Section 1

Eligibility. There shall be three types of membership:
(a) Active Members: Individual or family membership shall be open to all persons 18 years of age and older who are in good standing with the American Kennel Club, and who subscribe to the purposes of the American Bloodhound Club. An individual or family membership shall have one vote.
(b) Junior Members: Junior members shall be open to those under 18 years of age. The junior member shall enjoy all the privileges of membership except for voting or holding office.
(c) Honorary Members: Individuals who have instituted, performed or accomplished some outstanding service in the interest of Bloodhounds may be elected to Honorary membership by a 2/3 majority vote by mail or the Board of Directors. The Honorary members shall enjoy all the privileges of membership for life.

Section 2

Dues. Initiation dues for an Active membership or a junior membership must accompany the application for membership and shall be accepted as payment of dues for the year. Initiation dues shall be submitted after January 1 shall be applied to the following American Bloodhound Club fiscal year.
The amount of initiation dues and annual dues for Active and Junior memberships shall be set by a 2/3 majority vote by mail of the Board of Directors at least 30 days after the proposed change has been announced to the membership in one of the official American Bloodhound Club publications or in a separate mailing. (Note: Current annual dues are: Individual and Family members - $40.00; Junior Members - $20.00. Canadian members add $10.00 additional postage, All other members add $20.00 additional postage)
Annual dues shall be payable on or before June 1st of each year.
Changes for all dues must be finalized on or before April 1st of any given year in order to become effective for the ensuing year.
Honorary members shall be exempt from payment of initiation dues or annual dues.
No member may vote whose dues are not paid for the current year. The Treasurer shall send to each member a statement of dues for the ensuing year by May 1st. Dues shall be considered delinquent after September 1st.
The maximum allowable dues for an active membership shall be $55.00. Dues for junior members shall not exceed 50% of the current active membership fees.

Section 3

Election to the Membership. Each applicant for membership shall apply on a form approved by the Board of Directors and which shall provide that the applicant agrees to abide by the constitution and bylaws and the rules of the American Kennel Club. The application shall state the name and address of the applicant and it shall carry the endorsement of two American Bloodhound Club members in good standing. Accompanying the application, the prospective member shall submit initiation dues payment for the current year.
The name and address of the applicant will be published in one of the official American Bloodhound Club newsletters at least four weeks prior to the Board of Directors vote by mail.
Applicants may be elected by 2/3 majority vote of the Board of Directors.
An applicant which has received a negative vote by the Board of Directors may be presented by one of the applicant's endorsers at the next annual meeting of the American Bloodhound Club and the Club may vote to accept such applicant by a favorable vote of 3/4 of the members present.

Section 4

Termination of Membership. Membership may be terminated:
(a) by resignation: Any member in good standing may resign from the Club upon written notice to the Corresponding Secretary; but no member may resign when in debt to the Club. Dues obligations are considered a debt to the Club and they are incurred on the first day of each fiscal year.
(b) by lapsing: A membership will be considered as lapsed and automatically terminated if such member's dues remain unpaid 90 days after the first day of the fiscal year, however, the Board may grant an additional 90 days of grace to such delinquent members, in meritorious cases. In no case may a member be entitled to vote at any Club meeting if his/her dues are unpaid as of the date of that meeting.
(c) by expulsion: A membership may be terminated by expulsion as provided in Article VI of these bylaws.