1. To further the advancement of the Great Dane breed and to encourage scientific breeding of the Great Dane.
2. To promote and safeguard the common interests of its members.
3. To assist members in the breeding, registering, and exhibiting of purebred Great Danes registered with the American Kennel Club.
4. To sponsor and promote interest in shows where Great Danes are exhibited.
5. To take action on all matters concerning the welfare of the members and of the breed.
6. To concern ourselves with and take action upon any other matters which may legally fall within the jurisdiction of the Club.

Regular Members

Honorary Members

Honorary membership may be bestowed upon any person, but will be limited to one member per year, and in no event will exceed five memberships in all.

Application for regular membership will be in writing on a regular form provided by the Club and directed to the Executive Committee. Each application will be endorsed by two members, one of whom will know the applicant personally, and will be accompanied by a fee of five dollars to be applied towards dues for the coming year. Election to membership will be by a majority vote of the Executive Committee.

Regular members will have all privileges of the Club.

Honorary members will have all privileges of the Club except the right to vote or hold office.

Election to Honorary membership will be by a unanimous vote of the Club.

Any member desiring to resign from the Club will notify the Treasurer in writing, and the acceptance of his or her resignation by the Executive Committee will terminate membership. No resignation will exempt resigning members from payment of any debt, which may be due the Club at the time, unless the Executive Committee deems it right to remit said debt. The Executive Committee may declare a membership forfeited because of failure to pay any assessment within two months after the payment is due and payable.

Any regular member who is suspended from the privileges of the American Kennel Club or the Great Dane Club of America automatically will be suspended from the privileges of this Club for a like period.

The Board of Governors of the Great Dane Club of New England or any regular member may prefer charges against a regular member.

The charges may be based upon:

1. The commission of any act inconsistent with or the omission of any act prescribed by the by-laws of the Parent Club or of this Club.
2. Conduct or misconduct prejudicial to the best interests of the Great Dane Club of New England or of the breed.
3. Violation of any prescribed rule, regulation or By-Law.
4. Violation of any agreement or contracts of the Great Dane Club of New England.

Written charges with specification must be filed in duplicate to the Board of Governors with a deposit of $25. which will be forfeited if said charges are not sustained.

The charges will be heard by a Trial Board consisting of one member appointed by the Executive Committee, one member appointed by the person who is being charged and a third member will be appointed by the complaintant.

The Secretary will promptly send one (1) copy of the charges to the accused member by registered mail together with a notice of the hearing and an assurance that the defendant may appear in his own behalf and bring witnesses if desired, or that he may submit his defense, in whole or in part, by an affidavit in writing.

The Trial Board will have complete authority to decide whether Counsel may attend the hearings but both the complaintant and defendant will be treated uniformly in this regard. A majority vote of the Trial Board will determine and decide all matters before it. Should the charges be sustained after hearing all evidence, testimony, or affidavits presented by the complaintant and defendant, the Trial Board may suspend the defendant from all privileges of the Club for not more than six (6) months from the date of the hearing, and if it deems that punishment insufficient, it may also recommend to a meeting of members that the penalty be expulsion.

In such case, the suspension will not restrict the defendant’s right to appear before the next regular meeting of members or any special meeting of members called to consider the Trial Board’s recommendation.

Immediately after members have reached a decision, their findings will be put in written format filed with the Secretary who, in turn, will notify the defendant of the decision of the meeting and of the action taken.

Expulsion of a member from the Club may be accomplished only at a meeting of the members and upon the Trial Board’s recommendation. Said proceedings may occur at a regular or special meeting of the members which must be held within sixty (60) days, but not earlier than thirty (30) days after the date of the decision of the Trial board.

Notice will be sent at least ten (10) days in advance to all regular members and to the defendant, of the date, time, and place of any meeting at which any recommendations of the Trial Board will be considered. The notice will further set forth the full name of the defendant, the charges preferred, and a copy of the findings of the Trial Board and state that the recommendation of the Trial Board is to be acted upon. The defendant will have the privilege of appearing in his own behalf through no evidence will be taken at the meeting of the members. The President or Chairman of the meeting will read the charges and the Trial Board’s findings and invite the defendant, if present, to speak in his own behalf if desired. The meeting will then vote by written ballot on the proposed expulsion. A two-thirds (2/3) vote of those present at said meeting will be necessary for expulsion. If expulsion is not so voted, the Trial Board’s suspension will stand.

The annual dues of regular individual members will be fifteen ($15) dollars per year; ten ($10) dollars per year for each additional family membership, payable on or before March 15^th unless otherwise changed at any annual meeting by a two-thirds vote of the membership present. It is further provided that members admitted on or after July 15^th will have dues pro-rated.

All members whose dues remain unpaid after May 1^st will be automatically dropped from membership.

All dues will be payable to the Treasurer of the Club.

The President will preside at all meetings of the Club and at all meetings of the Executive Committee. He will call all meetings of the Club and all meetings of the Executive Committee, and direct the Secretary to mail to each member, notice of same. The President will appoint all members to all Committees and will be an ex-officio member of all said Committees. The following Committees will be appointed as above prescribed:

• Nominating Committee
• Specialty Show Committee
• Membership Committee
• Delegate to the Great Dane Club of America

No President will serve longer than two (2) successive terms, but may be selected after one or more intervening terms.

The Vice President, in the absence of disability of the President, will exercise all of the President’s functions. He will also exercise any other powers as the Executive Committee will, from time to time, designate.

The Secretary of the Club will keep an accurate record of the proceedings of all meetings of the Club, and of the Executive Committee in books provided for that purpose. He will carry out the correspondence of the Club at the direction of the President. He will register all members duly elected, and keep an active roster of the members. He will issue, at the direction of the President, all notices of meetings of the Club and of the Executive Committee and otherwise perform such duties as are normally attached to the office of Secretary.

The Treasurer will have the care and custody of the funds of the club and will keep regular books of account. He will render an account, from time to time, as requested by the Executive Committee. He will submit all unpaid bills at each regular meeting of the Club for approval of the members, provided, however, that he may, at his discretion, pay any bill that does not exceed the sum of fifty ($50) dollars without such approval, but at the next regular meeting of the Club he will secure ratification of the payment of same.

He will perform such other duties as the Executive Committee will, from time to time, designate.

The Executive Committee will have the entire management of the affairs of the Club and control of all Club property.

The Executive Committee is hereby vested with all the powers possessed by the Club itself, so far as this delegation of authority is not inconsistent with the laws of the land nor with these By-Laws.

Meetings of the Executive Committee may be called by the President at any time, and members must be notified in writing not less than three (3) days prior to the meeting.

Meetings of the Executive Committee may also be called by five (5) members of the Board.

The Delegate to the Great Dane Club of America will represent the Club at all meetings of the Delegates of the Great Dane Club of America and will act as the correspondent between this Club and the parent club. He will be selected to serve for a term of two (2) years or until his successor is approved by the Great Dane Club of America.

If the office of any member of the Executive Committee will become vacant during the term of the office, a successor will be elected by the Executive Committee for the unexpired term.

The Annual meeting of the Club will be held on the 2^nd Friday of January and notice thereof will be sent to all members of the Club.

Regular monthly meetings of the Club will be held on the third Wednesday of each month, except when the day falls on a holiday, in which case the meeting will be held on the following Wednesday. There will be no less than four (4) meetings per year, including the annual meeting. Notice of each such meeting will be mailed by the secretary to each member at least seven (7) days prior to the date of the meeting. Special meetings of the Club may be called by the President, Executive Committee, or any ten (10) members in good standing. No special meeting of the Club may be called unless written notice is sent to all members at least five (5) days prior to the date of the meeting. Proxies will not be allowable for purposes of voting at any meeting of the Club or at any meeting of the Executive Committee.

Regular monthly meetings will begin at 8:00 PM sharp.

The quorum for a meeting of the Club will be any nine (9) members present, in person, but a less number may adjourn any meeting. Notice will be given to all members of the time and place of any such adjournment.

When a quorum is present at any meeting, a majority of any members present thereat may decide any question brought before the meeting, except as otherwise prescribed by law or by these by laws.

The President, with the ratification of the Executive Committee each year on or before November 1^st, will designate three (3) members of the Club in good standing whose duty it will be to nominate candidates for the several offices for election at the next annual meeting of the Club. The members of the Nominating Committee will make their selection of the candidates from among the regular members of the Club and report their nominations in writing to the Secretary of the Club on or before December 1^st. The Secretary of the Club will, on or before December 5^th, send a notice to each regular member of the Club setting forth the names of those candidates selected. Any regular member of the Club, in good standing, whose name does not appear on the list so selected by the committee will be eligible for election if, and only if, his or her name is endorsed in writing by at least three (3) members in good standing in the Club, and sent by registered mail, or delivered in hand to the Secretary of the Club on or before December 15^th, in which event it is the duty of the Secretary to notify each member of the name or names of the candidates so nominated or proposed on or before December 28^th.

No nominations may be made from the floor at the annual meeting of the Club. In the event of a candidate accepting an office and then withdrawing his name from that office, the candidate must notify the Nominating Committee of such a move by December 15^th. At that time, the Nominating Committee has the right to choose another candidate in place of the one who withdrew. No candidate will be allowed to have his or her name submitted unless it is in writing and mailed to the Secretary of the Club.

The regular order of business at any meeting of the Executive Committee or of the Club shall be as follows:

1. Meeting called to order
2. Roll Call
3. Reports of Officers
4. Reports of Committees
5. Election of Officers
6. Communications
7. Unfinished Business
8. New Business
9. Adjournment

An all questions not specifically covered herein, the authority shall be Roberts’ Rules of Order.

These By-Laws or any provisions thereof may be repealed, altered, or amended at any regular meeting of the Club by a vote of two-thirds of the members present, provided that notice of such proposed repeal, alteration or amendment shall have been given to each regular member of the Club by mail at least fourteen (14) days prior to the date of such meeting.