RULES, POLICIES AND PROCEDURES 2007 and 2008 | American Hunting Basset Association

All rules, policies and procedures listed in this document have been established by the AHBA Executive Board and the AHBA Board of Directors and are in effect from January 1, 2007 until December 31, 2008 unless revised by the AHBA Board of Directors or the AHBA President.

It is our desire that the American Hunting Basset Association can bring a rabbit hound that will be exactly like the type of dog that you would select to take hunting. It is our intention, in interpretation of rules and policies, that all AHBA clubs will conduct competition hunts in a uniform manner. More importantly, competition events shall remain a family fun event that is free from dissent and preferential treatment for any person or group.

ALL AHBA CHARTERED CLUBS

1. Chartered AHBA clubs are to hold their elections by December of each year. An officer update form is to be sent to the AHBA Office by January 1st, listing the type(s) of competition the club will hold, names of all officers, and addresses and phone numbers of these officers. Each club must have at least 2 officers and 3 board of directors. The club also elects the Master of Hounds and the Breed Inspector. It is also accepted that the club president appoint these positions, as well as assistants for both of these positions.

Note: Club Presidents and Secretary/Treasurers can be husband and wife, yet officers and board members may not be husband and wife.

2. Each chartered club must have a liability insurance policy to cover judges, handlers, dog owners, spectators and club officers and a copy of this policy must be sent to the AHBA Office by January 1st of each year. The minimum coverage is $100,000 per accident or event.

3. Each club’s Board of Directors shall oversee finances and have the authority to impeach and/or prosecute officers.

4. The annual charter fee is $25.00 and must be sent to the AHBA Office by January 1st of each year. If a club conducts only basset hunts their $25.00 check is made out to the AHBA. NKC/ARHA beagle clubs are authorized to conduct AHBA sanctioned competition if they pay a $15.00 annual charter fee to the AHBA special fund.

5. New clubs, chartered after January 1st, must comply with 1, 2 and 3 before they conduct their first AHBA sanctioned competition.

6. If clubs fail to comply with 1, 2 or 3 the AHBA President will cancel the clubs hunts and/or cancel their charters.

7. To begin an AHBA club there must be at least 5 paid members.

8. All AHBA hunts must be held on Saturdays, Sundays or legal holidays, (but not Christmas or Easter).Exception: The Chairman of the Board may schedule the World Hunt on a weekday.

9. It is recommended and suggested that each club that runs AHBA competition hold at least one money making event each year and donates the proceeds from this event to the AHBA Special Fund.

I. AHBA Executive Board

A. Duties of the Executive Board

1. The Board shall work as an administrative board to carry out rules, policies and procedures that have been established by the Board of Directors.

2. The Board shall approve expenditures from the AHBA Special Fund.

3. The Chairman of the Board shall assign the host clubs for the Big 6 hunts (Regional and World Hunts) and the state hunts.

4. In the event that an elected AHBA officer, or elected committee member, can not (does not) complete his/her term of office, this Board shall appoint a person to serve in that position until the next Board of Directors meeting at which time the position shall be filled by election.

5. The Board shall assist all existing committees in carrying out their duties.

6. The Executive Board may make recommendations to the AHBA President and the Chairman of the Board concerning the appointment of State Representatives.

7. The Executive Board members will take suggestions for rule and policy changes at any time and submit them to the total board at the next Executive Board meeting.

B. Members of the Executive Board

1. The President of AHBA.

2. The Chairman of the Board of Directors.

3. The Secretary/Treasurer.

4. The Chairman of the Watchdog Committee.

5. One At-Large member to be elected by the Board of Directors for 2 year term.

6. All chairpersons of other committees, whether these committees are elected by the Board of Directors or appointed by the Chairman of the Board, shall be members of the Executive Board.

7. The members of the Executive Board are; Acting President, Jim Rogers; Chairman of the Board, Kevin Biery; Secretary/Treasurer; Robert Gray; Vice-Chairman, Jim Wells; Member at Large, Jay Lemens; as well as, Chairman of the various committees.

8. The Vice Chairman. The duties of the Vice Chairman shall be decided by the Chairman of the Board.

C. Meetings of the Executive Board

1. The Chairman of the Board shall preside at all meetings of the Executive Board. In the absence of the Chairman of the Board, the Secretary/Treasurer shall conduct the meeting.

2. The Chairman of the Board or the AHBA President shall call all meetings, but all members of the Executive Board must be notified of the meeting at least 10 days in advance.

3. Normal decisions are made by consensus if it is evident that the members present at the meeting are all in agreement; however, if it is evident that the item in question does not have 100% support, a formal vote shall be held. This includes votes taken by phone or mail.

4. If a formal vote is taken on an item a simple majority vote wins.

5. In the event that it is impractical to hold an Executive Board meeting, the Chairman of the Board may solicit a vote by phone calls (or mail) to the members of the Board.

6. The Secretary/Treasurer shall keep an official record of all proceedings of the Board and shall provide copies of the minutes to all members of this board.

D. AHBA Special Fund

1. This fund is made up of money from the following sources; allocated money from charter fees. $25.00 protest fees if the protest is disallowed, and $1.00 for each hound entered in Basset sanctioned competition and other money making activities.

2. The Secretary/Treasurer shall keep the accounting for this fund and shall make an itemized financial report in writing at each Board of Directors and Executive Board meeting.

3. The Secretary/Treasurer shall pay the reasonable expenses incurred in the normal operation of this division. Expenses that the Secretary/Treasurer does not think are reasonable, large expenses (exceed $500) or expenses for special projects must be approved by the Executive Board.

II. Board of Directors

A. Board of Directors shall be made up of all Basset club presidents (or their appointed representatives), State Representatives and all members of the Executive Board, whether elected or appointed, under these conditions.

If an alternate (appointed representative) is to be an official voting member of the Board of Directors he/she must have a written proxy from the person who was the elected representative and this must be presented to the Chairman of the Board of Directors when there is a meeting of the Board. State Representatives do not have proxy vote rights.

B. Duties of the Board of Directors

1. The Board of Directors shall set all rules, policies, and procedures for the AHBA and the conduct of all AHBA competition events sanctioned by the AHBA.

2. There shall be at least one bi-annual meeting of the Board of Directors; however, the President of the AHBA, or the Chairman of the Board may call additional meetings if there is a need.

3. The President of the AHBA or the Chairman of the Board must notify each member of the Board of Directors, at least 10 days in advance of the meeting.

4. There must be a 2/3-majority vote of the directors in attendance at the Board of Directors' meeting to change any rule, policy, or procedure.

5. At the bi-annual meeting of the Board of Directors, the Board shall elect the Chairman of the Board, Vice Chairman, Secretary-Treasurer, At-Large Member, Hall of Fame Committee members, Rules Committee members and the regular and alternate members of Watchdog Committee.

6. The term of office for all elected officers and elected committee members is 2 years.

7. Changes to the AHBA Rules, Policies, and Procedures may be made only by vote of the Board of Directors.

8. The President of AHBA has the right to change any rule or procedure if he/she feels it is in the best interest of the AHBA.

C. Duties of the Chairman of the Board

1. The Chairman of the Board serves as an ex-officio member of all AHBA committees.

2. The responsibility of the Chairman of the Board shall be that of taking the association forward, with the specific task of creating committees, appointing chairpersons of all committees, and monitoring each committee's effectiveness.

3. After the election of the Watchdog Committee, or other elected committees, it shall be the duty of the Chairman of the Board to appoint chairpersons to head those committees.

4. The Chairman of the Board shall conduct all Board of Director meetings and Executive Board meetings.

5. The Chairman of the Board shall assist the AHBA President, the Secretary/Treasurer and the AHBA Representatives in establishing new clubs and assisting existing clubs as needed. When possible, the Chairman of the Board shall attend State Hunts and Big 6 Hunts as an ambassador of the AHBA.

6. Concerning all committees and chairmen appointed by the Chairman of the Board; the Chairman of the Board has the authority to remove from office any of his/her appointees if he/she feels they are not fulfilling their responsibilities in a responsible way. The Chairman of the Board shall give his/her reasons for removing chairmen or committee members in writing to the Executive Board.

7. The Chairman of the Board has the responsibility to assign host clubs for the Big 6 Hunts (including the World Hunt) and the state hunts.

8. The chairman will review the geographical boundaries for regions annually and make whatever changes as may be necessary.

9. The Chairman of the Board shall receive a stipend from the AHBA Special Fund in the amount of $500.00 per year. This is to be paid in December of each year.

10. The Chairman of the Board shall determine the duties of the Vice Chairman. The Vice Chairman elected for 2007 and 2008 is Jim Wells.

D. Secretary/Treasurer and Duties

1. The Secretary/Treasurer shall be elected by the Board of Directors at the annual meeting for a 2-year term.

2. The Duties shall be:

a. Collect all annual fees from existing clubs and charter fees from new clubs.

b. Collect the $25.00 protest fees.

c. Collect $3.00 per hound for each entry in AHBA sanctioned hunts. The AHBA Office will forward this to the Secretary/Treasurer.

d. Collect money from conducting the World Hunt and other fundraisers.

e. All funds collected shall be deposited into the AHBA Special Fund.

f. All of the above are operating funds for the AHBA and shall be used as follows;

(1) Return $25.00 to persons who have their protests upheld.

(2) Reimburse authorized persons for expenses incurred in doing their duties for the AHBA.

(3) Pay postage, phone, and office supply costs.

(4) Pay other expenses as approved by the Executive Board.

g. Accept all formal protests from persons who have the right to protest in accordance with the by-laws and rules.

A copy of the protest is to be sent to each of the following; all Watchdog Committee members, each alternate member of the Watchdog Committee, the Chairman of the Board, AHBA President, all members of the Executive Board, and the President of the Club that is being protested.

h. Assist the AHBA State Representatives in establishing new clubs and in conducting judge-training seminars.

i. It is the responsibility of the Secretary/Treasurer to keep club presidents informed concerning action of the Board of Directors, the Executive Board and the Watchdog Committee.

j. The Secretary/Treasurer shall keep an official record of all proceedings at the Board of Directors and Executive Board meetings and shall publish minutes of these meetings.

k. The Secretary/Treasurer shall receive a stipend from the AHBA Special Fund in the amount of $500.00 per year. This is to be paid in December of each year.

E. Duties and Procedures of the Watchdog Committee

1. Enforce the AHBA rules, policies, and procedures as they pertain to protest of rule infractions at sanctioned hunts.

2. If the protest of the Master of Hounds decision concerns a specific cast of hounds and involves the running rules, the protest must be made by a handler whose hound was involved in that cast. If the protest concerns the conduct of the hunt; such as illegal casting of the hounds, illegal assignment of judges, not holding to the entry deadline, etc., any hound owner or handler who is present at the hunt and has a hound entered in the hunt may file the protest. In addition, judges, or other hunt officials may protest rule infractions by handlers or spectators.

3. The Master of Hounds is the final authority at the hunt. If a formal protest is made it must be made in writing within 20 days of the hunt to the AHBA Secretary/Treasurer. The protest must state that this was a AHBA hunt, give the date of the hunt, the name of the club hosting the hunt, the name of the Master of Hounds and the rule the protester believes was violated, and a short description of the situation that led to this formal protest. Use the AHBA Protest Form.

4. After a decision has been made by the Watchdog Committee, the chairman of this committee shall notify the AHBA President and the Chairman of the Board. The Chairman of the Board will then inform all other members of the Executive Board.

5. The person making the protest must deposit a check or money order for $25.00 dollars when that person files the protest. The deposit shall be returned to the person who filed the protest only if the Watchdog Committee rules in his/her favor. The check or money order shall be made out to AHBA Special Fund.

6. The decisions of the Watchdog Committee are final and cannot be appealed.

7. The club that is being protested against must be notified of the protest by the Secretary/Treasurer by sending the president of the club, being protested, a copy of the protest.

8. The Master of Hounds at the sanctioned hunt makes the final decision concerning protests at the hunt. The Watchdog Committee only becomes involved in the event that the Master of Hound's decision is formally protested.

9. Penalties that may be invoked by the Watchdog Committee include;

a. The final decision of the Watchdog Committee may affect a class, division, or the entire hunt results may be nullified.

b. If the Watchdog Committee finds a violation of the rules, the results of that hunt may be treated as a non-sanctioned hunt. Example: Club A conducts a sanctioned hunt and a person protests the way the casting was done, the Master of Hounds denies the protest, and that person files a protest with the Watchdog Committee. The Watchdog Committee rules in favor of the person who protested. The Watchdog Committee may rule that the sanction for the hunt has been removed and that the hounds that placed in the hunt shall not receive AHBA or Hound of the Year points.

c. The Watchdog Committee has the authority to take any disciplinary action it feels is appropriate.

d. Note that if a person is banned from AHBA competition for a year, or more, that person cannot serve as a club officer nor can he/she serve on the Executive Board or any AHBA national committee without the approval of the AHBA President and the Basset Executive Board.

10. The Watchdog Committee is made up of 3 regular members and 2 alternate members. All members are elected by the Board of Directors at the BI-annual meeting. Elected for 2007 and 2008; Regulars are Scott Ehle, Dick Franck and Anthony Schmidt. Alternates are John Woldyga and Jay Lemens.

11. If a regular or alternate member of the Watchdog Committee is found to be in violation of the rules, he/her shall be released of his/her duties by the Chairman of the Board and that person shall never be permitted to again serve on the Watchdog Committee.

12. When the Chairman of the Watchdog Committee receives a protest, or he/she has another matter that needs to be discussed with the other members of the committee, he/she may arrange a conference telephone call with the members. In some cases the chairman may call a meeting of the members of his/her committee.

13. An alternate becomes a regular member of the Watchdog Committee if a regular member resigns as a member of the committee, or a regular member is removed from the committee for disciplinary reasons. The Chairman of the Board decides which alternate becomes a regular member under these circumstances.

14. A member of the Watchdog Committee, while attending a sanctioned hunt, has the responsibility to privately inform the Master of Hounds of that hunt if he/she sees that the hunt is not being conducted according to AHBA rules.

15. The Chairman of the Watchdog Committee shall inform the Chairman of the Board and the Secretary/Treasurer whenever an official ruling is made concerning a formal protest.

16. The Chairman of the Board and/or the AHBA President have the authority to request that the Watchdog Committee give an official interpretation of a AHBA rule if there is a concern about the meaning of the rule. The Watchdog Committee has the responsibility to give this interpretation as soon as possible so that this information may be passed on to the club presidents and other AHBA officials.

17. In the event that legal problems arise from AHBA competition, that are not resolved by the Watchdog Committee, these must be litigated and resolved in the Superior Court of Linn County, Missouri.

18. The Chairman of the Watchdog Committee is appointed by the Chairman of the Board and is an official member of the Executive Board.

F. Rules Committee

1. This committee is made up of 2 members appointed by the Chairman of the Board. They serve 2-year terms. Rules Committee members for 2007 and 2008 are Dick Franck and Bill Ehle.

2. This committee shall be a standing committee that during the year collects recommendations for rule, policy, or procedure changes. This committee puts the suggested changes in proper order and presents them for discussion and vote to the Board of Directors at the bi-annual meeting.

3. Note that the only recommendations that will be processed by the Rules Committee will be those submitted by AHBA clubs or the Executive Board. State Representatives may also make recommendations for rule changes.

4. The Rules Committee shall have the responsibility to rewrite the judges' test, Master of Hounds test, bench judges' test, and other tests to reflect rule changes that have been made by the Board of Directors.

G. Note: Any decision made by a committee and/or board within the AHBA structure shall be subject to review and possible revocation by the AHBA President.

H. AHBA Hall of Fame Committee

1. This committee, and the chairman of this Committee, is appointed by the Chairman of the Board. Members of this committee for 2007 and 2008 are; Deana Eltringham and Jill Franck.

2. The duties of this committee are to receive nominations and to verify that each individual or hound has met the criteria set forth in these rules.

3. All hounds meeting the requirements as set forth in the criteria, shall be inducted into the Hall of Fame on December 31 following the date in which the hound gained the points necessary to go into the Hall of Fame. Whoever owns this hound, as far as the AHBA records show at the AHBA Office, at the time the hound reaches the points needed to go into the Basset Hall of Fame, their name shall go on the Hall of Fame plaque. Once a hound has received an AHBA Hall of Fame title it cannot be taken from him/her unless it is proven that the title was given illegally.

4. To nominate a person for Hall of Fame; or a hound as a competition hound or reproducer, send information concerning this hound to the Chairman of the Hall of Fame Committee so it is received by him/her not later than January 20th; also send a copy to the Chairman of the Board, Mr. Kevin Biery at the address stated at the beginning of these rules and procedures.

5. The Hall of Fame hounds will be honored at the time of the World Hunt. If no hound meets the requirements on a given year, then no hound will be inducted that year. A hound must be a Grand Rabbit Champion to be inducted into the Hall of Fame as a Competition Hound. A hound does not have to be alive to be bestowed this honor as long as it has met the criteria as set forth.

Hall of Fame Competition Hound, 50 points needed

10 points For Hound of the Year (This is the High Point Hound of the Year or Runoff Hound of the Year winner)

5 points For Reserve Hound of the Year (Either High Point Reserve or Run Off Reserve winner)

10 points For First Place in a Big 6 Hunt

5 points For Second Place in a Big 6 Hunt

5 points For First in a State Hunt

2.5 points For Second in a State Hunt

5 points for making Grand Rabbit Champion

2.5 points for making Rabbit Champion

6 points for winning Best of Show in a Big Six Hunt

1 point for State Hunt Bench Winner

4 points for making Show Grand Champion

2 points for making Show Champion

-10 points for each time a hound is reported for running deer, fox, elk or coyote

Hall of Fame Reproducer, 150 points needed

15 points for each son/daughter that is High Point HOY or HOY Run-Off winner.

15 points for each son/daughter that is inducted into the AHBA Hall of fame.

10 points for each son/daughter that is reserve High Point HOY or reserve HOY Run Off winner.

10 points for each son or daughter that wins a Big 6 Hunt

10 points for each son or daughter that becomes a Grand Rabbit Champion

5 points for each son or daughter that becomes a Rabbit Champion

3 points for each son or daughter that becomes a Show Grand Champion

2 points for each son/daughter that wins a big 6 show.

1 point for each son or daughter that wins a State Hunt Show

2 point For each son or daughter that becomes a Show Champion

Note: A hound can only use 75 points from each son/daughter

Note: A hound can only use 30 points from bench wins total. Not per son/daughter.

6. Basset competitors shall be nominated by a person, or persons, involved in AHBA Basset competition. All individuals meeting the requirements as set forth in the criteria shall be inducted into the Basset Hall of Fame on December 31. These individuals will be honored at the Basset World Hunt. This shall be an annual induction. If no one meets the requirements on a given year, then no one will be inducted that year.

Basset Hall of Fame, 100 points needed

To total points, take the numbers of points shown and multiply it by the number of years the person has done this. Add up the person's points to get the total. Induction into the Hall of Fame will take place at the World Hunt.

Cut off date for applying for Hall of Fame is December 31 prior to the World Hunt.

Verification will come from the Hall of Fame Committee.

10 points Chairman of the Board

7.5 points Secretary/Treasurer

6 points Chairman of the Watchdog Committee

5 points Member of Watchdog Committee

5 points Member of Executive Board

5 points Owner of Hall of Fame Hound (name on plaque)

3 points Alternate member of Watchdog Committee

3 points Chairperson of a Basset Division committee (other than Watchdog Committee)

2 points Committee Member (other than Chairperson or Watchdog Committee)

2 points Active Licensed Basset Field Judge

1 point Active Licensed Basset Bench Judge

2 points Board of Directors member

2 points President and/or Secretary Treasurer of a club that holds AHBA Basset hunts

2 points Licensed Master of Hounds for Basset hunts

5 points Make Hound of the Year

2.5 points Make Reserve Hound of the Year

4 points make a Big Six winner in the field

2 points make a Big Six winner on the bench

3 points make a Grand Rabbit Champion

2 points Make a Bench Grand Champion

2 point Make a Rabbit Champion

1 point Make a Bench Champion

1 point AHBA Basset State Representative

1 point any other club officer

1 point Help start an AHBA club (see NOTE below)

NOTE: To receive Hall of Fame points for starting a club, the AHBA member must have prior Authorization from the Chairman of the Board or the AHBA President to assist the new club. Normally it is the State Representative who is assigned this task, or applies for this task, and has the above-mentioned approval. Sometimes it is not the State Representative.

A person can also get Hall of Fame points for starting a basset club if he/she starts a basset division within an already existing ARHA club that competes with beagles.

Conditions for starting a club:

1. Meets with the people interested in starting the club and answers questions about AHBA and/or in phone conversations with the person who is organizing the club does the above.

2. Attends at least 1 of the club's fun hunts and observes their operation of this hunt and assists them with the hunt.

3. Writes a report to the AHBA President recommending them for a charter.

4. Continues to be supportive of the new club as an advisor.

I. State Representatives

The duties of State Representatives are as follows;

1. Represent their state as a public relations person.

2. Promote new clubs and work with beagle clubs to establish basset hunts at their clubs.

3. Help new clubs get started.

4. Advertise AHBA in their states.

5. Serve as a member of the Board of Directors

III. General Rules for the Conduct of AHBA Sanctioned Hunts

A. Sanctioned Hunts

1. What constitutes a sanctioned hunt?

a. The hunt must be approved and licensed by the Chairman of the Board.

b. The hunt must be listed in the AHBA Hunt Schedule in the Rabbit Hunter at least 1 month before the hunt is held. In the event that the hunt request was sent in on time, but for some reason it was not printed in the Rabbit Hunter for 30 days before the hunt, the hunt can still be held if the president of the host club sends out a notice to all people on the basset mailing list at least 2 weeks before the hunt. Also note that the Chairman of the Board may also make an exception to this rule by putting the hunt information on the AHBA website: http://www.bassetnet.com (Note: It is recommended that the hunt information be sent to The Rabbit Hunter 90 days before the date of the hunt by the Chairman of the Board.

c. The club hosting the hunt must fill out and mail in the official Hunt Request form making sure that all information is filled in accurately.

d. All hounds entered in the hunt must be AHBA registered.

e. The hunt must be conducted under all AHBA rules, policies and procedures. All clubs must obtain a permit or authorization from the Department of Fish and Wildlife, if a permit is required in that state to protect out of state participants. Clubs that fail to do this are liable and responsible to pay for citations that are received by the participants.

f. There must be a minimum of 5

Open Class hounds to conduct an

Open Class AHBA sanctioned hunt. (Also see Rule XVI.B). There must be a minimum of 3 Rabbit Champion hounds to conduct a Rabbit Champion hunt. There must be a minimum of 3 Grand Champion hounds to conduct a Grand Champion hunt. If there are not enough

Open Class hounds, and you have enough Champions and/or Grand Champions these hunts may be held.

B. Hunt Limitations

1. Each member club must hold at least 1 sanctioned AHBA hunt in a calendar year.

2. A club may not hold more than 8 AHBA sanctioned hunts in a calendar year. This number includes State and Big Six hunts.

C. The Big hunts are; East Regional, South Regional, Central Regional, West Regional, North Regional, and World Hunt.

1. 3 of the Big 6 hunts are to be scheduled in the spring and 3 are to be scheduled in the fall or winter.

2. Judges at the World Hunt shall be paid for each cast they work.

3. The host club for the World Hunt shall work with the Executive Board to host this hunt. After all expenses are paid, the "profits" from the hunt will be divided between the host club and the AHBA Special Fund.

D. Firearms, weapons, alcoholic beverages, and illegal drugs are banned during all AHBA sanctioned hunts, meetings and official events. Note: this refers to the use of these by participants and/or spectators.

IV. Field Judges

A. All judges must be licensed by AHBA. and AHBA certified.

A certified Judge is one who has studied the rules and passed written judges' test with at least 85%correct. It is recommended that certified judges work as assistants until they have enoughconfidence to be head judges.

B. Judges shall not judge his/her own hounds. Further, he/she shall not judge a hound that is owned by a member of his/her immediate family. Definition of immediate family: husband, wife, mother, father, son, daughter, brother, sister, or spouses of any of the above. Exceptions: In extreme circumstances where everyone has a hound, or no certified judges are available to judge, and it is okayed by the owners or handlers involved, and the Master of Hounds, a judge who is a hound owner in the cast, or has a family member’s hound in the cast, can judge the cast.

C. A club must provide at least 1 judge per cast but may elect to have more than 1 judge per cast. If more than one judge is used, 1 judge is designated as head judge and his/her scorebook shall be the official scorebook. If a judge has an assistant judge working with him/her, this assistant must be approved by the Master of Hounds.

D. The judge shall be responsible for making all calls in the field and recording the scoring on a scorecard or scoring booklet.

E. The judge's decision in the field is final; however, a handler may appeal the judge's decision to the Master of Hounds.

F. Before the hounds are cast in the field the judge shall talk to the handlers and spectators and tell them what they can and cannot do during the hunt.

G. The judge shall tell the handlers and spectators the exact starting time of the hunt and shall announce to them when there is a time out.

H. In the event that a judge can not finish a cast due to sickness or injury, timeout is called and the cast will return to the place of drawing to be re-assigned another judge by the Master of Hounds. The scoring that has previously been compiled and the time elapsed will remain in effect. The new judge will complete the remainder of the unfinished cast.

I. At anytime during the cast, if the judge is very tired and needs to rest, he/she may call timeout and have the handlers leash their hounds (or let the hounds continue to run without scoring) until he/she is rested enough to continue judging.

V. Scorecard and protests

A. At the end of the cast the judge shall total the scores and offer the scorecard to the handlers for their signatures.

B. The handler may lodge a protest by not signing the scorecard.

C. When the handler signs the scorecard he/she forfeits his/her right to protest unless changes are made in the scoring after he/she signs the scorecard.

D. If a handler protests and does not sign the scorecard, the other handlers who agree with the judge's decision shall sign the scorecard.

E. If no protest is made by a handler, all handlers must sign the scorecard.

F. All protests must be reported to the Master of Hounds by the protesting handler within 15 minutes after returning to the clubhouse or staging area.

G. All protests shall be settled in a private conference involving the Master of Hounds, the judge involved in the protest, and the handler who is bringing the protest. The other handlers may be called in individually by the Master of Hounds as witnesses to explain or substantiate what happened. No spectators shall be called as witnesses.

H. The Master of Hound's decision is final, with the exception of the appeal (formal protest to Watchdog committee). The appeal must be sent to the Secretary/Treasurer within 20 days of the date of the hunt.

Note: The protest goes first to the Secretary/Treasurer who will then send copies to the Watchdog committee members and others as listed in rule II.D.2.g.

VI. Master of Hounds

A. The Master of Hounds must be licensed by the AHBA, elected by the club members or appointed by the club president, and must pass the Master of Hounds test with a score of 85% or better.

B. The Master of Hounds shall act as the final authority in the selection of methods of hunting, location of hunting areas, selection of casts by draw, appointment and assignment of judges and supervision of all functions associated with the hunt; including the resolution of any protest from the handlers concerning judges' decisions. He/she is also the final authority concerning protests involving bench shows.

C. The Master of Hounds must announce when entries are closed and no entries shall be accepted after this announcement has been made. The exception is for hounds that have been pre-entered in the hunt.

D. The Master of Hounds shall make the decision on whether it is too dark (or dangerous weather) to continue the hunt. Unfinished events shall be completed the next day or at another time determined by the Master of Hounds.

VII. Breed Inspector

A. Each club is to select a Breed Inspector for the hunt. This person is to be knowledgeable concerning basset breed standards. The Breed Inspector must be licensed by AHBA. The breed inspector must be a licensed Bench show judge.

B. The host club has the option of whether or not to measure the hounds before the hunt; however, any handler may challenge the size of the hound, and such hound must be measured before advancing any further in the hunt. All hounds must be present at the staging area before they are taken to the field. Any challenge to the hound's size must be done at the staging area.

Note: This challenge may take place at the beginning of any series before the hounds go out in the field. If a hound is measured earlier during the day of the hunt it does not have to be measured the second time that day.

C. The Breed Inspector makes the final decision as to whether the challenged hound shall be allowed to hunt.

D. The Breed Inspector has the right to measure all hounds that are entered in the hunt and to disqualify any hound that, in his/her opinion, does not meet breed standards, or is over 15 inches in the shoulder.

E. The Breed Inspector must have an official measuring stand available for use.

F. The Breed Inspector shall determine whether a hound qualifies for AHBA registration. The Breed Inspector shall check AKC registration papers for hounds being registered and write the AKC registration number on the AHBA registration form.

G. The club secretary shall issue a form signed by the Breed Inspector stating that said hound has been registered with AHBA at that club on that date. This form shall be filled out in duplicate. One shall be sent to AHBA for registration. The second is to be given to the dog's owner to be presented at subsequent hunts until the owner receives the official AHBA number. No hound shall be entered without an AHBA number or the above proof of registration.

VIII. Breed Standards for AHBA Sanctioned Hunts.

A. The hound must be registered with the AHBA.

B. The hound may not be more than 15 inches at the shoulder as measured by the Breed Inspector to compete in AHBA competition.

C. In order for a hound to be single registered with the AHBA as a basset hound it must be, to the best of the person/s registering the hounds’ knowledge to be a full blood basset hound and must appear to be a full blood basset hound. Any AHBA Breed Inspector that is found knowingly registering a hound that is not full blood basset will have his/her license revoked.

IX. Conducting the Hunt

A. All clubs must have a Master of Hounds and a Breed Inspector to conduct an AHBA sanctioned hunt.

B. The club treasurer, or another person appointed by the club president, must collect all money for entry fees and keep an accurate accounting of this money. He/she shall forward to the AHBA office all of the money that is required by the AHBA for sanctioned hunts.

C. All clubs must accept pre-entries. To officially pre-enter a hound, the hound owner must contact, prior to the hunt deadline, the club president or secretary, or other designated person listed in the Hunt Schedule and provide this person with the name(s) of the hound(s), class of the hound(s) and the AHBA number(s).

D. Cast

Note: The word "casting" is used in two different ways. In section 1 it means that the hounds names (numbers) are drawn out as the hounds are divided into casts. In section 2 "casting," means taking the hounds to the field to "cast" them.

1. No casting shall be done until the Master of Hounds has announced that th entries have been closed.

2. All handlers/owners must be present when the casts are drawn. A pre-entered hound will not be drawn out unless the hound and the handler/owner are present at the time the casts are drawn out.

3. There are 2 methods that can be used for placing judges with casts.

a. Judges for each cast may be assigned and announced before the casts are drawn. If a judge's hound (or a hound designated in Rule IV.B.), is drawn out in the cast he/she is judging, this hound must be rolled into another cast. The judge may have this hound rolled into a different series (those hounds not going out first) if it is known which casts are being sent out first and second.

b. Judges for each cast may be drawn out after the casts have been drawn out in any series.

4. Casts shall be determined by random selection methods to insure that all hounds have equal opportunity to win the event. The casts may be formed by placing the names of the hounds, or the assigned numbers, in a container with a non-hunting person, or the Master of Hounds, drawing the casts from the container. A Bingo selection method may be used. A computer program designed to distribute the hounds into casts may also be used.

5. Separate drawings shall be made for

Open Class, Rabbit Champion, and Grand Rabbit Champion.

6. Each cast is to be made up of 3 to 6 hounds, without discrimination made on the basis of sex or size. An exemption to this rule is the final cast where there may be 2 to 6 hounds.

7. If an owner (not handler) draws 2 or more of his/her hounds out in the same cast he/she may elect to leave all hounds in the same cast or have the name and/or number of the second hound drawn placed back in the container and drawn into another cast. This process is called "rolling the hound". In other words, the owner need have only 1 of his/her hounds in a cast. If the owner has 2 or more hounds drawn out in the last cast of any series and he/she wishes toroll the hound (or hounds if 3 are drawn in that cast), the hound that was drawn out last is moved to the next to last cast and the last hound in that cast is moved to the last cast. If this procedure results in another owner having 2 or more of his/her hounds in one cast, he/she may also have his/her hound rolled using this same method.

Note: If it has been determined, before any hounds are drawn out, which casts will be in the first series and which will be in other series, an owner may request to have his/her second or third hound drawn out in the first series "rolled" to the next series. Hounds cannot be rolled back to the first series in this situation.

8. The hound must hunt in the cast into which he/she was drawn.

9. The drawing of casts must be open to all handlers or the results are void.

E. Identification of Hounds in the Hunt

1. All hounds must be marked in such a way that the judge can identify each hound without the handlers having to report to the judge which is his/her hound.

2. The hounds shall be marked using color-coded collars. The collars must be a minimum of l inch in width and be made of day glow fabric or other fabric that is clearly visible.

F. Awards

1. Each club that hosts a sanctioned club hunt must present a minimum of 5 awards to the top 5 finishers in the

Open Class, but may present as many as they see fit.

2. At a sanctioned club hunt 2 awards must be awarded in the Rabbit Champion Class and 1 award in the Grand Rabbit Champion Class, but a club may award more if they see fit.

3. At a sanctioned club hunt, in the bench show, 1 award must be given for Best of Show in Open, Champion and Grand Champion Classes. In the

Open Class show Best Male, Best Female and Best Puppy awards must be given.

4. In Big 6 and State hunts the following awards must be given. Open field, 10 awards; Champion field, 5 awards; Grand Champion field, 5 awards;

Open Class bench, Best of Show, Best Male, Best Female, Best Puppy, Second Male, Second Female, Second Puppy; Champion bench, Best of Show; Grand Champion Class, Best of Show.

5. The awarding of prizes that are donated by dog food companies is left up to the discretion of the host club, rather than based solely on the order of finish of the hounds.

6. No cash prizes may be awarded without the permission of the AHBA.

7. No Calcutta, Shotguns, or other significant awards may be given.

8. AHBA does not prohibit raffles at hunts.

G. Reporting Hunt results to the AHBA

1. The Secretary or President of the host club shall issue the official AHBA winner certificates to the owners of the top 10 hounds in the

Open Class, and up to 10 winners of the Rabbit Champion Class and the Grand Rabbit Champion Classes. Certificates shall also be issued based on the Bench Show rules.

2. The Secretary or President must fill out the Hunt Report form completely. Hunt Report form and a check or money order for $3.00 per hound entered in the field for AHBA. This must be mailed to the AHBA Office within 30 days of the hunt.

3. The host club must keep a copy of the club’s hunt results. For a period of 3 months after the hunt or until the hunt results have been published in the rabbit hunter magazine.

4. If these procedures are not followed the results of the hunt may be void.

X. AHBA BASSET RUNNING RULES AND SCORING PROCEDURES

A. All points are plus or minus points.

B. A rabbit is defined as a cottontail, hares, snowshoe hare, or swamp rabbit.

1. If it is determined by the judge that the hounds are running a rabbit, other than those mentioned above, the judge shall call timeout and move the hounds away from the area where they have been running. Any scoring on the scorecard that was recorded for this "non-approved" rabbit shall remain on the scorebook and shall be included in the final score.

2. The judge does not have to see the rabbit to award points.

C. Strike

1. Definition: A strike is 3 or more barks from 1 hound after the hounds have been released in the field.

2. Strike points must be awarded if a hound jumps the rabbit. Example: Hound A jumps a rabbit from its setup. Even though Hound A did not bark on the track before it jumped the rabbit, it is still awarded the strike points. In this situation the hound shall receive 20 strike points and 20 jump points even though he/she did not open until after the rabbit was jumped.

3. A hound that opens on the track and is struck by the judge does not have to jump the rabbit to receive his/her 20 strike points, provided another hound jumps, or produces the rabbit within the allotted time of 3 minutes. Example: Hound A barks 3 or more times on a track. Hound B harks in and barks and, in the judgment of the judge, produces a rabbit, Hound A shall receive strike points.

Note: Producing a rabbit is defined as shown below. One or more of the following situations must exist before the judge scores a strike and awards plus points. Note that it is still the judge's decision on whether a rabbit was produced because weather and scenting conditions have a great deal to do with when a rabbit will run and how much scent is given off.

a. The judge or more than one of the handlers sees the rabbit.

b. More than 1 hound is barking on the line and they are advancing the line.

c. Fresh rabbit tracks are seen in the snow, dirt, or mud and the judge determines that the hound(s) are following these tracks and barking.

d. The hound barks 3 times or more and goes (even a short distance) directly to a hole or some other secure hiding place.

4. Strike points can only be given once on each rabbit.

5. The hound that opened and has been struck by the judge shall receive 10 minus points if no hound in the cast jumps, or produces a rabbit within 3 minutes.

6. No strike points will be awarded to a hound for a rabbit that has been produced by a judge, handler or spectator. When all hounds are present in the area the hounds can be put on this rabbit and the scoring begins on the first check. In this case no strike is awarded.

7. After a hound has opened (3 or more barks) and the judge strikes that hound, the judge shall give that hound a maximum of 3 minutes to produce the rabbit before he/she states that no rabbit was produced and asks the handlers to move their hounds to another area. In this case the hound that was struck receives a minus 10 points.

8. A hound that opens on a track and is struck by the judge shall be given a minus 10 points if that hound quits that track within 3 minutes. Example: A hound that is "ghost tracking", cold scenting, or barking on "trash", and then leaves the track is penalized 10 points.

9. The judge shall give the hound that is struck a full 3 minutes on that track no matter what the other hounds in the cast do unless that hound leaves the strike area.

10. The judge shall award 20 points for a successful strike.

11. In a situation where the judge cannot determine which hound barked on the strike, he/she may ask the handlers which hound barked. If the majority of the handlers agree on which hound opened first the judge shall award strike points. These may be minus or plus points depending on whether a rabbit is jumped or produced within the allowed 3 minutes.

D. Jump

1. Definition: A jump occurs when a rabbit has been flushed from a setup.

2. A jump occurs only at the beginning of a chase. No jump points shall be awarded except at the beginning of a chase.

3. Only 1 jump may be scored on each rabbit.

4. The judge may be unsure of which hound actually jumped the rabbit and may not award any jump points. Example: Hounds A, B, and C go under a brush pile and a rabbit runs of the other side of the brush pile. 1, 2, or 3 of the hounds may have actually jumped the rabbit, but the judge cannot determine this, so he does not award points.

5. The judge shall award 20 points for a jump.

6. The judge shall award 20 points per jump per rabbit, if he can determine which hound jumped the rabbit.

7. The judge does not have to see the rabbit on the jump to award 20 points.

8. The hound that jumps the rabbit shall receive strike and jump points and shall receive check points if he/she carries the rabbit by him/herself because the other hounds in the cast do not pack up and run the rabbit with him/her. At this point the judge may instruct the handlers of the other hounds to bring in their hounds and place them in the chase with the hound that first jumped the rabbit. Example: Hound A jumps the rabbit and follows the track. No other hound joins him/her in the chase so he is running this rabbit by him/herself.

Hound A loses the track for more than 10 seconds, but then straightens it out and again tracks the rabbit successfully. Hound A shall receive 20 strike points, 20 jump points and 20 check points. In this case the judge shall continue to judge the hound on the rabbit, even if the other hounds never join the chase.

9. If hounds jump a second rabbit during the chase and the pack splits, the judge, if knowing which rabbit was the original rabbit he/she gave the hound strike points for, shall continue to follow that rabbit and request the handlers to catch the hounds that split and return them to chase the original rabbit.

10. Any hound that does not hark in, or join the chase, once the rabbit is jumped, shall not be scored even if he/she produces another rabbit. The judge shall judge the hound that jumped or produced the rabbit first and the other hounds that are in the chase. Example: Hound A drifts away from the pack. Hound B jumps or strikes a rabbit and the chase is on. Hound A jumps a rabbit after Hound B has already jumped or struck a rabbit first. Hound B is scored and Hound A is not scored.

11. If the judge does not see which hound jumped the rabbit he/she may if he/she chooses, ask the handlers to identify the hound that jumped the rabbit, but he shall not award any jump points unless the majority of the handlers agree on which hound jumped the rabbit.

12. No hound shall be awarded jump points on a rabbit that is jumped by the judge, handlers, or spectators.

13. No jump shall be given on a rabbit that is jumped by the presence of a hound, if the hounds have to be put on the rabbit.

14. In some situations, one hound will get the strike and a different hound will get the jump. Example: Hound A has barked 3 times and is struck in by the judge. Hound B jumps a rabbit close enough to the strike area for the judge to believe it is the same rabbit that was struck in on. Hound A gets 20 strike points and Hound B gets 20 jump points.

E. Checks

1. Definition: A check occurs when it is evident that the hounds in pursuit of the rabbit have lost it for 10 seconds, or more. The hounds do not have to shut up barking for 10 seconds in the check area for it to be considered a check, only lose it to where they cannot make forward progress with the rabbit for 10 seconds. A hound must claim the check by giving mouth and making forward progress.

2. Any hound that pulls the other hounds away from the check area shall receive minus 10 points. Example: Hounds A, B, and C are searching the area where the rabbit was lost for more than 10 seconds. Hound D is several yards away from the check area and is barking. One, or more of the hounds (A, B, and C), hark in on Hound D and the rabbit is not produced. Hound D receives a minus 10 points.

3. The judge shall award 20 points for a check.

4. The scoring of checks shall continue as long as the rabbit is running.

5. If the judge determines that the rabbit is holed up, or that the hounds have lost the rabbit and are unable to get it started again, he/she shall announce that the track is dead and asks the handlers to move their hounds to another area.

F. Scoring of Minus Points

. If a hound opens and barks 3 times and no rabbit is produced within 3 minutes, the hound that opened first shall receive minus 10 points. If another hound jumps the rabbit or produces a rabbit within 3 minutes no minus points are given.

2. Any hound that pulls other hounds away from the check area shall receive a minus 10 points.

3. Any hound that accumulates 30 minus points during the cast shall be disqualified, regardless of how many plus points the hound has. Example: Hound A has 200 plus points, but accumulated 30 minus points. Hound A is disqualified.

4. Any hound caught backtracking on a trail 50 feet or more shall be minused 10 points every time it is observed backtracking this distance. This backtracking does not have to be on different rabbits.

Definition of backtracking: When a hound is clearly running and barking in the opposite direction on a line that has already been run by a hound or hounds. Barking while returning to the point of loss is NOT backtracking.

5. MINUS POINTS MUST BE SUBTRACTED FROM PLUS POINTS.

G. Reasons a Hound may be disqualified

1. If a hound accumulates 30 minus points during one cast.

2. If a hound is fighting, or attempting to fight, with another hound in such a fashion that it prevents the other hound from hunting.

3. If the hound runs deer, fox, coyote or elk. The judge does not have to see the deer, fox, coyote or elk to disqualify the hound. A hound shall be barred from all competitions in AHBA sanctioned hunts for 1 year if he runs deer, fox, coyotes or elk 3 times in a calendar year. It is not the intention of this rule to penalize the hound that is merely harking in on another hound, smells around, and then immediately returns to rabbit hunting. If the hounds are running deer, fox coyote or elk, the judge can stop the chase at any time but will take at least 10 minutes before he/she disqualifies any hound. When there is a question as to whether the hounds are running off-game or not, the handler cannot scratch his/her hound to prevent the judge from disqualifying his/her hound and turning it in for running off game. If the handler scratches his/her hound under these circumstances, the hound will be turned in for running deer, fox, coyote or elk.

Note: the reason for the 10-minute time period is to give the judge time to sort everything out; what hounds were involved in the chase? check tracks to see if it was deer, fox, coyote or elk, etc. Note 2: a hound is disqualified if he continues to run the line, even after he/she has smelled the tracks and knows what he/she is running even if he/she does not bark on the tracks.

4. If a female is in heat and is distracting to the other hounds.

5. If a male continues to try to mount a female that is not in heat, or tries to mount another male and interferes with that male's hunting.

6. If the hound's handler is drinking alcohol, using un-prescribed drugs, engages in abusive conduct or language, or interferes with the judge in his/her conducting the hunt.

7. If the handler carries on an argument with the judge.

8. A hound that has been inspected by the Breed Inspector and found to be oversized shall be disqualified. If a hound is disqualified because of measuring over 15 inches it is mandatory that the name, AHBA number, and owner of the hound be reported on the same page of the reporting form as the off-game runners are reported.

9. All cast winners must be present and accounted for at the clubhouse, or place of cast drawing, when the second, or later, casts are drawn out if that hound has to run again. Any hounds not so present and accounted for will be disqualified even if he/she is the previous cast winner. In the event of this disqualification, the balance of the cast will be put down and run. No other hound will be brought up to take the place of the hound disqualified. This rule applies to hounds that still have to go back out to run. This does not apply to hounds that will be placed using the Progressionary Sequence Method.

Example: there are 5 hounds that qualify to run again, but only 4 hounds are present when the cast is drawn out; these 4 hounds run for places 1 through 4. Places 5 through 10 are filled using the Progressive Sequence Method.

10. All hounds that have been spayed or neutered because of Brucellosis shall be prohibited from all basset competition.

11. Anyone who knowingly brings a hound that has Brucellosis to an AHBA hunt shall be banned from AHBA competition for life.

NOTE: We strongly recommend that every basset owner keep his/her hounds inoculated for all contagious diseases and have his/her hound tested for Brucellosis at least once per year.

12. The judge may disqualify a hound for not hunting if it is obvious to the judge that the hound is not hunting for a continuous 15-minute period of time any time during the cast.

H. Time Outs

1. Only the judge has the authority to call a time out, but a handler may request a time out.

2. During a time out the judge shall tell the handlers to call in their hounds and leash them, and no scoring shall take place during the time out. The judge does not have to wait more than 5 minutes for a handler to catch his/her hound before the judge has the other hounds released to hunt. The hound that is not present when the other hounds are released is not disqualified for not being present; however, it could be disqualified if it is off running deer, fox, coyote or elk.

3. If a rabbit is jumped, or struck, during a time out the judge may use this rabbit for the next chase, but no jump or strike points are awarded.

4. The amount of time used for a time out shall be added to the total time of the cast. Example: A 1-hour cast started at 9:00 AM. The judge called a 10-minute time out. Instead of the hunt ending at 10:00 AM, it will end at 10:10 AM.

I. Dead Track

1. The judge shall announce to the handlers when he/she has determined that the track is dead and the chase ended.

2. When a track is declared dead by the cast judge, he/she must call a timeout, have the handlers leash their hounds and move to another area. If it is a short timeout the judge does not have to order the hounds leashed up, but may do so if he/she wishes.The scoring has stopped on that race. The judge will announce when the cast has continued and scoring started again.

XI. Handlers and Spectators

A. Definition of handler: Any person who takes the hound into the field for a hunt, after the hound has been entered in the event.

1. Distances between judge and handlers, and at times of spectators, is at the discretion of the judge.

2. All handlers must stay in a group. If a handler does not stay in the group He/she shall be warned by the judge and, on the second offense, the judge shall disqualify his/her hound.

3. The handler shall not direct any questions to the judge regarding scoring until the hunt has ended. The handler is to remain quiet unless the judge asks him/her a question.

4. The handler shall identify his/her hound when asked to do so by the judge.

5. The handler shall not tell the judge how to score.

6. The handler shall not call or encourage his/her hound unless he/she is permitted by the judge to do so; however, when a handler's hound comes in to "check in" the handler may acknowledge his/her hound.

7. Any handler who uses abusive language, threatens or strikes a judge, Master of Hounds, or another handler shall be banned from AHBA competition for a period of time to be determined by the Watchdog Committee.

a. Any handler who argues with a judge or Master of Hounds shall have his/her hound disqualified by the judge or Master of Hounds.

8. If a handler is banned from AHBA competition by the Watchdog Committee, his/her name shall be reported to the AHBA basset clubs. At the end of the ban, this handler may apply to the Watchdog Committee for reinstatement, which may or may not be granted. If the handler who is banned is a hound owner, none of his/her hounds shall be allowed in AHBA competition during the time that the owner is barred. Even if the banned individual sells his/her hounds, the hounds still cannot compete until the banned time is up.

9. After the hunt is over and the judge presents the scorecard, then the handler may ask questions about the hunt and the scoring of the hunt.

10. If the handler does not agree with the judge and wishes to protest, he/she should not sign the scorecard. See section V concerning protests.

11. If a hound is running a second rabbit, other that the one the pack is running, or the hound has wandered away at some distance from the other hounds, the handler may ask the judge's permission to catch his/her hound and put it back in the pack.

12. A handler is permitted to handle more than 1 hound in a cast.

13. During the hunt the handler cannot use any controlling device to assist his/her hound in hunting. This includes whistles, using his/her voice (whistling, hissing, calling, etc.), using hand signals, to direct his/her hound. The handler may use these methods only if the judge tells him/her to call in his/her hound.

Tracking collars are not considered to be controlling devices. If a tracking collar is used the handler must leave the searching equipment in the vehicle until the judge gives him/her permission to use it, or his/her hound has already been disqualified. The handler is to report to the Master of Hounds before the hounds go out in the field, that he/she plans to use a tracking collar. The Master of Hounds shall inspect the equipment. In the field, before the hounds are released, the judge shall inspect the tracking collar. If a handler is caught cheating, and is using the collar as a shock collar, the owner of the hound and his/her hounds will be banned from AHBA competition for at least 1 year.

14. A handler is not permitted to catch his/her hound and lift it over a fence, or other obstacles, unless directed by the judge to do this.

B. Definition of spectator: A spectator is a person who goes into the field to observe the hunt.

1. The spectator is not part of the hunt. He/she is only an observer.

2. A spectator who is abusive, uses abusive language, threatens or strikes a judge, Master of Hounds, handler, or other spectators shall be barred from attending all AHBA competitions for a period of time determined by Watchdog Committee.

3. The judge shall instruct spectators as to where he/she wants them to be in relation to the handlers and him/herself.

4. Spectators cannot be called as witnesses in a protest situation.

5. A spectator cannot talk to the judge, nor try to tell him/her how he/she should be judging the hunt.

6. A spectator cannot touch a hound, talk to a hound, or in any way try to encourage the hound when it is in the field.

7. With the permission of the judge, a spectator may help a handler catch his/her hound if the hound is in danger, if the hound is chasing a deer, fox, or coyote, or at the end of the hunt. XII. Running Time

A. Before a hound is declared to have placed (1st through 10th) in a sanctioned hunt and receive AHBA and Hound of the Year points, it must have been judged in active hunting for a minimum of 2 hours. Exception; In certain circumstances where weather conditions (heat, cold, storms), or shortage of daylight, with the okay of the owners or handlers and the Master of Hounds, the second (or final) rounds can be lowered from one hour to whatever is agreed upon. Exception: If there are 6 or less hounds in the class; whether it be Open, Champion, or Grand Champion Classes. In this situation the hounds run only 1 hour.

B. All second place hounds, not cast winners, will be placed by their points, using the Progressionary Sequence Method and only have to run the first cast (1 hour).

C. All hounds entered in an AHBA sanctioned hunt must run a minimum of 1 hour in the first series.

D. If a hound strikes in with less than 3 minutes remaining in the cast and no rabbit is produced, the hound shall receive neither plus nor minus points. If a rabbit is produced during this time scoring goes on for all hounds until the cast time is over.

XIII. Breaking the Ties

A. If 2, or more hounds are tied with the same number of points at the end of a cast, the tie shall be broken as follows:

1. The hound with the fewest minus points. If this does not break the tie, go to #2.

2. The hound with the most plus strike points. If this does not break the tie, go to #3.

3. The hound with the most check points. If this does not break the tie, go to #4.

4. The hound with the most jump points. If this does not break the tie, go to #5.

5. If still tied, the judge shall award 10 points for hunting and handling for the hound that in his/her judgment hunted and handled the best. Other hounds that are tied, under these conditions, shall be placed by the judge rating the hounds on handling and hunting. The judge will mark the place standings on the score sheet before it is signed by handlers.

6. Note that the only time that a coin flip is used is to break a tie when using the Progressionary Sequence Method to place the hounds.

B. If 2 hounds (or more) are tied with positive points (or 0 points) in the final cast (running for 1st place) and the tie breaker rule (#l through # 4) does not break the tie, the coin flip will not be used. The tied hounds shall be run for 30 additional minutes. If they are still tied at the end of this time, the judge shall ask the handlers to leash their hounds and then ask them if they want to run a 10 minute overtime with the hound that scores first winning the cast. If the handlers all agree, all hounds shall be released at the same time. The hounds may all be put on a fresh track and the hound that gets the first check wins. If no fresh track is available, the hounds will all be released at the same time and the hound with the first positive strike is the winner. If 2 or more hounds are tied at the end of the 30 minutes or overtime period. The judge must award 10 handling and hunting points to the hound that he/she feels hunted and handled the best and then rate the other hounds and place them in the cast.

Note: In relation to rule B, if it is dark, or there is very severe weather (Master of Hounds decision) and the hounds can not be run, the judge shall use the handling and hunting method to break the tie and not run the hounds 30 and/or 10 minute overtime.

C. In the case of a tie of 0 at the end of any cast, except the final cast, because no positive points were scored, the judge must break the tie by awarding 10 points to the hound, that in his/her judgment, hunted and handled the best. This is not optional with the judge. The remaining hounds (tied at 0) will be placed 2nd through 6th in the cast according to the judgment of the judge, based on their hunting and handling during the cast. A coin toss will not be used.

XIV. Selection of Winners

A. Conduct a trial where the First Round casts run for 1 hour. After the first series the winners of each cast advance to the second round of competition. If less than 10 casts in the first round, the places not filled with cast winners, shall be filled using the Progressionary Sequence Method.

1. In the second round of competition, the hounds must run 1 hour. In the remaining rounds of competition, the hounds must run a minimum of 30 minutes.

2. Continue to run until a final cast of 2 to 6 hounds is left. The winner of this cast shall be declared winner with the remaining hounds in that cast placing in their order of finish.

3. Should any hound(s) be disqualified in the running of the final cast, places vacated due to disqualification shall not be filled. In the event that a hound minuses out on the final cast that hound should be placed at the bottom of that cast and not minused out of the hunt as this hound has already won over some hounds that will place. If a hound is scratched (disqualified) for not hunting or running off game, it should be disqualified from the hunt. Places vacated due to disqualification of a hound(s) for not hunting or running off game shall not be filled.

EXAMPLE: The event has attracted 35 hounds. The Master of Hounds elects to run 7 casts of 5 hounds. The 7 cast winners advance to the 2nd round to compete for places 1-7 and the second place hounds, by using the Progressionary Sequence Method, are used to fill places 8-10. The first place winners are drawn into 2 casts. 1 cast would have 4 hounds and the other cast would have 3 hounds. The winners of these 2 casts would run against each other for 1st and 2nd places. 3rd-7th places would be awarded (using the remaining hounds from the 2 winner's casts) by the Progressionary Sequence Method.

B. Progressionary Sequence Method

1. This method is used to determine the place winners that have not been determined after the second (or third) round of competition.

2. The reasons for using this method are.

a. Some casts may find several rabbits and have high scores, while other casts may find very few rabbits and have low scores.

b. A hound that scored second in his/her cast should not be placed lower than hounds that scored third or fourth in another cast.

3. Example: In this example we are determining 3rd through 10th places.

PLACE
2ND
3RD
4TH
5TH
CAST #1
HOUND
Hound #25
Hound #30
Hound #1
Hound #6
POINTS
150
120
60
50
PLACE
2ND
3RD
4TH
5TH
CAST #2
HOUND
Hound #5
Hound #9
Hound #18
Hound #20
POINTS
200
100
80
40

Steps:

a. Look at the second place finishers. Hound #5 has the highest point total and is awarded 3rd place. Hound #25 is placed 4th.

b. Look at the third place finishers. Hound #30 has the highest point total and is awarded 5th place. Hound #9 is placed 6th

c. Look at the fourth place finishers. Hound #16 has the highest point total and is awarded 7th place. Hound #1 is placed 8th.

d. Look at the fifth place finishers. Hound #6 has the highest point total and is awarded 9th place. Hound #20 is placed 10th.

XV. Rabbit Champion and Grand Rabbit Champion Classes

Note: Note that State and Big 6 hunts are neutral hunts and points (or wins) earned at these hunts are not counted as points (or wins) from an individual club.

A. To qualify as a Rabbit Champion a hound must place first in at least 3 sanctioned hunts and earns a total of 100 points. Not more than 50 points may come from 1 club.

B. To qualify as Grand Rabbit champion a hound must have 5 first place wins in a Champion Class in sanctioned hunts. Not more than 3 wins can come from one club.

C. When a hound has qualified for Rabbit Champion or Grand Rabbit Champion, the owner of the hound may apply to the AHBA for the certificate. OR - When an

Open Class hound has met the qualifications for the Rabbit Champion certificate the

Open Class hound may continue to compete in the

Open Class until the end of the calendar year at which time the hound must move up to the Rabbit Champion Class. When a Rabbit Champion hound has met the qualifications for the Grand Rabbit Champion certificate the Champion Class hound may continue to compete in the Champion Class until the end of the calendar year at which time the hound must move up to the Grand Rabbit Champion Class. Any hound that is moved up to the higher class may not compete in the lower class once it has competed in the higher class.

D. In order to be awarded points toward Rabbit Champion a hound must compete in sanctioned hunts where there are at least 5 hounds entered.

E. Rabbit Champions shall be allowed to compete in all sanctioned hunts where 3 or more Rabbit Champions are entered. If there are less than 3 Rabbit Champions entered in the hunt, the Rabbit Champion Class cannot be run.

F. Grand Rabbit Champions shall be allowed to hunt in all sanctioned hunts where 3 or more Grand Rabbit Champions are entered. If there are less than 3 Grand Rabbit Champions entered in the hunt, the Grand Rabbit Champion Class cannot be run.

XVI. Awarding of Points at AHBA Sanctioned Hunts

A. AHBA Scoring for Rabbit Champion in hunts where 10 or more hounds are entered; 1st Place, 40 points; 2nd Place, 30 Points; 3rd Place, 25 Points; 4th Place, 20 Points; 5th Place, 15 Points; 6th Place, 10 Points; 7th Place, 10 points 8th Place, 10 Points; 9th Place, 5 Points; 10th Place, 5 Points.

B. Use this scoring to determine points if less than 10 hounds are entered.

1ST Place
2ND Place
3RD Place
4TH Place
5TH Place
6TH Place
7TH Place
8TH Place
9TH Place
9 HOUNDS
30
25
20
15
10
10
10
5
5

8 HOUNDS
25
20
15
10
10
10
5
5

7 HOUNDS
20
15
10
10
10
5
5

6 HOUNDS
15
10
10
10
5
5

5 HOUNDS
10
7
5
5
5

9 hounds 8 hounds 7 hounds 6 hounds 5 hounds 1st Place 30 25 20 15 10 2nd Place 25 20 15 10 7 3rd Place 20 15 10 10 5 4th Place 15 10 10 10 5 5th Place 10 10 10 5 5 6th Place 10 10 5 5 7th Place 10 5 5 8th Place 5 5 9th Place 5

Note: If there are 5 or more

Open Class hounds entered in the hunt the winning hound shall have one of his/her first place wins that is needed to advance to Rabbit Champion.

AHBA BASSET RULES AND PROCEDURES FOR BENCH SHOWS

XVII. Basset Show Rules

A. Policy Statement

The AHBA believes that proper conformation is essential to the betterment of the basset breed. To this point, we will sponsor Bench Shows to encourage the best possible conformation in a true hunting basset. The Judge is reminded that as hunting bassets they may show scars, cuts, and other signs of being in the field.

Note: Spayed or neutered dogs can be shown on the bench.

B. The bench judge shall not judge his/her own hounds. Further, he/she shall not judge a hound that is owned by a member of his/her immediate family. Definition of immediate family: husband, wife, mother, father, son, daughter, brother, sister, or spouses of any of the above.

C. All Bench Shows shall be judged by AHBA certified bench show judges who have been certified by passing the AHBA bench show qualifying test.

1. The bench judge must be licensed by the AHBA for it to be a sanctioned bench show. Any handler has the right to ask the Master of Hounds to have the bench judge produce his/her AHBA bench judge license. If the license is not produced the handler may file a protest with the Master of Hounds.

2. The bench show judge shall use the official bench show score sheet and have the score sheet available to all show participants after the show is over.

3. The club shall keep the bench show official score sheet for a period of 30 days after the hunt.

D. Clubs must give awards to First Place Hounds and Best of Show Hounds in each class judged. Second place awards for Champion and Grand Champion Class show must be awarded at all Big Six hunts. All points earned toward championship while hound is a puppy shall be carried over after hound is one year old.

E. Classes shall be divided into:

Open Class

1. Puppies – under 1 year of age..

2. Females over 1 year of age and Males over 1 year of age.

3. Champion Class

4. Grand Champion Class

F. Puppy Bench Shows

1. All puppies shall be shown against each other regardless of sex.

2. The Best Puppy shall compete against the Best Male Open and the Best Female Open for Best of Show

Open Class.

3. Points shall be awarded as follows:

Best Puppy--20 points

Second Best Puppy--10 points

G. Bench Show -

Open Class

1. Hounds shall be shown by sex

2. Points shall be awarded as follows:

a. Best Male--20 points

b. Second Place Male--10 points

c. Best Female--20 points

d. Second Place Female--10 points

e. Best of Show--20 additional points

3. Only First Place hounds shall be considered for Best of Show. The best of each class (male, female, puppy) will be brought back to show against each other for Best of Show. The number of points scored in the class competition has nothing to do with the final outcome for Best of Show.

4. A Bench Show Champion is a hound that has scored 100 point in AHBA Bench Show competition and has a minimum of 3 Best of Show awards. Not more than 50 points may come from 1 club and must come from no less than 2 different judges.

H. Bench Show Champion and Grand Champion

Note: Note that State and Big 6 hunts are neutral hunts and points (or wins) earned at these hunts are not counted as points (or wins) from an individual club.

1. A Bench Show Champion is a hound that has scored 100 points in AHBA Bench Show Competition and has a minimum of two (2) Best of Show award. Not more than 50 points may come from one club and from no less than two judges.

2. Since only Best of Show counts, Best of Show shall be the only place awarded.

3. A Grand Bench Show Champion is a hound that has five (5) Best of Show wins in Champion Bench Show competition. Not more than 3 wins can come from the same club.

I. A hound must be entered in the hunt to quality to be entered in the Bench Show.

1. Exceptions

a. Puppies

b. Rabbit Champions and Grand Rabbit Champions may be shown on the bench without being entered in the field if no field class is established for them at that hunt.

2. A handler may not pay fees and enter his/her hound in the field competition and scratch the hound in order to compete on the bench. The hound must take part in the field competition.

J. Class sizes

1. A minimum of 3 hounds of the same designation must be entered in

Open Class in order to award AHBA Bench points for best in the class.

2.

Open Class shall be divided by sex. Example: there are 3 males and 3 puppies entered but only 1 female. Points are awarded in the male class and puppy class, but not in the female class even if the female is judged and awarded a trophy.

3. There must be at least 3 entries to have a class and there must be 2 classes to award Best of show. If there is only 1 full class there can be a Best of class awarded, but no Best of Show will be awarded.

4. A Bench Champion Class must have 3 or more hounds regardless of sex to award Best of Show.

5. A Grand Champion Class must have 3 or more hounds regardless of sex to award Best of Show.

6. There shall be an

Open Class (includes puppies), Champion Class and Grand Champion Class at all State and Big 6 hunts if there are enough entries.

K. The entry deadline for the Bench Show is the same deadline as the deadline for field entries.

L. Time for Bench Shows. This is a club option and the Master of Hounds determines the show time. It is best to judge the hounds during the day while the field trials are being held as this puts less pressure on the bench judge to finish the show as soon as possible and it gives the judge more time to examine each hound thoroughly. It is recommended (but optional) that the top two hounds in each class be brought back for final selection when there is no field action going on; such as at the end of the second series. At this time the judge picks first and second place in each class and awards the Best of Show. In the final selections the score sheet does not have to be used (but optional) to determine first and second in a class and Best of Show.

M. Basset conformity and names of parts. *** We need the drawing of a basset with the parts named under this section.

N. AHBA points toward Champion and Grand Champion may be awarded only at sanctioned hunts.

O. All protests from the Bench Show shall be handled by the Master of Hounds.

1. Handlers are reminded that protests shall be over rule infractions only. The judging itself is subjective and not open to protest.

2. A handler or the Bench Judge shall protest hound size to the Master of Hounds. This protest must be done at the time of judging, not after decisions have been made concerning class winners or Best of Show. In this case the Master of Hounds shall request the Breed Inspector to measure hounds that appear to be over-sized.

XVIII. Bench Show Area

A. Clubs should attempt to provide a large enough area to allow the handler to circle the hound rather than walk him back and forth on a line. A circle with a 30-foot diameter is suggested.

B. Clubs should provide a stable bench, with a non-slick surface, wide enough to allow for comfortable posing and viewing. The bench top surface should be a minimum of 2 feet off of the ground. (Minimum width 18" and length minimum 4 feet is adequate.) Note: If the judge notices that the bench does not meet standards he/she should continue with the judging but should inform the Master of Hounds that this should be corrected before the next hunt and the judge should report this deficiency to the AHBA Office.

C. Some bassets are very uncomfortable and uncooperative when their feet are off of the ground; the handler has the option of showing his/her hound on the bench or on the ground.

XIX. Bench Show Judging Procedures

A. Gait - A hound's gait is a valuable tool in locating possible faults. However, since points are awarded in each specific area, no points are to be scored on the gait. Walking the hound for the judge is a recommended procedure for the judge to use to begin his/her assessment of the hound. The hound's head may be up or down.

The basset hound should move in a smooth and effortless manner. Normally it will walk with its nose to the ground but it is not a fault if it walks with its head in the air.

In its gait there is good coordination between its front and back legs. The front and back legs should be in a line with each other. The hocks will be well bent and there should be no stiffness in the legs. The front legs should not sweep in or out but move in a line in forward motion. The leg recovery (when the leg is moved forward for another step) should be straight. The elbows should be close to the body. Going away the hind legs are parallel.

If the judge wishes, he/she may request that the handler put the hound into a run. Sometimes a hound in a running gait shows faults (or strengths) that do not show up when the hound is walking.

These are some of the flaws that the judge is looking for as the handler is walking his/her hound:

1. Stiffness in front legs may indicate problems with the elbow joint, poor leg bone alignment, problems with pastern, etc.

2. Front leg swinging may indicate a chest that is too broad or stiffness in shoulder joint. May also indicate that the feet are not properly formed.

3. Bowed front legs, in or out, may indicate a lack of strength in the legs.

4. Stiffness in back legs may indicate malformation of the hock or problems with the hip joint.

5. Throwing outward of the back legs may indicate problems with the hip joint.

6. Front and back legs not moving in a coordinated way indicate elbow, pastern, hock, or hip problems.

7. If the hound walks with a bouncing motion it may indicate poorly formed feet, or weakness in hips or shoulders.

8. If the hound is tottering from side to side while it is walking it may indicate that the feet are placed too far under the body or too far to the sides.

B. Scoring of head, total 30 points.

1. Skull (10 points)

The skull should be well domed and showing a pronounced occipital protrubance. A skull that is flat and broad is a fault. The length from nose to stop is approximately the length from stop to occiput. The sides of the head are flat and free from cheek bumps. Viewed from the side the top lines of the muzzle and skull are straight with a moderately defined stop. The skin over the whole head is loose and it falls in distinct wrinkles over the brow when the hound's head is lowered.

2. Ears (5 points)

The ears are extremely long, low set, and when drawn forward fold well over the end of the nose. They are velvety in texture, hanging in loose folds with the ends curling slightly inward. They are set back at the base of the skull and often appear to be set on the neck if the hound is sitting. High set or flat ears are a fault. Short ears are a fault.

3. Eyes (5 points)

The eyes appear to be soft, sad, and slightly sunken. Eyes that protrude, eyes set too wide, and eyes set too close together are faults. Light colored eyes are a serious fault.

4. Muzzle (10 points)

The muzzle should be deep and heavy. The nose should have wide-open nostrils. The teeth are large, sound, and regularly spaced. The upper teeth should overlap the lower teeth just slightly (scissors bite) or the teeth should meet evenly. Overbites and underbites are faults. The lips are pendulous and fall squarely in front. Toward the back the lips hang in loose, hanging flews. Flaws are overly flat nose, short nose, tight lips, over and under bites, and narrow nose.

C. Scoring of body, total 40 points

1. Neck (5 points)

The neck is powerful and well arched. It should be well muscled and allow for free movement up and down and left and right. Flaws are a weak neck, thin neck, and restricted neck movement.

2. Chest (10 points)

The chest is deep and full. Prominent sternum that shows clearly in front of the front legs when looking at the hound's profile. The distance from the ground to the lowest part of the chest should not be more than 1/3 of the height of the hound measured at the shoulders.

3. Shoulders (10 points)

The shoulders are well laid back and powerful. The top of the shoulders should be level with hound's rear and should be in proportion to the hound's total body that is, not overly wide or overly narrow.

4. Back (10 points)

The top line of the back should be straight and level. Sagging or roaching are faults.

5. Loin/Rib (5 points)

The rib structure is long, smooth, and extends well back. The ribs are well sprung, allowing adequate room for the heart and lungs. Flanged or flat-sided ribs are faults. The hound should be neither too heavy nor too thin but well proportioned with the rest of the body.

D. Running gear, total of 20 points

1. Foreleg (5 points)

The forelegs are short, powerful, heavy in bone, with wrinkled skin. Knuckling over the front legs is a fault. The length of the forelegs is sufficient to keep the chest from sagging disproportionately.

2. Hips (5 points)

The hindquarters are very full and well rounded, and are approximately the same width as the shoulders. They should not appear slack or light in relation to the overall depth of the body.

3. Hind legs (5 points)

The hound stands firmly on it's back legs showing a well let down stifle, and there is no tendency to sag or crouch. Viewed from behind the back legs are parallel to each other with the hocks turning neither in or out. Cow hocked or bowed legs are serious faults.

4. Feet (5 points)

The front paws are massive, very heavy with tough, heavy pads. The feet are rounded and inclined outward to balance the width of the shoulders. Feet down at the pastern is a fault. The toes are neither pinched together nor splayed. The weight of the fore body should be evenly borne by both feet. Dewclaws may or may not be removed.

Hind feet point straight ahead. Feet are rounded and the toes are neither pinched together nor splayed. They should be heavily padded and the weight of the body distributed evenly on both feet.

E. Coat, total of 5 points.

There is no color preference in the coat. The coat is hard, smooth, and short. It should be dense enough to protect the hound in colder weather. The skin is loose and elastic. An excessively long coat is a fault.

F. Tail, total of 5 points.

No docking of the tail. The tail is a continuation of the spine. There should be a slight curvature in the tail and should be carried high. The hair on the underside of the tail should be course. The tail must be proportional to the body.

G. Color - no points

Any recognized hound color is acceptable and the distribution of color and markings are of no importance.

H. Height - no points

It is expected that the basset will measure approximately 14 inches, however, any height up to 15 inches is acceptable. If the hound is over 15 inches it is disqualified. The Bench Judge may ask the Master of Hounds to have the Breed Inspector measure the hound if he has any doubts about the hound's size. The Breed Inspector makes the final decision about a hound's size.

XX. AHBA/Purina Hound of the Year Program

The purpose of the Hound of the Year program is to identify and recognize the best hounds in the AHBA for the year 2005 through participation in AHBA sanctioned field trials.

POINTS:

Points will be earned based on placement in AHBA sanctioned hunts. The number of points earned will be based on the number of entries in the field class (Open, Champion or Grand Champion) of the hunt in which the hound places. The points are awarded as follows:

1st place 100% of the number of hounds in the class 2nd place 90% of the number of hounds in the class 3rd place 80% of the number of hounds in the class 4th place 70% of the number of hounds in the class 5th place 60% of the number of hounds in the class 6th place 50% of the number of hounds in the class 7th place 40% of the number of hounds in the class 8th place 30% of the number of hounds in the class 9th place 20% of the number of hounds in the class 10th place 10% of the number of hounds in the class

EXCEPTION IN POINTS WILL BE A MUTILPICATION FACTOR FOR BIG SIX AND STATE HUNTS BEGINNING JANUARY 1, 2005

WORLD HUNT POINTS EARNED X 1.50

REGIONAL HUNTS POINTS EARNED X 1.25

STATE CHAMPIONSHIPS POINTS EARNED X 1.15

HIGH POINT HOUND OF THE YEAR AND RESERVE

At the end of the calendar year, the hound in each class with the highest point total will be the High Point Hound of the Year. The hound with the second highest point total in each class will be the Reserve High Point Hound of the Year. In the event of a tie for High Point Hound of the Year, the awards for High Point and Reserve Hound of the Year will be combined and split evenly between the tied hounds. (There would be no Reserve High Point Hound of the Year in this situation.) In the event of a tie for Reserve, the award will be split evenly between the tied hounds.

HOUND OF THE YEAR AND RESERVE

The ten hounds in each class with the highest point totals at the end of the calendar year will be invited to the Hound of the Year Runoff to determine the Hound of the Year. In the event that two or more hounds are tied for 10th place, then the tied hounds will all be invited. The Runoff winner will be the Hound of the Year. The hound which places second in the Runoff will be the Reserve Hound of the Year.

HOUND OF THE YEAR RUNOFF RULES

1. The Runoff will be conducted by the AHBA Executive Board under regular AHBA rules.

2. If any qualified hound is absent at the start of the Runoff, then the Runoff will proceed without them. No lower placing hounds will be moved up to take that slot in the Runoff. Exception: Rule 4.

3. If a hound qualifies for the Runoff in one class, but has moved up to another class during the year, he/she is still eligible to compete in the Runoff in the class in which he/she has qualified. Example; a hound finishes the calendar year in seventh place in

Open Class, but has already moved up to Champion Class in October. That hound would still be eligible to compete in the

Open Class Runoff.

4. If a hound should qualify for the Runoff in more than one class, the hound's owner must chose in which class to compete in the Runoff and declare that class at least two weeks prior to the Runoff. The hound may not compete in more than one class at the Runoff. In this situation, the 11th place hound in the Hound of the Year standings would then be invited to the Runoff to fill the vacated spot in the class not chosen.

5. A hound that is on suspension for running off-game three times or whose owner (either an individual or kennel) is banned from AHBA competition at the date of the Runoff is ineligible to compete in the Runoff, even if the hound has been transferred to a new owner after the infraction occurred which caused the banning. No lower placing hound will be moved up to fill that vacated slot.

6. All protests involving the Runoff will be handled under the normal protest procedures. The Master of Hounds for the Runoff will be selected by the Executive Board. The judges for the Runoff will be selected by the Executive Board but will be drawn out as in a normal hunt.

AWARDS

High Point Hound of the Year and Hound of the Year winners (Open, Champion and Grand Champion) will receive the following: $150.00 cash, 100 pounds Purina Dog Food, one Purina Jacket, one Purina Cap, and a plaque.

Reserve High Point Hound of the Year and Reserve Hound of the Year winners (Open, Champion and Grand Champion) will receive the following: $50.00 cash, 50 pounds Purina Dog Food, one Purina Cap, and a plaque.

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