Committees shall report their progress and activities to the Secretary by the requested dates. Committees shall file an annual financial activities report unless required by the committee’s standing rule to file more often.

Committees shall contact the President for advice if needed.

The general membership may form a committee of the Whole during Annual or Semi-Annual meetings, as provided for in Robert’s Rules of Order, Newly Revised and nominate and elect the nomination committee at the Semi-Annual meeting as provided for in the Association’s constitution. The assembly at either of these meetings may direct the staffing of such committee. Such committee is a committee of the Board and subject to the Board’s direction and/or dismissal. The Board of Directors shall not abnegate its responsibility under the constitution and Robert’s Rules of Order, Newly Revised, to form and manage Association committees.

The Chairperson of the ABA Membership Committee will work with the ABA Treasurer to process membership applications and renewal applications during the annual renewal period and during the course of the association year. The ABA Treasurer will serve as the liaison between the Membership Committee and the ABA Board of Directors. Applications and renewals will be received by the Treasurer and once payment is processed, the forms will be forwarded to the Membership Chairperson.

The Membership committee shall abide by these Board approved guidelines for processing applications in conjunction with the Treasurer. Any changes to the membership application form and renewal form must be approved by the Board. Committee expenditures shall be forwarded to the Treasurer for reimbursement.

New members will receive notification of their membership in the ABA from the Membership Committee along with other information as approved by the Board.

The Membership Chairperson shall prepare and maintain a current membership list. This list shall be sent to the ABA Newsletter Editor for publication annually. According the ABA By Laws, all applicants for membership will be published in the newsletter, as will the names of those who have been accepted for membership, so the Membership Chairperson will submit current lists to the ABA Newsletter Editor prior to the publication of the Newsletter.

The Membership Chairperson shall prepare and furnish a current mailing list in a timely manner upon request of the President, Secretary, Bulletin Editor, Archives Editor and Newsletter Editor. The Secretary will request mailing labels for other committee’s legitimate needs.

The Membership Chairperson shall, upon notice by the Secretary, notify the sponsors of a prospective applicant whose application has been contested. The sponsors may then have the option to continue with the process or withdraw their names as sponsors of the proposed applicant. The sponsors are to be notified prior to the applicant’s notification of contestation.

The Chairperson of the Membership Committee will oversee the roles of the Regional Membership Representatives (Membership Committee) as outlined herein and as further assigned by the Board. The Chairperson will notify the Board of resignations or changes in the status of members, so that the committee consists of representatives as determined by the Board in cooperation with the Membership Committee. Representatives are currently in place from the following regions: East, Midwest, Northwest, South, Southwest, and West.

Regional Membership Representatives will aid the Membership Chair in duties defined by the Board, including: 1) serving as contacts for new applicants within their regions; 2) gathering membership information and keeping names, phone numbers, addresses, and email addresses current; 3) helping with phone or email renewal reminders for those members in their region as necessary.

The American Bullmastiff Association is a private club and has the right to accept or reject a membership application at its discretion for what it considers cause. (LAW 6/08)

Archives-Storage and Cataloging
The Archives committee shall maintain and protect Association property entrusted to it. The Archives committee is authorized to rent a safety deposit box should the committee deem it necessary. The Treasurer shall be a signatory on any safety deposit box.

The Archives committee is authorized to retain $50.00 for committee expenses. Notice of expenditures shall be forwarded to the Treasurer for reimbursement.

Judges Education

1. The Judges Education committee shall be a standing committee of the Board consisting of three to six members. Members serve at the Board’s discretion.

2. Members must be in good standing with the ABA, have owned bullmastiffs for at least ten years, have bred four bullmastiff litters and have bred ten bullmastiff champions. Members should also have exhibiting experience as well. In lieu of breeding experience, on the recommendation of the JEC Committee, a member with a 10-year involvement who has exhibited outstanding knowledge of the breed and dedication to the club, and has otherwise demonstrated that they would be instrumental in furthering the goals of the committee, will also be considered by the Board. The committee should have good geographic representation to allow for the planning of and the participation in sanctioned breed seminars.

3. The Board shall appoint the Chairperson. He/she shall also be the Association’s Judges Education coordinator. The Secretary shall notify the AKC as soon as possible if there is a change in the Chairperson.

4. All material developed by the Judges Education committee is subject to Board approval. The Chairperson shall make quarterly reports to the Board regarding the committee’s work, that is; the number of seminars held, judging inquiries, etc. These reports will also be published in the Association Newsletter to update members as to the committee’s work.

5. The Judges Education Chairperson is responsible for contacting the AKC for the names of prospective judging applicants and when a sanctioned seminar is scheduled, notifying the AKC to obtain a free listing in their education section.

6. The committee shall prepare and present to the Board a packet of breed information to be sent to prospective judges. This packet will include the standard, information on breed history, shows with major bullmastiff entries, the ABA mentor list and a listing of sanctioned seminars.

7. The committee will also develop a breed seminar format so that uniform information can be disseminated throughout the country. The committee will also designate qualified mentors (see #2) to assist with education efforts, particularly at national specialties. Every effort should also be made to increase prospective judge’s attendance at national specialties.

9. The Judges Education Chairperson shall survey all AKC approved Bullmastiff judges via the most economical means in every even numbered year to ascertain whether or not they wish to receive the Bulletin.
10. The Judges Education Chairperson shall maintain mailing list and mail free of charge each issue via bulk mail postage rates to all AKC approved Bullmastiff judges who have stated they wish to receive the Bulletin. (rev. 11/09 LN)

The general membership may form a committee of the Whole during Annual or Semi-Annual meetings, as provided for in Robert’s Rules of Order, Newly Revised and nominate and elect the nomination committee at the Semi-Annual meeting as provided for in the Association’s constitution. The assembly at either of these meetings may direct the staffing of such committee. Such committee is a committee of the Board and subject to the Board’s direction and/or dismissal. The Board of Directors shall not abnegate its responsibility under the constitution and Robert’s Rules of Order, Newly Revised, to form and manage Association committees.

The Information Chairperson is to rent a post office box.

Judges and judging applicants who request breed information are to be given the current ABA Handbook.

The Information Chairperson shall mail information at no cost in response to puppy inquiries and breed information. The Information Chairperson shall send the standard, current breeders list, rescue, pamphlet information flyer and resource list.

No personal opinions or recommendations may be expressed.

The Awards committee shall use the Canine Chronicle breed points system for conformation awards. The Awards committee shall use the American Kennel Club Awards publication to identify champions for the Top Producer awards.

Awards will be presented at the Current Years Nationals, for the preceding calendar year, January 1 through December 31st.

The Awards committee shall use the Association Obedience Point System for obedience awards. Nominations for Heroism Awards must be made to the Board of Directors. The Awards committee shall select from its membership, an Obedience Recorder to average and weight the scores according to the Association System.

The Health & Research Committee Chair shall be appointed by the American Bullmastiff Association Board and shall always be subject to the final authority of the ABA Board and By-Laws as it functions. Membership to the Health and Research committee shall be by appointment of the Chair and/or Co-chair, with Board approval. The responsibilities of the Health and Research committee are to include: reviewing and recommending research studies to be funded by the ABA; raising funds to support studies relating to the health of the bullmastiff breed; reporting to the membership; via the Newsletter and Bulletin, the progress of studies funded and matters of interest relating to the health of our breed; recommending health and research related educational opportunities for National and regional events; and organizing and implementing sample collections at National and regional events. All H & R fundraising efforts will be approved by the ABA Board with profits to be reported and forwarded to the ABA Treasurer. (LAW 09/07)

The Register Of Merit was created to honor the bullmastiffs who have contributed with progeny to the breed.  It is meant to be of historical importance as well as current for our times. The ROM Committee shall always be subject to the final authority of the ABA Board and ABA By Laws as it functions The ROM is set up on a point system. A base of different dogs needs to be met first. The base consists of five conformation champions for dogs and 3 conformation champions for bitches. Once that is achieved, points are calculated by also counting ABA approved AKC working titles achieved contributing a point for each title achieved.

Working titles that are honored are meant to reflect the nature of the original bullmastiff.  It is a working dog and the core working titles that reflect merit are:  Agility, Obedience, and Tracking.  Within Obedience, the Graduate Novice title will not count and within Rally, the Rally Novice level will not count. Those titles which are currently recognized by AKC and should not count toward ROM are: Drafting, Flyball, and Herding. Any other titles included must reflect a new and unique canine skill not reflected in the three areas mentioned above.  Skills endogenous to other groups, such as Drafting, Flyball, and Herding, are not considered original skills for this breed.

When Agility points are tabulated, a dog may earn credit for only one jump height, whether or not the dog has titled at different heights within the same level of Agility.

Titles which include grouping of earned titles such as versatility or working dog awards do not constitute a unique title and will not be considered in calculating ROM points.

The ROM Committee will continue to present to the AB Board any new AKC titles for possible inclusion in the merit system. The Committee’s recommendations are to be guided by whether a skill is new and unique to the true nature of the bullmastiff, but the ultimate decision rests with the ABA Board.

There are to be 4 levels determined by the following points

ABA membership is not required to be honored but one must be an ABA member in good standing to receive a medallion free from ABA for the level achieved. Membership status of the breeder(s) and owner(s) will be noted in the ROM Record.

One free medallion is given to the ABA member in this order:

•     Person with whom the dog resides (if not ABA member then see 2)
•     Person who is a co-owner (if not ABA member then see 3)
•     Person who is the breeder of record. (if not ABA member then see below)
•     Any other ABA members or non ABA member associated with the dog being awarded will have the opportunity to purchase a medallion. This is limited to owners, co-owners, breeders and co-breeders only. The fee for this is set by the ROM committee.

The awards are to be calculated for 12 months. Because ABA National Specialties may be held in September or October, ROM awards will now be calculated for the year beginning on August 1 of one year and ending with July 31 of the next, so that the ROM Committee will have adequate time in which to gather records and process information. The ROM Committee is responsible for calculating and creating records for the previous year’s worth of information within a year of awards being achieved.

A certificate will be presented and awarded at each ABA National Specialty. Medallions will not be mailed until all information needed to complete the ROM data on the dog is received by one of the ROM committee members. This is to include information on all get and on conformation and working titles attained.

The goal of the ROM is to preserve the history of the breed. The committee’s primary charge is the digitization of the complete ROM record. The immediate goal is to create a source for the public to obtain and view the recently attained ROM awards.  With Board approval: 1) The medium of choice will be determined by the ROM Committee, It may be hard copy or digital; 2) the price of this data is to be set by the ROM Committee; and 3) The ROM Committee may include additional information to the ROM record (this may include but is not limited to specialty winners and best in show bullmastiffs.) (01/09 LAW)

The ABA Board charges the ABA ROM Committee to strive to make the Register of Merit as complete and accurate a record as possible, so that no information will be excluded. We feel that to do otherwise would be misleading and not in the best interest of the breed.

However, any individual owner wishing to remove the complete records of their dog from the ABA ROM database and any not yet published ROM records may do so for any reason, provided that they make the request in writing, with all co-owners copied on the request. It is not necessary for all co-owners to agree and the American Bullmastiff Association will not mediate any disputes between owners with regard to ABA ROM records. (LAN 10/09)

The Working Dog Committee shall always be subject to the final authority of the American Bullmastiff Association Board and ABA By-Laws as it functions. The Working Dog Award Program was developed to recognize the outstanding accomplishments of bullmastiffs competing in a variety of canine sports activities. The Working Dog (WD) committee shall provide information on the WD program and WD activities to the ABA membership. The WD committee shallrecommend updates to the ABA Board to keep the program aligned with current titling opportunities. The WD committee shall work with the general Awards Chair as appropriate regarding the yearly obedience, agility, rally, tracking and drafting awards.

The WD committee shall include a notice for application submission anddeadline in an appropriate issue of the ABA newsletter. Applications for WD awards are to be submitted by the owner to a designated WD committee member. WD award plaques shall be presented at the National to the owner with whom the bullmastiff lives. Awards are available only to American Bullmastiff Association members in good standing.

Awards are presented in two main categories: Working Dog Versatility and Working Dog Performance.

Working Dog Versatility (WDV) awards recognize bullmastiffs that successfully attain titles in several of the following categories: obedience, agility, tracking, rally, miscellaneous (herding/carting), conformation, and temperament. (08/07 LAW)

Futurity is an event held in conjunction with the national specialty. It is similar to a puppy sweepstakes except the nomination process is open only to breeders and co-breeders, all of which must be members in good standing with the American Bullmastiff Association (ABA). The owner(s) and/or co-owner(s) must also be members in good standing with the ABA or be published applicants for membership in the ABA prior to the sixth month birthday of the nominated puppy. Futurity entries must be handled by the owner, co-owner, a member of the owner or co-owner’s family, the breeder, or an amateur handler. A professional handler may handle a dog that they own, co-own and are the breeder or co-breeder of record of, provided they are also an ABA member in good standing.
The purpose of the Futurity event is to encourage and reward Bullmastiff breeders. By carefully planning one’s breeding program, a breeder is given the opportunity to show, in competition, the quality of animal he or she produces and to be financially rewarded for his or her efforts.
Futurity guidelines are as follows:

1. Nomination

A. Litters whelped on or after March 1, 2012 and on or before February 28, 2013 are eligible for nomination. The exception would be a leap year, when nominations must be submitted prior to February 29th. The first nomination must be postmarked prior to the litter being whelped. To nominate a litter, the Litter Nomination Form (PDF) must be completed in full, signed by the breeder and/or co-breeder and sent to the Futurity Chair by postal mail. Include a check or money order, payable to the ABA, for $50. Foreign registered dogs may sire or whelp an eligible litter providing the breeder and co-breeder are ABA members in good standing. With dual sired litters, the sire must be identified no later than the puppy’s six month birthday.

NOTE: ABA National specialty dates are subject to change. In the event that a litter is eligible for two National futurity entries, the breeder of the litter must select which entry they would like to nominate the litter for. The litter will only be eligible for one futurity entry at a national specialty. If a puppy is past its 18 month birthday at a National specialty due to the National specialty being held later in the fall, that puppy will still be eligible for futurity competition and will be entered in the 18 month and over class as specified in the premium list.

B. For individual puppy nominations, the Individual Puppy Nomination Form (PDF) must be completed in full and mailed to the Futurity Chair. If the AKC Litter Registration Number or the AKC Registration Number is not available, there must be documentation as to why and when it will be submitted. The Registration Number must be received by the Futurity Chair immediately upon receipt, but no later than thirty (30) days prior to the puppy’s 6 month birthday. A check or money order for $15 for each individual puppy must be included. This form must be postmarked prior to 12 weeks of age and the decision to continue an individual puppy’s nomination is the breeder and/or co-breeder of record.

C. Prior to 6 months, the Six-Month Puppy Nomination Form (PDF) must be completed in full and mailed to the Futurity Chair. A nomination received without an AKC Registration Number will not be accepted. A check or money order for $10 for each individual puppy must be included. This form must be postmarked prior to 6 months of age.

Note: The futurity guidelines and forms will be included in two newsletters per year. Additional copies are available from the Futurity Chair, at each National Specialty and on the ABA website. The Futurity Chair will accept faxed or electronically transmitted copies of the nomination form with prior notice at his/her discretion. Check or money order for faxed entry(ies) must be postmarked the next day otherwise the entry(ies) will be considered null and void.
The responsibility of meeting all deadlines is (are) the breeder or co-breeder of record and not the owner or the Futurity Chair. No reminders of any kind will be sent.

2. Processing

Upon receipt of a nomination form, the Futurity Chair will review the form for completeness. If any issues arise, the futurity chair will notify the breeder or co-breeder of record immediately. The Futurity Chair will send the nominating breeder or co-breeder an acknowledgement of the nomination. The Futurity Chair will forward the check to the Treasurer within 30 days. Breeders and co-breeders of record are encouraged to keep and maintain copies of the nomination form(s), checks and acknowledgements for their personal records.

3. Exhibition

Divided by sex and by age. The classes are as follows:
 6 to 9 months;
 9 to 12 months;
 12 to 15 months;
 15 to 8 months;
 18 months and over (when applicable)
The winner of these classes will then compete for Best Bitch in Futurity and Best Dog in Futurity.

4. Winnings

The Futurity funds will be split as follows:
 Forty-five percent (45%) will be divided among the 8 first place winners in each age group.
 Twenty percent (20%) will be given to both the Best Bitch in Futurity and Best Dog in Futurity.
 Fifteen percent (15%) will be retained by the ABA to cover reasonable Futurity expenses including those incurred from superintendent and/or administrative fees.

Given the unusual occasion that the 15% holdback from the accumulated annual Futurity funds is not adequate to cover “reasonable expenses” directly associated with the Futurity, the Board may approve an additional amount to be withheld. The additional amount would be withdrawn from the accumulated annual funds before the winnings allocations.

If there is no entry in a class, then those funds shall be allocated pro rata amongst the remaining classes and to Best Bitch in Futurity and Best Dog in Futurity. These funds will not be allocated to the ABA holdback.

All winnings go to the breeder and/or co-breeder of record.

The Futurity Chair will remain indifferent and impartial to any differences over winnings between breeder and/or co-breeder and the owner.

5. Fees

The breeder and/or co-breeder are solely responsible for the payment of any nominating fees without exception. All fees paid are non-refundable regardless of the circumstances. Overpayment at any nomination level will not be granted a refund unless it exceeds $20.00. Nomination fees are not transferable from one litter to another, nor from one Bullmastiff to another. If the dam of the litter nominated is not pregnant or the fees are postmarked after the due date, the entry will be considered null and void.

6. Futurity Entries

The Futurity class is considered a second entry in addition to a regular class for the national specialty. Under the “additional class” section of the entry form, enter “Futurity” along with the proper age category. A dog may not be shown in a non-regular class without entry in a regular class. The entry fee for Futurity is paid from futurity funds so no fee is required from the breeder/owner to the superintendent. Therefore, no entry fee for Futurity is required.
The Futurity Chair will be responsible for verifying an accurate listing of dogs entered for each class and will crosscheck with the superintendent a listing of eligible puppies prior to the publication of the national specialty catalog. The superintendent will be directed to provide the registrant the information regarding the entrant in eligibility. If the entrant protests the discrepancy, the entrant shall immediately notify the Futurity Chair and the Bench Committee will assemble to review the protest. A ruling by the Bench Committee shall be considered final.

7. Judges

Judges are to be nominated and elected by the ABA membership. The qualifications are: must have owned Bullmastiffs for at least ten (10) years, have bred four (4) Bullmastiff litters and bred ten (10) Bullmastiff champions.
Judges expenses will be covered as defined in the National Specialty Standing Rules. (LAW 05/07)

Bulletin -General Policies and Procedures

1. The Chairperson of the Bulletin committee, also termed the Bulletin Editor, and all other members of the Bulletin committee, shall serve until replaced by majority vote of the Board of Directors. All decisions regarding the Bulletin, its committee staff, its contents, publication and distribution will be decided by the ABA Board Of Directors.

2. This volunteer position of Bulletin Editor should be filled by someone with desktop publishing ability and equipment if possible, and all efforts should be made to save on expenses.

3. The Board may designate one of its officers/directors as a liaison to the Bulletin Editor. This Board designated liaison shall work cooperatively with the Editor and manage all communication between the Editor and Board. Additionally, the liaison should reasonably support the Editor in finding solutions to any existing or potential problems.

4. The Board of Directors shall review (with input provided by the Editor) and set all advertising, photo return, and subscription rates and policies at the first Board meeting of the calendar year and any revised rates or policies shall be published in the subsequent Summer issue and shall be effective with the subsequent Winter issue.

5. Advertisements of dogs, stud services, etc. of Bullmastiffs from non-members of the Association shall be excluded.

6. Reference to the Association Handbook or Illustrated Standard in advertisements of Bullmastiffs is prohibited.

7. Payment must accompany advertisements. No charge accounts are to be allowed.

8. ABA members in good standing may submit for any AKC or CKC All-Breed Best In Show win (All Breed BIS wins from any other country require Board approval) one photo per dog in the next printing of the Bulletin following the win. Text included will be dog’s name, date, kennel club, breed judge’s name, group judge’s name, BIS judge’s name, owner’s name(s), breeder’s name(s), and handler’s name. If multiple BIS wins are obtained before the next printing of the Bulletin, text for all wins will be included, but only one photo. Any additional BIS wins obtained after the previous printing of the Bulletin will be accepted according to the rules stated above.

9. ABA approved events shall be provided a 1/2 page ad free of charge if the Editor has this space available. If a 1/2 page is not available or the regional club wishes to purchase a full page or more of advertising, they will receive a 50% discount off the regular breeder advertising rates.

10. Board of Directors shall share with and seek input from Editor on any proposed changes that will affect the Bulletin.

11. Editor shall be reimbursed all reasonable out of pocket expenses associated with the production of the Bulletin and/or its mailing lists. Any unusual expenses should be discussed first and before committed to by the Editor and with the Board designated liaison or Board of Directors.

12. Editor and each Bulletin committee volunteer shall receive one free page of advertising per Bulletin issue (excludes front cover, back cover, or any other premium positioning). (07/07 LAW)

Bulletin Editor Requirements

1. Editor shall, at his/her discretion, solicit volunteers for the Bulletin committee and to help with Bulletin functions as designated by the Editor. It is recommended by the Board of Directors that a minimum of two volunteers assist the Editor with Bulletin responsibilities. The Editor shall clearly define and assign all roles and responsibilities between him/herself and their committee, in writing. The Editor shall be responsible for all functions, whether performed by him/herself or a committee volunteer.

2. Editor maintains a December 1st April 1st and August 1st deadline. Every effort should be made to mail on or as close as possible to the 15th of each specified month.

3. Editor shall maintain an advertising deadline schedule based on a mailing date of the 15th of each specified month and builds in allowances for minimal organizational, technological, personal or other events which may create unanticipated delays.

4. Editor shall obtain estimates from not less than three printing establishments at least once every two years. Editor should obtain estimates from printers in varied geographic regions. Estimates, along with commentary from Editor with pros and cons related to printers and/or their quotes should be sent to the Board designated liaison or Board of Directors. The Board designated liaison or Board of Directors and Editor shall determine which printer to utilize, using their best judgment based on pricing, turnaround time, quality, and level of interest from printer, so that the overall intent of having the Bulletin be a “no-cost” endeavor to the ABA is maintained.

5. Editor maintains relationships with printer and Lettershop, including setting up scheduling and verifying proofs, printing, mailing.

6. Editor maintains an 8 1/2″ x 11″ format with 80 lb. coated text stock for inside pages with one color printing, 100 lb. coated (one side) cover stock for cover, four color printing on coated side, one color on inside cover. Binding discretionary based on number of pages.

7. Editor maintains bulk mail postal rates.

8. Editor shall send a written report two weeks before the printing of each issue of the Bulletin to the Board designated liaison or Board of Directors, summarizing the status and current schedule of the Bulletin in creation. Any potential delays or other problems should be conveyed immediately and without waiting for the next report.

9. Editor may request reasonable cash advances for out of pocket expenses (request should be made to the Board designated liaison or Treasurer). Actual expenses, along with copies of receipts, (minus advances) should be submitted on the appropriate “request for payment” form and mailed or faxed to the Treasurer (along with the Board designated liaison, if applicable). The Treasurer shall reimburse Editor no later than 15 days of receipt of the request.

10. Editor shall send all 3rd party invoices via mail or fax to the Treasurer (along with the Board designated liaison, if applicable). The Treasurer shall send payments by invoice due date along with copies of the invoices directly to 3 rd party. The Treasurer shall also notify, via email, the Editor (along with the Board designated liaison, if applicable) of the check numbers, payment dates, and amounts.

11. Editor shall forward all Bulletin revenue to the Treasurer at least once monthly. Editor shall maintain an accounting of all revenue on “reconciliation of revenue” form and mail or fax to the Treasurer (along with the Board designated liaison, if applicable) when all receipts for a Bulletin issue have been received.

12. Editor shall request ABA membership mailing list and total member count from membership chair two weeks prior to submission to printer (it should be expected that membership chair will provide mailing list via e-mail within two weeks from requested date).

13. Editor shall print no more than 100 copies more than the ABA membership mailing lists.

14. Editor shall place advertisements in the Bulletin at his/her artistic discretion while using good judgment and maintaining fairness to all advertisers. Whenever feasible, ads should be placed in the order they are received.

15. Any special, unusual, out of the ordinary requests that require more than the “typical” amount of Editor’s time per page are at the discretion of the Editor to reject or charge accordingly, with the advertiser’s approval. Editor shall use good judgment related to making a reasonable effort to satisfy advertiser.

16. Editor places ad in each issue offering additional single copies, subscriptions, and back issues for sale.

17. Editor offers full-page advertisers the opportunity to purchase additional Bulletins at a discount of 50% off the regular single copy price.

18. Editor offers the front cover of each December issue as advertising space to that year’s ABA National Specialty best of breed winner for the price set by the Board of Directors. The front cover shall not be offered as advertising space in any April or August issue of the Bulletin nor shall it be offered in the December issue to promote any Bullmastiff other than the ABA National Specialty best of breed winner as stated above.

19. Editor regularly solicits both breeder and commercial ads via e-mail or phone calls. Editor shall consult with the Board designated liaison or Board of Directors should there be any question as to suitability of the advertising.

20. Editor regularly solicits from all regional Bullmastiff clubs, both sanctioned and unsanctioned, Bullmastiff event dates, reports, and contact information and prints free of charge in “Club Reports” or “Regional Clubs” sections of each issue.

21. Editor regularly solicits and prints free of charge regional and national specialty results and critiques in the first issue following the event, where practicable.

22. Editor solicits and prints free of charge in each issue all new champion, obedience, tracking, and agility titles from AKC AWARDS. New champions and new obedience, tracking, and agility titlist advertisements shall be accepted at one half the regular price on a one-time per dog basis. Photographs shall become the property of the ABA Archives. The above statements shall be listed on the Publisher’s page of each Bulletin.

23. Editor solicits at his/her discretion, photograph and story of either a noteworthy Bullmastiff deceased not less than 5 years, noteworthy artwork, or other noteworthy story and prints photograph on front cover along with story text on inside page only if an advertiser has not already committed/paid for the front cover space. Editor shall consult with the Board designated liaison or Board of Directors should there be any question as to suitability of the Bullmastiff, artwork, or story selected.

24. Editor regularly solicits and prints articles/features at the rate of no more than one page per 5 pages of paid advertisements. Articles/features are chosen at the discretion of the Editor. Editor shall consult with their Board designated liaison or Board of Directors should there be any question as to the suitability of any article/feature selected. No article/feature shall include any opinion on veterinary matters by a non-veterinarian without a serious disclaimer.
Additionally, the Health and Research Committee is encouraged to submit an article in each Bulletin issue. The Board designated liaison or Board of Directors, not the Editor, will approve any Health and Research committee articles prior to publication.

25. Editor shall send copies of each Bulletin issue as follows: one copy to the American Kennel Club library, one copy to each foreign Bullmastiff club, three copies to the ABA Archives.

26. Editor shall send all extra copies of each Bulletin issue to the Rescue chairperson to be sold in the future as a set of 3 issues (1 year sets) or to be sold as single copies to generate income for the ABA or Rescue.

27. Editor shall return photo(s) mailed first class and within two weeks of date issue is printed
(7/07 LAW)

The AKC Gazette Bullmastiff Column Editor has been chosen by the ABA Board to represent our breed because of his/her recognized expertise in bullmastiffs. It is a rare opportunity to discuss important issues and share valuable experience with other fanciers, judges and influential individuals. The Column Editor is given permission by the Board to exercise discretion in developing and accepting material for publication. Many people outside the club, and even outside the breed, will read the column, so articles should be written with the entire audience in mind.

The Breed Column Editor serves as the official liaison between ABA and the AKC Gazette while representing the bullmastiff breed to the rest of the fancy. It is understood that, when discussing a potentially controversial topic, the Editor will be fair and objective and will avoid club politics, promotion of individuals or factions or complaints about any individuals (judges, handlers, exhibitors or dogs). As the AKC Gazette discourages reports on National Specialties, the Column Editor will leave coverage of this important ABA Event to other publications.

The Column Editor will work to avoid duplication and so will not include any information specific to ABA members that will be published in the ABA Newsletter or Bulletin, but will take advantage of the opportunity to best mentor and educate the readership on the wider bullmastiff breed issues. No ABA publication or ABA sponsored piece of writing shall include any opinion on veterinary matters by a non-veterinarian without a serious disclaimer. The Column Editor will recommend that readers consult with professional veterinary authorities when appropriate. When using a guest columnist, the Column Editor will provide a statement signed by the guest columnist acknowledging that the article was written for the column. This “permission to publish” statement can be a simple, brief email sent directly from the guest writer to the Column Editor. When using a guest columnist, the Column Editor will provide a very brief introduction to the writer at the beginning and a “thank you” at the end of the column.

Since many ABA members do not subscribe to the AKC Gazette, the ABA Bulletin Editor is encouraged to use the previously published Gazette breed columns in each of its publications in order that the ABA membership benefit from all available information on the breed. The column should therefore be provided to the Bulletin Editor in a timely and regular fashion. The Bulletin Editor must request written permission from the Gazette Columns Editor in order to reprint a column, providing the title of the column and date of publication. When published in the Bulletin a notation that permission was provided as requested by AKC should be printed with the name of the column and the date of publication. If a publication other than the ABA Bulletin or Newsletter would like to reprint the column, permission must be obtained from the Column Editor and the publication must print an acknowledgement of the article’s source (AKC Gazette, month and year of issue).

Deadlines to the AKC Gazette must be adhered to. Because of the printing arrangements of AKC, columns not received by the deadline MAY NOT BE PUBLISHED in the designated issue. If an unexpected emergency arises, the Bullmastiff Breed Column Editor will email the AKC Gazette Editor as soon as possible. The Column Editor is encouraged to have an “inventory column” on file with the AKC to be used if the column is delayed. (07/07 LAW)