If you want to join the Irish Wolfhound Club of Scotland, please complete and return a membership application form.
IWCoS Membership Application ML 2019docx
If you wish to create a standing order to pay your membership fee with no hassle each year then please follow the instructions here. IWCoS Standing order form
All members agree to follow the Constitution and Code of Ethics reprinted below.
IWCOS Constitution
(As amended 2017)
1 Name and Object
The Club shall be called The Irish Wolfhound Club of Scotland’ and its objects shall be:
- To promote good responsible ownership of the Irish Wolfhound breed in Scotland
- To promote the breed in all aspects of exhibiting, breeding and ownership
- To further the interests of the breed in every other way possible
- To facilitate the co-operation of its members in all their activities
- The club shall also support shows, and run rallies
2 Members
An up to date list of members and their addresses must be maintained and, if so requested, made available for inspection by the Kennel Club and Members of the Society. A declaration of the number of Members of the Society must be made with the Annual Returns.
Membership is open to all and the numbers joining the Club are unlimited. Members need not necessarily reside in Scotland. Each member of a joint husband and wife, or two bona fide partners’ membership shall be entitled to individual voting rights.
3 Expulsion of Members
Any member who shall be suspended under Kennel Club Rule A42j(5) and/or any member whose dog(s) is/are disqualified under Kennel Club Rule A42j(9) shall ipso facto cease to be a member of the club.
If the conduct of any member shall, in the opinion of the committee of the Club be injurious, or likely to be injurious, to the character or interests of the Club the committee of the club 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 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 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 club.
4 Officers
The Officers shall consist of President, Vice President, Honorary Secretary, and Honorary Treasurer, who shall be ex officio members of the committee.
The Committee shall offer the honorary position of Patron to a person or persons who, by virtue of their long-standing experience and commitment to the breed, in their opinion is deserving of this position. The Patron need not necessarily reside in Scotland, and it is open to any member to make nomination of such person(s) but the decision will rest with the committee. The Patron is not required to retire from office but the committee reserve the right to request his/her resignation should any act or omission of the Patron be detrimental to the breed or the aims of the club.
5 Committee
The management of the Club shall be in the hands of a Committee consisting of the Officers and not more than 8 other members each of whom shall be elected to serve for three years.
Retiring Officers and Members will be eligible for re-nomination if available. Nominations for Officers and committee members duly proposed and seconded shall be in the hands of the Secretary six weeks prior to the proposed date of the AGM each year. Only fully paid up members with a minimum of two years continuous membership are entitled to be nominated to committee. Nominations must have the signed written assent of the nominee and election if required shall be by postal ballot, which shall be conducted by a person appointed to this purpose by the Club. Only fully paid up members are entitled to be nominated for office or to make such nominations or to take part in the election.
Meetings of the committee, of which not less than 14 days notice shall be given, shall be held as often as deemed necessary. Four committee members shall form a quorum for the transaction of business, which shall be recorded in a minute book kept by the secretary.
The committee shall have the power to co-opt and fill any vacancy until the next Annual General Meeting. The committee shall be empowered to recommend the appointment of Honorary President, Honorary Vice President, and Honorary members for ratification at the Annual General Meeting. Should a committee member be absent from three consecutive committee meetings without submitting satisfactory explanation they shall be deemed to have resigned from the committee.
Should it not be convenient to call a meeting, the committee can be consulted by post or telephone, e-mail or fax. The committee is authorised to co-opt additional persons to assist in the running of shows, rallies and other functions when required. Co-opted members will only hold office until the next Annual General Meeting, but may be nominated and elected as full committee members at that time. Co-opted members will have the same voting rights as a duly elected member of the committee.
The committee shall have the power to make bye-laws and regulations not inconsistent with the terms of the constitution and Rules as it may from time to time deem necessary and they alone shall have the power to decide on any matters in dispute not provided for in the rules. The President in the event of equality of votes shall have a casting vote in addition to his own vote.
6 Undischarged Bankrupts
No person whilst an undischarged bankrupt may serve on the committee of, or hold any other office or appointment within The Irish Wolfhound Club of Scotland.
7 Subscriptions
The annual subscription shall be as determined by the members attending the Annual General Meeting, and shall be payable to the Treasurer on 1 January of each year.
Joint membership is offered to two persons sharing the same address. An annual Junior membership shall be offered to persons under the age of 16 years at 1st January. The subscription rate shall be 50% of the full member rate. A Junior member shall be entitled to attend all general meetings but shall have no voting rights. In the case of members joining after 1 October in any year, the subscription covers the whole of the following year. No member whose subscription is unpaid shall be entitled to any of the privileges of membership. If any member fails to pay the annual subscription by 1 March, the committee shall have the power to erase that member’s name from the list of members, but if the committee shall subsequently receive a satisfactory explanation, the member may, at the discretion of the committee, be re- admitted to membership.
8 Club Accounts
A banking account shall be opened in the name of the club with the Bank of Scotland, into which all revenue of the Club shall be paid. Withdrawals from the banking account shall only be made on the signature of two officers, President, Vice President or Secretary and Treasurer. It shall be at the sole discretion of the committee to invest any surplus income or income or funds of the Club or disburse same in whatever manner it decides. The financial year of the Club shall be from 1 January to 31 December.
The accounts shall be kept by the Treasurer, and an auditor will be appointed at each Annual General Meeting who shall audit the accounts before the ensuing Annual General Meeting.
9 Constitution and Rules
The Constitution and rules of the Club shall form the basis of membership and may not be altered except at an Annual General Meeting or Special General Meeting, notice of which includes details of the proposal to alter the rules.
The Officers acknowledge that during the month of January each year the Maintenance of Title fee will be forwarded to the Kennel Club by the Secretary for continuance of Registration and that by 31st July each year, other returns as stipulated in Kennel Club Regulations for the Registration and Maintenance of Title of Societies and Breed Councils and the Affiliation of Agricultural Societies and Municipal Authorities shall be forwarded to the Kennel Club.
The Officers also acknowledge their duty to inform the Kennel Club of any changes of Secretary of the Society which may occur during the course of the year.
10 General Meetings
The Annual General Meeting, of which not less than 28 days notice in writing shall be given, shall be held before 30 April for the following purposes:
- To receive the report of the Committee and Balance Sheet
- To elect Officers and committee members
- To discuss any resolutions or other item duly placed on the Agenda of which prior notice of 21 days has been given in writing to the Hon Secretary.
No business shall be transacted at any Annual General Meeting unless notice thereof appears on the Agenda, except routine matters or those which, in the opinion of the Chairman, are urgent. The Agenda shall be dispatched to members not less than 14 days prior to the meeting.
Five fully paid up members shall form a quorum for the transaction of business, which shall be recorded in a minute book kept by the Secretary.
A Special General Meeting may be called at any time by the committee, and shall be called within 28 days on the request, in writing, of not less than ten members. Notice of such meeting shall state the business and be given in writing not less than 14 days before the date of the meeting. No business other than that specifically stated in the notice thereof shall be discussed at such a meeting.
11 Breed Society Judges
Registered Breed Societies must produce a list of judges each year, which must be submitted to the Kennel Club as part of the Society’s Annual Returns. The purpose of Breed Society Judges Lists is to indicate to interested parties those persons a Breed Society would support at differing levels of judging. Membership of the Society must not be a pre-requisite for inclusion in the lists. Judges Lists should be divided into 5 parts namely, A1, A2, A3, B and C, and must indicate the date on which the list will expire. On expiry a new list must be completed.
A1 List – Judges who have previously been approved to award CC’s in a given breed and have carried out the appointments.
A2 List – Judges who, if invited to judge by a society, would in principle be approved by the Kennel Club to award CC’s in a given breed for that occasion.
A3 List – Judges who are recommended by a Society as being suitable to award CC’s in the breed, but not yet approved by the Kennel Club for inclusion on the A2 list.
B List – Judges who have been approved by Breed Societies to judge at shows without CC’s or Open Shows.
C List – Any C List drawn up by a Breed Club should comprise aspiring Judges who do not fall into any of the above categories.
12 Club Property
The property of the Club shall be vested in the committee. Trophies donated to the Club will be deemed to be the sole property of the club, and shall not be accepted under any other conditions. The custody and safe keeping of all club trophies shall be at the sole discretion of the Committee.
In the event of the dissolution of the Club, a General Meeting shall be called to decide the disposal of any assets other than trophies, the donors of which shall be consulted whenever possible and such trophies disposed of in accordance with their wishes. If the Club is wound up, a final Statement of Audited Accounts together with a record of disposal of the property of the club shall be forwarded to all members having held membership in the current year, and the persons named as Officers and committee at the last general meeting will be held responsible for the proper winding up of the Club.
13 Federation
The Club shall not join any Federation of Societies or Clubs.
14 Final Court of Appeal
The Kennel Club is the final authority for interpreting the Rules and Regulations of the Club in all cases relative to Canine or Club matters.
15 KC General Code of Ethics incorporating the Code of Conduct for Members
Kennel Club Code of Ethics for the Irish Wolfhound Club of Scotland with permission to include the breed specific requirements (15-24). Points 1-14 form the Kennel Club’s General Code of Ethics. This Code of Ethics is mandatory. All members of the Irish Wolfhound Club of Scotland undertake to abide by its general Code of Ethics, detailed as follows:
Club members:
1- Will properly house, feed, water and exercise all dogs under their care and arrange for appropriate veterinary attention if and when required.
2- Will agree without reservation that any veterinary surgeon performing an operation on any of their dogs, which alters the natural conformation of the animal, may report such operation to the Kennel Club.
3- Will agree that no healthy puppy will be culled. Puppies, which may not conform to the Breed Standard, should be placed in suitable homes.
4- Will abide by all aspects of the Animal Welfare Act.
5- Will not create demand for, nor supply, puppies that have been docked illegally.
6- Will agree not to breed from a dog or bitch which could be in any way harmful to the dog or to the breed.
7- Will not allow any of their dogs to roam at large or to cause a nuisance to neighbours or those carrying out official duties.
8- Will ensure that their dogs wear properly tagged collars and will be kept leashed or under effective control when away from home.
9- Will clean up after their dogs in public places or anywhere their dogs are being exhibited.
10 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.
11 Will supply written details of all dietary requirements and give guidance concerning responsible ownership when placing dogs in a new home.
12- 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.
13- 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 stand alone items (not accompanying a dog).
14 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.
15 It is strongly recommended that the registration documents of puppies sold as pets are endorsed ‘Progeny not for Registration’. This restriction can be rescinded by the breeder should it be wished at a later stage, but must be explained carefully to the prospective buyer before a sale, and confirmed in writing.
16- Will be prepared to take back any hound whose home may no longer be able to cope with it, if necessary to buy it back on a reasonable basis, or contact The Irish Wolfhound Rescue Trust.
17- Never breed or keep more hounds than can be looked after personally, with individual attention either by you or a good kennel assistant. The practice of placing bitches out on breeding terms is strongly discouraged.
18- Breed only from a bitch that has physically matured, i.e. 2 years old. It is generally agreed that 3 litters in a lifetime is sufficient for any bitch. No bitch should be bred from on two successive seasons. Further, bitches in whelp should not have their place of residence or ownership changed during pregnancy, or for at least 8 weeks following the birth of a litter, except in extreme circumstances.
19- It is strongly recommended that all litters be screened for Portosystemic Shunt, that only stock clear of the condition is sold, and that affected hounds are never used for breeding.
20- Agree that all hounds used for breeding take part annually in a heart testing scheme approved by the Irish Wolfhound Health Group: the minimum requirement being examination by stethoscope, ECG and ultrasound scan. It is further strongly recommended that members publish these results to the Irish Wolfhound Health Group website.
21- Will be prepared to assist the owner of the bitch in finding suitable homes for any puppies sired by your dog.
22- Do not allow puppies to leave their dam too early. Eight weeks is soon enough, provided they are going to an experienced owner. To a first time Wolfhound owner, ten weeks is a better age.
23- It is the duty of all Irish Wolfhound owners to keep their hounds under control at all times; to keep them well exercised and in good health and endeavour to further promote the image of the breed and its equable temperament.
24- It is strongly recommended that hounds, which have had corrective surgery for pathological conditions such as osteochondrosis dissecans and entropion, are never used for breeding.
Note – 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.