expelled for discreditable conduct in connection with dogs, Dog Shows, Trials or Competitions, the Society must report the matter in writing to the Kennel Club within seven days and supply any particulars required. [R&R - Part III, C3.a.(8)]


18 Court of Appeal
(a) The Kennel Club will be the final court of appeal in all matters of dispute. [R&R - Part III, C2.d.(1)]
(b) The Kennel Club is the final authority for interpreting the Rules and Regulations of the Council in all cases relative to canine or Council matters. [R&R - Part III, C3.a.(11) and C3.d.(8)]

Amendment: full constitution - 24th April 2005
Amendment: Rule 9(e) inserted - 23rd April 2006
Menu