Schäferhundverein RSV2000 e.V. Bylaws

The Schäferhundverein RSV2000 e.V. [German Shepherd Association RSV2000 e.V.] was founded on the initiative of Dr. Helmut Raiser in order to provide effective support for the preservation of the cultural value of the Deutscher Schäferhund [German Shepherd] as a utility dog.

In the following 10 Articles the founding members establish the guidelines of their Purebred Dog Breeders Association.

The registered German Shepherd Association Schäferhundverein RSV2000 e.V. considers itself heir to the ideals of the founder Max von Stephanitz: The German Shepherd shall be bred as a multi-purpose utility dog.

Defined utility dog characteristics are indispensable and must be preserved.

Tasks and objectives of utility dog breeding must be brought in line with external general conditions.

Sustained education and training as well as the application of scientific progress in breeding and training methods are considered to be prerequisites and contribute to preserve the German Shepherd as a utility dog.

The entire spectrum of the standard shall be exhausted by using the instruments that direct breeding. The amplitude of the genetic pool forms the basis of our breeding and shall consequently be preserved.

All measures that direct breeding require a transparent documentation and objective evaluation of the unique utility dog characteristics of the individual animal.

The creative potential of competing interests shall serve the purpose of common goals. Mutual acceptance is based on communication structures which facilitate the recognition and resolution of common problems.

The Deutscher Schäferhund's [German Shepherd's] leading position as a utility dog shall be demonstrated at the Internationale Siegerprüfung [International Championships] of the Schäferhundverein RSV2000 e.V. (ISP RSV2000).

The achievements of dog handlers shall be appreciated in accordance with their impact on breeding toward the preservation of the cultural value of the German Shepherd.

Training shall be considered to be animal protection, guided by the functionality of the dog and the ethical principles of human conduct towards animals.

(1) The name of the association is “Schäferhundverein RSV2000 e.V.”.

(2) The headquarters of the association is located in D-34346 Hann. Münden.

(3) The association is organised and directed in accordance with legal and democratic principles.

4) The Association is a member of the VDH [Verband für das Deutsche Hundewesen] [The German Kennel Club] (following admission to the VDH). Its members shall submit to the Bylaws of the VDH, which are part of these Bylaws, and its provisions in the relevant valid version (VDH Bylaws in the version of 11/18/2007, Attachment 1). The same applies analogously to the decisions taken by the VDH Board of Directors, the General Meetings and the regulations prescribed by the FCI (Fédération Cynologique Internationale [Breed Standards]).

The Association undertakes to adapt its Bylaws and its provisions to those of the VDH within 24 months following the enforcement of the relevant change unless other deadlines have been prescribed. Conflicting provisions will no longer be applied during the adjustment period.

(5) The Association shall exclusively and directly pursue public-benefit purposes in the sense of the section “Tax-privileged purposes” of the Fiscal Code. The association shall act selflessly; it shall not primarily pursue economic purposes of its own. Funds of the association shall only be used for the public-benefit purposes that accord with the Bylaws of the Association. Members of the Association shall receive neither shares in profits nor, in their capacity as members, any other grants from the funds of the Association. No person shall be favoured with expenditures foreign to the purposes of the Association or by exceptionally high remuneration. Holders of Association offices shall act in an honorary capacity.

(6) The Association shall reserve the right to run all the meetings, elections and votes not related to a modification of the Executive Board and the Bylaws by using electronic means.

(7) The business year shall be the calendar year.

The Association shall promote the breeding of the German Shepherd in accordance with the F.C.I. Standard No. 166 and its use as utility dog. To fulfil this task it is indispensable to encourage continuous training and instruction of dogs and dog handlers as well as to apply scientific progress of breeding and training methods to preserve the German Shepherd as a utility dog.

(2) The Schäferhundverein RSV2000 e.V. shall pursue the following definition of utility dog:

(3) The Association shall take care of preserving the utility dog’s qualities despite historical changes in the areas of application, from herding dog tending flocks to service, guard and sports dog.

(4) Health and functionality of the utility dog in accordance with the definition shall be the guiding principles for hygienic breeding and training measures.

(5) Breeding and training shall exclusively serve to achieve the breeding objectives established by the definition of the working dog. Progress in science shall be taken into account. The training and breeding rules shall determine the details.

(6) The Association shall create information transparency by offering an Internet site in order to enable its members to take responsible decisions regarding training and breeding.

(7) Necessary regulations issued to achieve the Association’s objectives shall not intend to restrict the freedom of the members more than necessarily.

(8) The Association shall support its members by offering regional Competence Centres (CC). These shall serve to assist the members with training and breeding. The training and breeding rules shall determine the details.

(8) Local clubs can be founded as regional subdivisions. Within its regional sphere of activity, the local club fulfills the duties of the main Association.

(9) Non-independent subdivisions of the Schäferhundverein RSV2000 e.V. [German Shepherd Association RSV 2000 e.V.] can become members of the local competent VDH provincial association.

10) The Association fulfils its duties in particular by:

1. Supporting research into breeding and genetics
2. The handling and exchange of scientific issues related to training, feeding and keeping [the German Shepherd] and disease control
3. Educational work and advertising directed at the general public with regard to training, breeding and keeping the Deutscher Schäferhund [German Shepherd] as a utility dog taking into consideration the VDH minimum requirements for keeping dogs
4. Training and admission of judges in all fields. - In the event that a breed judge committee could not be nominated, the admission, education, training, examination and nomination of breed judge candidates shall be the responsibility of the VDH.
5. Maintaining relationships to authorities keeping service dogs
6. Supporting the interests of animal protection and observing animal protection laws
7. Keeping and publishing a breed book for the Deutscher Schäferhund [German Shepherd]
8. Purchasing and distribution the VDH magazine "Unser Rassehund" ["Our pure-breed dog"]
9. Supervising the breeding, rearing, keeping and training of the Deutscher Schäferhund [German Shepherd]
10. Establishing and executing Sichtungen [evaluation], shows and Körungen [breed survey]
11. Supporting and executing own and recognized training and breeding events
12. Supporting and executing special shows which are affiliated with the VDH breeding shows
13. Combating any form of commercial dog trading. A person cannot be considered to be a dog trader provided he is a proper breeder and owner according to the Bylaws of the VDH and merely operates or supports breeding and/or training as a hobby based on the principles of cynology. The obligation in terms of animal protection law to apply for an authorization as a dog breeder is not an obstacle in this context. Both breeders and dog owners who do not fulfill the aforementioned conditions are considered to be commercial dog traders.
14. Keeping a performance book for dogs of other breeds or mixed breeds

(1) The following are a part of these Bylaws:

• Breeding Rules - Attachment 2
• Honorary Board Rules - Attachment 3
• Breed Show Rules- Attachment 4
• Breed Judge Rules- Attachment 5

Any changes to these rules are changes to the Bylaws in terms of § 8 (h). The provisions governing the Breeding Rules, the Honorary Board Rules, the Breed Show Rules and the Breed Judge Rules do not supersede the minimum requirements of the corresponding VDH regulations.

(2) Furthermore, the Association shall make available:

1. the Training Rules with guidelines
2. >the Sichtung [evaluation] and Körung [breed survey] Rules
3. the Breed Warden Rules
4. the Leiter Competence-Center [Manager Competence Center] and the performance judges Rules including the LCC and judges training course
5. the Trial Rules
6. the Meeting Rules
7. the Scale of Charges and Fees
8. the Scale of Expenditures

According to §10 2 b, the Executive Board shall decide on amendments of mentioned rules by simple majority. These rules shall only be binding for the members as long as they will have been determined prior to the situation to be ruled and published on the Internet site.

(1) Every natural and legal person, authority, federation or any other corporation may become member of the Association, if they accept the objectives of the Association and refrain from violating the Bylaws (including the regulations of the VDH) by being member of another association.

(2) Any person belonging to an organization not recognized by the VDH or the F.C.I. in the field of breeding pure-bred dogs or dog sports, as well as dog traders and their families and persons living in their household, shall be excluded from membership. 
Persons applying for membership who have been excluded from an association affiliated with the VDH must declare this. They can only be accepted as members following the prior approval of the excluding association.

(3) The Executive Board shall decide on the written application for membership not later than 6 weeks after its receipt. (4) With the admission, every member shall accept the Bylaws and the Rules indicated in § 3, as well as the resolutions. With the admission, the member shall acquire the right to use all facilities and installations of the Association. In addition to that, the member shall acquire active and passive voting rights with admission.

(5) The members shall be obliged to pay membership fees as well as a one-time enrolment fee. The amount of these fees shall be determined by the Executive Board and shall be published on the Internet site of the Association. An increase of the membership and admission fees shall be decided and published not later than September of the current year and applicable to the year to come.

(6) With the admission, the member shall agree that personal and cynological information relevant to the Association may be accessible to other members in the members-only secure area of the Schäferhundverein RSV2000 e.V. Internet site.

(7) The member shall be obliged to carry liability insurance for every dog being his/her property that will participate in an event of the Schäferhundverein RSV2000 e.V.

(8) The membership shall terminate in case of voluntary resignation, cancellation, exclusion, death, or dissolution of the Association.

(9) A voluntary resignation is only possible by the end of a calendar year. The Executive Board shall receive the notice of resignation in writing not later than October 31 of the respective year.

Sponsors shall be passive members without the right to vote. The supporting contribution shall be half the amount of the fee to be paid by full members. Additional payments shall be treated as donations and used for Association purposes.

The Association Bodies shall be:
1. General Meeting,
2. Executive Board.
.

An annual General Meeting shall be held in the second quarter of the year.
The date of the General Meeting shall be announced on the Internet site of the Association not later than three months in advance.

(2) Persons entitled to call a meeting shall be:

1. Members of the Executive Board
2. Breed judges and performance judges
3. Office-holders of the Competence Centers (CC)
4. Ordinary members if their applications are supported in writing by at least 5 percent of the members.

(3) Applications with supporting documentation shall be submitted in writing to the Executive Board not later than eight weeks in advance.

(4) The Chairperson of the Executive Board shall issue notice for the General Meeting four weeks in advance, indicating the agenda on the Internet site of the Association.

(5) Regardless the number of participating members, every General Meeting shall constitute a quorum.

(6) Each member of the Executive Board and each participating full member shall have one vote.

(7) The General Meeting shall not be held publicly. The Executive Board shall be entitled to admit non-members.

(8) The Chairperson chairs the General Meeting; in the event that he is prevented, the Vice-Chairperson or a chairperson for the meeting designated by the Executive Board shall chair the meeting. The minute-keeper shall be determined by the chairman for the meeting. A non-member may also be designated as minute-keeper.

(9) The General Meeting shall take its decisions on the basis of the simple majority of valid votes; abstentions shall not be taken into account. Resolutions on amendments to the Bylaws as well as the deposition of an Executive Board member upon good cause shown shall require a two-third majority vote, the dissolution of the Association a nine-tenth majority vote.

(10) The decisions of the general Meeting shall be recorded in writing; these minutes shall be signed by the Chairperson and the recorder. The minutes shall include:

• Time and place of the General Meeting
• Chairperson of the meeting and minute-keeper
• Number of members present
• Agenda
• Individual voting results
• Type of voting

In case of an amendment to the Bylaws, the wording of the amended regulations shall be entered into the minutes. As soon as possible, the minutes shall be published on the Internet site of the Association.

(11) The Executive Board shall call an extraordinary General Meeting if this is in the interests of the Association or if one-tenth of all members submit a written demand indicating the reasons for the request. The aforementioned provisions apply to the General Meeting with the analogous provision that the notification period in terms of § 7 Section 1 is reduced to 6 weeks, the application period in terms of § 7 Section 3 is reduced to 4 weeks, and the invitation period in terms of § 7 Section 4 is reduced to 2 weeks.

The General Meeting shall be the highest body of the Association and in charge of:

1. Acceptance of the Executive Boards' activity reports
2. Acceptance of the Treasurers' report
3. Approval of the budget for the next business year prepared by the Executive Board
4. Discharge of the Executive Board
5. Election of the Executive Board
6. Election of Honorary Board members and their representatives
7. Election of the Auditor
8. Changes to the Bylaws
9. Dissolution of the Association
10. Dismissal of a member of the Executive Board for an important reason.

(2) In matters which fall within the area of responsibility of the Executive Board, the members shall be entitled to decide on recommendations to the Executive Board.

(1) The Executive Board members shall be:

1. Chairperson
2. Vice-chairperson
3. Director of Training and Breeding (LAZ)
4. Secretary
5. Treasurer.

(2) The Association shall be judicially and extrajudicially represented by two members of the Executive Board, one of them being the Chairman or the LAZ.

(3) The General Meeting shall elect the Executive Board for a period of 6 years, reelection shall be possible. The Executive Board shall remain in office until new elections are held.

(4) Only members who have belonged to the Association for a period of at least 4 years may be elected. An LAZ may only be elected if he is an experienced cynologist who has been proposed by the Executive Board.

(5) If an Executive Board member resigns during the term of office, the subsequent General Meeting shall be obliged to hold a special election valid until the end of term of the respective Executive Board member. Before the special election is held, the Executive Board can assign temporarily a member of the Association to substitute for the resigned Executive Board member.

(6) The LAZ shall be entitled to nominate a deputy who will take over individual tasks during the current transactions; in case other Executive Board members are not available for any reason, the Executive Board shall decide to appoint a deputy.

(7) The Executive Board shall make decisions in such meetings as are called by the Chairperson or his substitute. Notice of such meetings and their agendas shall be given two weeks in advance vial electronic means.
The Executive Board shall constitute a quorum if more than half of the Executive Board members are present. Resolutions shall be passed by a simple majority of the valid votes.

(9) The Executive Board shall be entitled to take decisions by written procedure outside of Executive Board meetings if no Executive Board member contradicts.

(10) The decisions made by the Executive Board shall be put into writing and require the signature of the Chair of the meeting. The meeting minutes shall include place and date of the Executive Board meeting, names of the participants, decisions taken as well as the ballot result.

(1) The Executive Board shall be in charge of the Association’s business affairs. The Executive Board shall be responsible for all matters that are not expressly reserved for the General Meeting by the present Bylaws.

(2) In particular, the Executive Board shall be responsible for a) Representing the Association in all legal and other matters b) Taking decisions for those regulations mentioned in § 3 Section 2 c) Handling current business transactions d) Executing the right to issue instructions towards Association employees e) Managing the Association's assets and presentation in the General Meeting f) Disposing of the Association's assets g) Recognizing a local club as an independent subdivision of the Association h) Nominating and dismissing judges and other office holders i) Regulatory measures in terms of § 12 Section 2 j) The Association's Internet presence

(3) The Executive Board shall be entitled to adopt rules of procedure which determine the rights and obligations of the Executive Board members as well as specific areas of responsibility. In general, the areas of responsibility and decision making of the Executive Board members shall be shared as follows:

1. the Chairperson shall be responsible for the organisational management of the Association;
2. the Vice-chairperson shall be responsible for the administrative tasks transferred to him/her by the Executive Board;
3. the LAZ shall be responsible for the area of training and breeding;
4. the Secretary shall write the minutes of the Executive Board meetings which are to be signed by the Chairperson and the LAZ, and shall be in charge of the correspondence and the Internet presence;
5. the Treasurer shall be in charge of financial administration.

(1) All offices held in the Association are honorary posts. Disbursements and expenses incurred within the framework of administration shall be reimbursed according to the scale of expenditures. In addition, remuneration can also be paid to volunteers (in terms of § 3 No. 26a EStG [Einkommenssteuergesetz = Income Tax Law]).

(2) Executive Board members and other delegates of the Association who – during the exercise of their duties – cause damage to the Association, Association members or third parties, shall only be held liable if they acted wilfully or grossly negligently to the disadvantage of the aggrieved party. The Association shall exempt the author of damage towards third parties as mentioned above.

(1) With the objective of guaranteeing principles of public benefit and maintaining the internal and external order, the Association shall take regulatory measures against members and officeholders who culpably counteract the Bylaws, Rules or purposes of the Association. The matter can only be brought before an ordinary court within a period of one month after notification of the final decision on the part of the Association.

(2) The Executive Board and the Honorary Board shall be entitled to impose the following regulatory measures:

1. Warning
2. Reprimand
3. Fine of up to 2,000.00 euros
4. Prohibition to breed and/or breed book prohibition as well as a prohibition for shows - temporary or permanent
5. Suspension of member rights
6. Exclusions from the Association - temporary or permanent
7. Prohibition to act as Leiter Competence Center [Manager Competence Center] and/or judge - temporarily or permanently
8. Dismissal from office.

A combination of these measures is also permissible.
Amongst other things, the gravity or the repetition of violations is decisive for the choice of the measure applied.
 Prohibitions to breed and/or breed book prohibitions are regulated in the Breeding Regulations.

(3) Exclusion from the Association shall only be permitted in cases of gross or repeated infringements against the objectives of the Association, its Rules or practices of good fellowship.

(4) Every member shall be entitled to notify the Executive Board of misconducts. This notification shall be presented in writing and personally signed, indicating the relevant facts and including the corresponding evidence. It shall be the decision of the Executive Board to institute proceedings. The Executive Board shall be entitled to initiate regulatory measures without previous notification if it has personal knowledge of the misconducts. Before imposing regulatory measures, the Executive Board shall give the member the chance to give an explanation in writing, setting an adequate time limit of at least three weeks. The decision on regulatory measures must be well-founded and communicated to the member by registered mail.

(5) The member shall have the right to appeal the decision of the Executive Board before the Honorary Board. The appeal shall have a delaying effect, if the immediate suspension of the member rights has not been ordered. The appeal has to be filed in writing before the Executive Board within a period of one month after receipt of the decision. Subsequently, the Executive Board shall have to present the file to the Chairperson of the Honorary Board within a period of two weeks, including a statement for further proceedings.

(6) In case of its own involvement the Executive Board has the right to proceed before the Honorary Board.

(7) The proceedings before the Honorary Board will be conducted in accordance with the Honorary Board Rules which are part of these Bylaws.

(1) The Association can only be dissolved by a General Meeting especially called for this purpose. The meeting shall have to be called at least three months in advance. A participation of two thirds of the members shall be necessary to decide on the dissolution of the Association. If the General Meeting called does not have a quorum, another General Meeting shall be called no later than four weeks after the date of the initial meeting. The new General Meeting shall be held no earlier than two nor later than four months after this date.

(2) There shall be no quorum requirements for the newly called General Meeting. This is to be specifically referred to in the invitation letter.

(3) In case of a dissolution of the Association or a cessation of tax-privileged purposes the funds of the Association shall be accrued to the Gesellschaft zur Förderung Kynologischer Forschung e.V., to be used directly and exclusively for public benefit, charitable or parochial purposes.

§ 9 section 4 shall become effective as of 01/01/2012.