The following Disciplinary Procedures are extracted from the Club’s
National By-Laws.
ARTICLE VI: Discipline
Any member who is suspended from the privileges of The American Kennel Club automatically shall be suspended from the privileges of The Bulldog Club of America for a like period.
Any member may prefer charges against a member for alleged misconduct prejudicial to the best interests of The Bulldog Club of America or the Bulldog breed. Written charges with specifications must be filed in duplicate with the Secretary of the resident Division of the member is charged. A deposit of $250.00 must accompany the written charges which shall be forfeited if such charges are not sustained by the Divisional Board’s initial consideration or findings following the Divisional Board hearing. The Division Secretary shall promptly send a copy of the charges to each member of the involved Division Board or present them at the next quarterly meeting. The Division Board shall first consider whether the actions alleged in the charges, if proven, might constitute conduct prejudicial to the best interest of The Bulldog Club of America or the Bulldog breed. If the Division Board considers that the charges do not allege conduct which would be prejudicial to the best interest of the Club or the Bulldog breed. It may refuse to entertain jurisdiction. If the Division Board entertains jurisdiction of the charges, it shall fix a date of hearing by the Division Board not less than 3 weeks nor more than 12 weeks thereafter. The Division Secretary shall promptly send one copy of the charges to the accused member by certified mail together with a notice of the hearing and an assurance that the defendant may personally appear in his own defense and bring witnesses if he wishes.
The Division board shall have complete authority to decide whether counsel may attend the hearing, but both complainant and defendant shall be treated uniformly in that regard. Should the charges be sustained after hearing all the evidence and testimony presented by complainant and defendant, the Division Board may by a majority vote of those present suspend the defendant from all privileges of the Club for not more than one year from the date of the hearing. And, if it deems the suspension punishment insufficient, it may also recommend to the Division membership that the penalty be expulsion. In such case, the suspension shall not restrict the defendant’s right to communicate his position to the Division membership by whatever means he chooses. If the defendant’s communication is to be included with the Division Board’s report to the Division membership, it must be provided in a timely manner and not exceed five letter size pages. Immediately after the Division Board has reached a decision, its findings shall be put in written form and filed with the Division Secretary. The Division Secretary, in turn, shall notify each of the parties of the Board’s decision and penalty, if any.
Expulsion of a member from the Club may be accomplished only by a mailed ballot vote of the Division membership following a Division Board hearing and upon the Division Board’s recommendation as provided in Section 3 of this Article. The Division Secretary shall report the Division Board’s findings to the Division membership, which shall vote by mail ballot on the proposed expulsion. A two-thirds vote of those voting shall be necessary for expulsion. If the expulsion is not voted, the Division Board’s suspension shall not be affected.
THE BULLDOG CLUB OF AMERICA
CODE OF ETHICS
This Code of Ethics is established to set a standard of acceptable behavior for the Bulldog Club of America (BCA) members and promote the objectives of our founders as set forth in Article 1 of our Constitution. The Code is designed to protect the integrity of the Club and serve as a guideline for BCA members when buying, breeding, selling and exhibiting Bulldogs.
- As a member of BCA, I will abide by the Constitution and By-Laws, Divisional By-Laws of the BCA, the rules of the American Kennel Club (AKC), and the breed standard as adopted by the BCA.
- As a member of the BCA, I will maintain the best possible standards of canine health, cleanliness and care. I will make reasonable effort within my breeding program to minimize the occurrence of known genetic abnormalities, or breed standard disqualifications. I will keep accurate breeding records, registration papers, pedigrees and sales of all my Bulldogs. I will furnish accurate records to each buyer, including all veterinary examinations, vaccinations, parasite treatments, pedigree and AKC registration or transfer documents, unless written agreement is made at the time of sale that papers will be withheld.
- As a member of the BCA, I will conduct all advertising in an honest manner that will not, in any way, misrepresent, defraud or be misleading, nor will I malign my competition by making false or misleading statements regarding my competitors' dogs, breeding practices or person.
- As a member of the BCA, if I have a written agreement for services and sales it will be mutually agreed upon and signed by all parties involved. Contracts covering the sale of intact male dogs will include language prohibiting the sale at auction of any breeding, including sale of the dog's frozen semen, by the buyer of the dog.
- As a member of the BCA, I will offer only dogs for stud or bitches for breeding that are in good health, free from communicable diseases, and that do not have a breed standard disqualification. I will not register, or provide for registration by others, on a full registration any dog or bitch possessing a breed standard disqualification; such registrations may be made on a limited registration only, and any written sales agreement shall state that the dog or bitch shall not be used for reproduction.
- I will not breed to bitches unless they are registered with AKC or a registry recognized by AKC, nor offer at stud a dog that is not registered with AKC or a registry recognized by AKC.
- As a member of the BCA, I agree that I will not, to my knowledge, breed any stud dog to any bitch whose owner is directly involved with any puppy broker, litter lot sales or any other commercial enterprise whose business is involved in like activities or does not adhere to the standards of care and breeding described within this Code of Ethics. I will not to my knowledge sell a Bulldog to any commercial facility, puppy broker, pet shop or agent thereof. Nor will I offer any Bulldog for auction or raffle.
- As a member of the BCA, I will conduct myself at all times in such a manner as to reflect credit on the sport of purebred dogs in general and Bulldogs in particular.
I fully understand that if I fail to conduct myself or my purebred dog actives in accordance with the above stated Code of Ethics, I may be subject to Discipline, per Article VI of the BCA Divisional By Laws.
Revision: 2016