Join the club
Membership
Members are the reason the club still runs events in Northwest Arkansas after sixty-five years. If you show, train, compete, or simply want to learn from people who do, this is how you join.
Why people join
People who know dogs
Members breed, show, train and compete across every sport the club runs. Turning up with a question is the fastest way to get a straight answer from someone who has already solved it.
Events run by the people entering them
The club puts on trials, tests and a conformation show every year. Members set them up, steward the rings, run the lure and hand out the ribbons.
Learning the sport properly
Working an event teaches you more about how it is judged than any amount of watching from the sidelines. Members get that exposure across five different disciplines.
A club with a long record
NWAKC has held AKC events in Northwest Arkansas since 1961. Joining puts you in a club that has kept the sport going here for more than sixty years.
How to join
Membership is decided by the membership, so the process takes a few months by design. Nothing about it is difficult — it starts with turning up.
Step 1: Attend three meetings
Every prospective member attends three club meetings before an application can be filed. They do not have to be consecutive. Meetings are on the second Wednesday of the month and the dates are below.
Step 2: File an application with the Secretary
Applications go on the Board-approved form. In signing it you agree to abide by the club constitution and by-laws and by the rules of the American Kennel Club.
Step 3: The Board reads the application
Your application is read at the first Board meeting after the Secretary receives it.
Step 4: The membership votes
If the Board approves the application, the membership votes on it at the next club meeting.
Step 5: Three quarters in favour admits you
A three quarters affirmative vote of the members present and voting is required to elect a new member.
Membership types
- Regular
- For members taking an active part in the club. Available as a single membership with one vote, or as a family membership, which carries two votes.
- Associate
- For people who support the club but are not able to participate actively. Associate members do not vote.
Both types are applied for on the same form. If you are not sure which fits, come to a meeting and ask — that is a meeting attended either way.
Next meetings
Time and place are not yet published. Meeting time and location are confirmed each month — contact the club to check before attending your first meeting.
You do not need to be a member to enter
Club events are open entry. Anyone with an eligible dog can enter a trial, test or show the club runs, and spectators are welcome at all of them. Membership is for people who want a say in how the club is run and a hand in putting the events on.
Questions before you apply?
If something here is unclear, or you want to know what a particular event involves before committing to three meetings, write to the club and someone will answer.