National Chinese Owl Club

(Revised 2005)

Article I Name

Section 1. This organization shall be known as the National Chinese Owl Club.

Article II Object

Section 2. The object of this club shall be:

(a) To encourage the breeding and exhibiting of the Chinese Owl pigeon. To foster friendliness and good fellowship between

fellow members and other breeders. To supply helpful information through printed literature and otherwise to assist in the future

development and popularity of the breed.

(b) To maintain and periodically revise the Standard of the breed recognized by the National Chinese Owl Club; this Standard to

be the guide and authority in determining the standard qualities of the Chinese Owl pigeon and the placing of awards in the

show room. The picture Standard is to be open for revision every five- (5) years, the written Standard to be open for

revision at least every ten- (10) years.

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(c) To sponsor one National show each year in connection with the annual club meeting; also one annual fall meet show; one young bird show held in Louisville, KY. With the National Young Bird Show, and district shows in each of the seven respective districts.

Article III Membership

Section 3. Membership shall be as follows;

(a) Individual Member. Any person of good character, regardless of race, color or creed, who is interested in the breeding of the Chinese Owl Pigeon is eligible to membership and may become a member upon payment of the prescribed fee and agreeing to this Constitution and by-laws.

(b) Partnership Agreement. All members of any partnership agreement must be members in good standing in the National Chinese Owl Club. No individual or partnership shall be elected to membership until after the membership fee shall have been paid.

(c) Membership fee: The membership fee for any individual member who is 18 years of age or older shall be $ 15.00. Any individual member who is under 18 years of age shall be $5.00 and designated as a Junior Member. There shall be a fee of $17.50 for a National Chinese Owl Club Member and spouse. Said spouse shall have the right to participate in all meetings and discussions, but shall not have the right to vote on By-Laws Constitution changes, Election of Officers or changes in the Standard. This membership is designated as a Family Membership. Junior members have the same privileges as other individual members. The membership fee includes all dues to the following January 1^st. The annual dues become due and payable on January 2^nd of each year, and must be paid before the following March 1^st, or membership automatically ceases. Members in arrears for dues shall not be entitled to vote nor receive bulletins or any other prizes offered by the National Chinese Owl Club for its members. Any dues received on October1st or after will be considered dues for the following year unless the member paying the dues prefers to have these dues apply for the current year only.

(d) Reinstatement: Any member having been dropped from the membership for non-payment of dues may upon application to the Secretary, be reinstated upon payment of the annual dues for the current year.

(e) Voting privileges: Each member in good standing is entitled to one vote in all club matters requiring a vote.

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Article IV Annual Meeting and Shows.

Section 4. Approved Meets.

(a) Annual Meets: The club shall meet twice each year. Once at the annual show to be held with the Grand National Pigeon Association Show. The date and time of meeting to be set by the Board of Directors. Again at the National Young Bird Show to be held in Louisville, KY. The date and time of the meeting is to be set by the Board of Directors. A “called “ meeting may be held after written notice to the membership at least thirty (30) days prior to said meeting. Only the Executive Committee may request a “Called Meeting”.

(b) District Meets: The places and dates of holding the district shows and meeting shall be recommended by the director in district where the shows are to be held and approved by the President and Secretary.

Article V Judges

Section 5. The judge for each district show shall be approved by the Head Director of that District. The judge of the Annual Fall Meet shall be selected by at least two of the district directors where the show is being held and be approved by the President. The Young Bird Show Judge shall be elected by the members in attendance of the previous years NYB Show. The judge for the Annual N.C.O.C. meet (Grand National Show) shall be elected by ballot which is to be mailed to each paid up member.

Judges are required to place not less than the top half, plus one in classes of 8 or more birds. (It is an easy matter for the lower end of the classes to be recorded in the Clerks records as they are eliminated from these larger classes.)

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The Reserve Champion method shall be used for official NCOC meets (shows).

Judges shall be certified as follows:

(a) Shall be a Chinese Owl breeder, exhibitor and member of the NCOC for at least five (5) consecutive years.

(b) Shall be nominated by two club members and the head Director of the district in which the nominee resides, upon completion of forms to be supplied by the Certified Judge Coordinator upon request by the nominee.

(c) Shall work at least two shows under a Certified Judge. (This means that the nominee would apprentice under two different judges of district shows or Annual Fall Meet, providing the named judges were agreeable.)

(d) There shall be an examining panel of two, appointed by the NCOC President for each district. This panel shall be from the NCOC Certified Judges listed for that district. The panel to serve for a term of one year from time of appointment. The panel shall only be appointed when there is a need in a given district.

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(e) Shall be examined by the afore named panel, at a show in the nominee’s district or Annual Fall Meet, NYBS or the annual meet (Grand National)

In the event a nominee should request to be examined at the Annual fall Meet, NYBS or the Annual Meet (Grand National), the examining panel shall be appointed from the district in which the meet or show is being held.

(f) The nominees shall demonstrate his or her knowledge of:

(1) The NCOC approved colors and patterns.

(2) The Points Standard – Total of 100 points.

(3) The disqualification factors.

(4) That all birds shall be judged on the current NCOC written and picture Standard. (Some of us may not approve of some of the wording in the written standard or picture standard but these have been approved by vote of the NCOC membership and for this reason must be followed. If we do not like this the way it is, work toward changing it and not ignoring these points.)

(5) By placing a five- (5) bird class and explaining why birds were placed in that order.

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(g) Upon completion, if the panel approves, they shall then sign the application and return to the coordinator. Upon receipt of the completed application, the coordinator shall then add the nominee’s name to the NCOC Certified Judges list by notifying the NCOC Secretary of this certification.

(h) The Certified Judge Coordinator shall be appointed by the President and serve an unlimited length of time.

(i) A certified judge may have their name removed by:

(1) Written request by the judge to the coordinator.

(2) Being permanently unavailable for judging assignments.

(3) By written notification by the President, to the Coordinator, upon written recommendation of a

majority of the Board of Directors.

(4) Failing to be an active breeder and exhibitor of Chinese Owl pigeons for a period of three (3) years. If

he or she requests in writing to the Coordinator within an additional two- (2) year period, they shall

automatically be re-certified. After five-(5) year’s time frame, they shall be required to do the

certification procedure.

Section 6. The Secretary-Treasurer is authorized to pay the judge of any approved NCOC meet 10 cents per bird whenever the sponsoring club gives the NCOC fifty cents or more per bird rebate.

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Article VI Show Rules

Section 7. The details of each District Show shall be at the discretion of the Head Director of said district and the President of the NCOC. Rebates must be paid for the meet to qualify for Master Breeder Points. Only three- (3) meets per district per year (excluding the Annual Fall Show, the National Young Bird Show and the Annual Meeting Show.). Bids for all District meets of the fall must be placed with the District Head Director before June 30^th.

Section 8. The NCOC will furnish 6/7 trophies for all qualifying District shows: 5 for Champion line up and 1 Champion Junior trophy. Also the same for Grand National (Annual Meet) NYBS and the Annual Fall Meet. (A reserve junior trophy will be awarded if three (3) or more juniors are competing.) Trophy values at the discretion of the NCOC.

Section 9. Any judge of a recognized National Chinese Owl Meet or show must be certified or approved (in the case of Mini-Meets) by the NCOC and must use our adopted Standard.

Section 10. All birds regardless of age are to be seamless banded. This band must be of a recognized pigeon club or organization and size 8 in diameter or smaller. Any other band is to be removed, if possible, or taped in case of name bands.

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Article VII Quorum

Section 11. Five members in good standing shall constitute a quorum at any annual or special meeting. One officer must be present at this quorum. Five members or a majority of the Board of Directors shall constitute a quorum of that body.

Section 12. The officers of this club shall consist of President, Eastern Vice President, Western Vice President, Secretary-Treasurer, Election Commissioner, and a Board of Directors of which the President shall be Chairman, Ex-Officio. The Board of Directors shall include the President, Eastern Vice-President, Western Vice President, Secretary-Treasurer and the head director from each of the eight representative districts.

Article IX Methods of Election

Section 13. Officers shall be elected in the following manner:

(a) All officers with the exception of the Election Commissioner and the Band Director shall be elected by mail ballots to be conducted by the Election Commissioner and the results certified to, by the President as provided in the By-Laws.

(b) The Election Commissioner shall be appointed by the President and shall not be eligible for any other office.

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Section 14. The President, Vice-President and Secretary-Treasurer shall be elected by the members at large. The 21 elected District Directors shall be elected from the seven representative districts of the United States and Canada; three Directors shall be elected from each of the following districts. In electing District Directors, only members residing in each district respectively shall vote for the Directors from that district. The districts shall be organized as follows:

District Number 1 New England – Connecticut, District of Columbia, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island and Vermont.

District Number 2 Dixie – Alabama, North Carolina, South Carolina, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Maryland, Mississippi, New Jersey, Tennessee, Virginia and West Virginia.

District Number 3 Great Lakes – Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio and Wisconsin.

District Number 4 North Central – Colorado, North Dakota, South Dakota, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska and Wyoming.

District Number 5 South Central - Arkansas, Louisiana, New Mexico, Oklahoma and Texas.

District Number 6 Western – Alaska, Arizona, California, Hawaii, Idaho, Nevada, Oregon, Utah, Washington and the Western half of Canada.

District Number 7 Eastern Canadian - Eastern Half of Canada.

Article X Terms of Office

Section 15. The President, Vice-Presidents, and Secretary-Treasure shall be elected for a term of two years. The President, Vice-Presidents and District Directors to be elected on odd number years and the Secretary-Treasure to be elected on the even numbered years. All District Directors shall be elected for a term of two years. All officers to serve until their successors are duly elected and installed.

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