Dear ASC Members,

In the next few days, you will be receiving an American Spaniel Club packet in the mail, which contains important and time sensitive material.

PLEASE DO NOT THROW IT AWAY!

The packet contains information on proposed changes to the ASC Bylaws, Certificate of Incorporation and Code of Ethics.  The proposal to revise our club’s governing documents was prompted by several factors.  These are a few of them:

  • The desire to better meet the challenges the club faces in the 21st Century
  • The desire to increase outreach to people involved with purebred dogs 
  • The desire to better educate current members about challenges they may face as purebred dog fanciers
  • The desire to expand the membership base

These revisions are the result of months of consideration by members of the ASC Board.  Under our current bylaws, in order for any changes to be made to our governing documents, ASC members are required to vote on such changes.

ASC members are being asked to vote on whether they approve the changes as outlined in the packet.  The packet contains an explanation of the revisions, the actual documents, and a ballot with envelopes, along with directions for returning those ballots.  There is no electronic option for voting. (See Article VII, Section 2 of the Bylaws for an explanation of the balloting procedure).  The deadline for returning the ballots is included in the mailing.

Any approved revisions then will be sent to the AKC Board of Directors for final approval before they can become effective.  The Bylaws revisions have been reviewed repeatedly by the AKC’s Member and License Club Coordinator to ensure they are in accordance with all requirements the AKC has for such documents, and the AKC has confirmed that the changes meet their requirements.

If any member has questions about the ballots, or the proposed changes, please reach out to me through email (westhavencockers@comcast.net).  There are several others who are also able to talk with you about the proposals, including Linda Moore, Tony Stallard, David Donaldson, Mark Ragusa and Marlene Ness, and any current officer or member of the ASC Board.

We are aware that not all members subscribe to the Yahoo ASC member list.  If you know of any members who are not on this list, who may not check it on a regular basis, or who may not have email addresses or be connected through social media, please pass the word to them that their response to the ASC mailing is important.

One of the privileges of ASC membership is the ability to vote on key issues facing the club.  Please exercise your right to vote on these proposed changes to our governing documents.

Thank you for your continued membership in the American Spaniel Club. 

Diane Kepley, President