Club Policies & Standards

General

1. All members should adhere to AKC policy. Puppies should not be provided for auction or raffle, but may be donated directly under certain circumstances. (1/1990)

2. The rescue of purebred Labradors is a high priority for PSLRA. To that end, PSLRA Rescue operates in the Puget Sound region in conjunction with Seattle Purebred Dog Rescue (SPDR) and follows that organization’s policies. Labradors rescued outside of the Puget Sound area may be listed through SPDR, and PSLRA members may apply to the club’s rescue committee for financial support. All such requests for rescue funds must be approved in advance by the PSLRA rescue committee. (2/2000)

3. The PSLRA Logo or name cannot be used for advertising purposes benefiting individual members. Members’ web home pages may mention their membership in PSLRA if they provide a link on that page to the PSLRA home page. (4/1995; 2/2000; 6/2002)

Events

4. The Board of Directors must approve all judges for all club events prior to the judges being invited. (6/1993)

5. Committee chairs/co-chairs should submit event budgets in advance of the event for Board approval. Requests for reimbursement greater than $50 and not included in the event budget should be brought to the board for approval. Chairs must attend the board meetings immediately before and within two months after their event or designate a board member to represent them in order to brief the board. See Policy #18. (11/2009)

6. Specialty conformation and sweepstakes judges must agree not to judge other Labrador specialties in the United States and Canada in the Pacific and Mountain time zones for six months prior to our specialty, or to accept other Labrador assignments in all-breed shows in the Pacific time zone for three months prior to our specialty. The club should strive to invite hunting retriever test, agility, rally, and obedience trial judges who do not have other assignments one month before or after the PSLRA event. (11/1990; 2/2000;11/2009)

7. Specialty show chairpersons may enter and show their dogs as long as they appoint a judges’ liaison and do not have any contact with the judges. (4/1992; 2/2000)

8. The donation to the club’s specialty show of prizes or raffle items whose value exceeds $200.00 may receive recognition in the show catalog at the discretion of the show committee. If there is uncertainty over a donation, the event chair should consult with the board. (11/2009)

9. Non-member ring stewards should be offered payment and lunch for their services; member stewards will receive complimentary lunches. (2/1994; 2/2000)

10. All members are encouraged to volunteer at public information events such as the Sportsman’s Show, World of Dogs, etc. Our purpose at these events is to help promote further understanding of our club and the breed. While volunteering at these events, members are acting as representatives of PSLRA and should refrain from advertising their personal business, including the display of their own business cards. The board of directors has determined that no dog under 4 months of age may be present at these events, either displayed or otherwise. (2/2000)

11. PSLRA Working Certificates can be given to any dog who passes at a PSLRA-sponsored test. PSLRA will not give out certificates for any Labrador (including members’ dogs) who pass at another club’s test. (2/1994; 2/2000)

12. Club members and PSLRA Board members volunteering at PSLRA hunting retriever tests will be distributed by the Hunting Test Secretary equally between ‘A’ and ‘B’ groups as evenly as possible. This policy is intended to alleviate worker shortages. (2/1994; 2/2000)

Financial

13. As an ongoing policy, a portion of the profits from club events will be donated annually for research on health issues in Labrador Retrievers. This policy will be noted in event catalogs. (4/1995; 1/1999; 7/2002; 11/2009)

14. All requests for donations to charity from club funds will require discussion at a Board meeting and approval by the Board. (3/1995; 11/2009)

15. The treasurer is authorized to move funds between checking and savings accounts as necessary. (1/1992)

16. Any members or exhibitors who bounce checks written to the Club may be asked to pay in cash in the future. (7/1992; 2/2000) Payments for club events, membership dues, merchandise, and any other fees or charges shall be made in US currency only. (2/2008) (These two policies combined on 11/2009.)

17. It is appropriate to request reimbursement from the Treasurer for official club expenses (including phone, mail, supplies, etc.). Such requests should be submitted on a club reimbursement form (available from the treasurer) and must be accompanied by all receipts. Requests for reimbursement greater than $50 and not included in an event budget must receive approval of the Board. (3/1994; /2000; 11/2009)

18. To the greatest extent possible, final financial accounting of an event will be due within two months of end of said event. (11/2009)

19. The club may hire or contract for the services and otherwise do business with club members. In so doing, every effort should be made to ensure that the prices, costs, and services offered by club members is competitive with other available options. No club member or any member of their immediate family can have decision-making authority over approval of a proposed business transaction of this nature. Event chairs and co-chairs should not have any financial interest in contracts associated with the event. (11/2009)

Memberships and Committees

20. All committee and event chairs shall be chosen or reviewed by the President following the January elections. At the February Board Meeting and at subsequent meetings as needed, those committee and event chairs shall be presented by the President to the Board for approval. It is recognized that it is prudent to the future of the club to encourage members to become involved in new positions and challenges. (6/1995; 2/2000; 11/2009)

21. The official PSLRA membership mailing list shall be made freely available for non-club education and training seminar mailings; commercial use shall require Board approval. (7/1994)

22. The annual membership dues will be waived for the first year of membership for any new member who elects to be a foster home for dogs in support of PSLRA’s rescue program. (3/1996)

23. Members who have held membership in the club continuously for twenty-five years shall be granted lifetime membership. (11/2009)

Listing of Litters and Dogs

24. Listings of litters and stud dogs must adhere to the Breeders Code of Ethics in order to be listed with the referral service or in the Newsletter. At least one parent must be owned by a member of PSLRA. Non-members whose dog breeds to a member’s dog may list a litter through the club only once, and must thereafter become members in order to list a litter. As part of using the listing service, a generous donation to PSLRA Rescue is recommended. The listing of a dog, stud dog or of a litter by puppy referral in no way implies an endorsement of any individual breeder or dogs, nor does it provide any guarantee regarding the health of the dogs. This policy shall also apply to litters mentioned on the club’s chat list. 1/93; 2/2000; 1/2001; 11/2009)

25. The Newsletter will not accept advertisements for the sale of live animals. The PSLRA Puppy Referral Litter Listing is an exception to this policy. (2/2009)

26. Club members are expected to actively help re-home, when necessary, the puppies and older dogs that they have bred. Active help includes either taking the dog back until a suitable new home can be found or working closely with the owner(s) to find a suitable new home. PSLRA rescue may be able to assist with this process, but the primary responsibility for finding a new home rests with the breeder. Breeders who do not provide this service will lose their privilege to list litters and/or older dogs in the Club’s Litter Listing. (11/2009)