Chesapeake Bay Retriever Relief and Rescue
General Membership Manual

Document Change History

The table below identifies all changes that have been incorporated into this CBR&R General Membership Manual.

Date / Version / Description
07/12/06 / 1.A / Initial Release
08/29/06 / RMS suggestions
11/07/06 / 2.A / Release
03/13/09 / 3.A / Release; Release Separate Reimbursement Policy

Table of Contents

Version: 3.B Date: 03/13/08 Page 1 of 23

Chesapeake Bay Retriever Relief and Rescue
General Membership Manual 1

1 Chesapeake Bay Retriever Relief and Rescue Organizational Overview 4

2 Organizational Processes and Operating Guidelines 8

3 General Policies 15

4 Internal Processes 21

Version: 3.B Date: 03/13/08 Page 1 of 23

1 Chesapeake Bay Retriever Relief and Rescue Organizational Overview

1.1 Introduction

Chesapeake Bay Retriever Relief and Rescue, Inc. (CBRR&R) is a not-for-profit, tax-exempt organization incorporated in the state of New York. This organization conforms to fiscal law as set forth in Section 402 not-for-profit corporation law of the State of New York and Section 501 (c) (3) of the Internal Revenue Code.

This Organization Manual provides information and resources to assist you in understanding CBRR&R to ensure your comfort and successes as a relief and rescue Member.

1.2 Mission

The mission of Chesapeake Bay Retriever Relief & Rescue, Inc. is the rescue of Chesapeake Bay Retrievers (CBRs) and Chesapeake Bay Retriever mixes through an international, volunteer rescue network. Our network provides education and assistance to CBR owners, animal shelters, potential adopters and the general public to support training and re-homing of CBRs in need. CBRR&R Members are dedicated to finding responsible and loving homes for Chesapeake Bay Retrievers. The goal of CBRR&R is to educate the public, breeders and fanciers on responsible dog ownership. This education includes the benefits of spaying and neutering of pets, behavioral guidelines to prevent and treat problem behaviors, and to inform prospective CBR owners of the special qualities, characteristics and requirements of the breed before they acquire a Chesapeake Bay Retriever.

1.3 Liability and Risk

In animal rescue world there is increasing awareness and concern regarding issues of liability and legality relating to the intake, foster and placement of dogs. Risk management is key to protecting Members and the Organization from civil litigation. This is accomplished by performing rescue activities in accordance with CBRR&R operating policies and in a manner that does not adversely and unjustly impact other parties mentally, physically or monetarily.

1.3.1 Legal Concerns

When involved in the rescue, intake, foster or placement of a dog, Members must at all times adhere to CBRR&R Policy and the Law governing the jurisdiction in which the dog and Members reside.

Any Member who is under suspicion by a law enforcement agency for illegal activity in conjunction with work performed for CBRR&R will be subject to temporary suspension from the Organization until the lawful investigation and/or prosecution is concluded. Confirmation of illegal activity, whether prosecuted or not, will subject the Member to immediate and permanent barring from membership and association with CBRR&R. Below are the basic legal guidelines that are required of all Members:

1  No Member shall KNOWINGLY accept a dog from someone other than the rightful owner.

2  Every Member is responsible for to familiarizing his/herself with the animal laws in their area and to strictly abide by those laws.

3  Any contact made by a law enforcement representative with a Member relating to their activities performed on behalf of CBRR&R must be immediately reported to the Regional Director for the area.

4  Members are required to fully and completely cooperate with any investigation undertaken by a law enforcement agency in conjunction with their work performed for CBRR&R.

1.3.2 Risk Management

Members must undertake their CBRR&R activities in a manner that will not expose them or the Organization to excessive or unacceptable risk of civil litigation. Below are the basic risk guidelines required of every member:

1  Do not make promises or statements that are untrue or that you are personally unable to accomplish.

2  Never overstate your qualifications or represent yourself as a dog behavior expert (unless of course you are certified in this area). When approached with questions regarding a dog’s behavior, first suggest that contact be made with a behavior or training expert to work with the dog. Additionally, suggest the articles available on the CBRR&R website be used as a resource. With aggression issues, it is critical to suggest professional help first rather than offering personal suggestions. If a dog bites someone while the owner is trying your suggestion, you have exposed yourself and the Organization to unacceptable risk and a possible lawsuit.

3  Never place a dog as a foster or for adoption without fully disclosing the dog’s known history -- good and bad.

4  All dogs will be evaluated to the best of a Member’s ability prior to the dog’s placement in foster care.

5  Assessment of any dog with a bite history, no matter if it is confirmed or suspected, must be conducted in compliance with the Aggression policy found in this manual.

6  Members are required to utilize only the approved CBRR&R contracts and forms of CBRR&R, without amendment or modification, in conjunction with ALL work performed on behalf of CBRR&R.

7  If served or threatened with a lawsuit resulting from your work performed on behalf of CBRR&R, do not make any statements to the press or any individual and immediately notify the Regional Director for your area, who will notify the Board of Directors or counsel.

The above are the minimum CBRR&R guidelines as they pertain to legal and risk issues and must be followed by all members. If a situation arises that you think could be related to either legal or risk issues and is not directly addressed above, please immediately request a determination from the Board of Directors prior to any taking any action.

Intentional or unintentional breach of the CBRR&R guidelines may subject the Member to immediate and permanent barring from membership and association with CBRR&R.

1.4 Organizational Structure

The Organization is broken into Regions to aid in local networking and ease of management. The Regions are not meant to be strict boundaries. Inter-Regional cooperation is expected. For example, when placing a dog in a home in another Region, please notify the Regional Director of that Region prior to placement.

Contact information:

Group / Email address
Board of Directors /
Adoptions Options Administrator /
Membership /
Fundraising /
Webmaster /
General Information /
Treasurer /

1.5 Membership Roles and Responsibilities; Resignation

Detailed descriptions of membership types and the duties and responsibilities of all are provided in the By-laws of CBRR&R. To resign as a CBRR&R Member, the Member must present his/her resignation in writing, either via email or regular mail, to the Regional Director of the appropriate Region. The Member needs to be very clear as to whether or not he/she is resigning his/her Membership and leaving the organization or if he/she simply wishes to be on a temporary hiatus. Upon receipt of a resignation, the Regional Director will proceed to remove or request removal of all information regarding the resigning Member from the website and all email discussion groups. For Members wishing to reduce their amount of rescue email traffic, the Yahoo Group “Web Only” setting should be chosen. If assistance is required in implementing the Yahoo Group settings, the Member should contact the Membership Coordinator.

1.5.1 Board of Directors

1  President - The President shall be the Chief Executive Officer of the Corporation and, subject to the control of the Board of Directors, shall, in general, control and supervise all of the business and affairs of the Corporation.

2  Vice-President - The Vice President shall perform the duties of the President in the event of the President's absence, death, resignation, removal, incapacity, inability or refusal to act, and when so acting shall have all the powers of and be subject to all the restrictions placed on the President by the Board of Directors, these Bylaws and applicable law. The Vice President shall perform such other duties as from time to time may be assigned by the President or the Board of Directors.

3  Secretary - The Secretary shall keep minutes of all meetings of the Members and the Board of Directors and shall compile all such minutes and minutes of all committee proceedings into the Official Minute Book of the Corporation.

4  Treasurer - The Treasurer shall oversee the accounting, bookkeeping, financial reporting and the filing of reports on behalf of the Corporation as well as properly paying and processing the accounts receivable and the accounts payable. Further, the Treasurer shall be responsible for assuring that all income, assets and accounts payable of the Corporation are appropriately handled and accurate, and for providing regular financial reports of the Corporation to the Board of Directors and Membership.

5  General role of a Board member – Succession planning, support of the Mission, decision-making policy above and beyond the Regional Director level, establish risk management processes, oversee the fiscal management.

1.5.2 Regional Directors

Regional Directors (RD) are responsible for regional paperwork as mandated by Organization Policy, management of allocated expenses/funds, as well as a personal commitment to be available to handle local crisis situations, processing new members in conjunction with the Membership Committee, managing area homes listings, recruiting new volunteers and working with the Adoption Options Coordinator.

2 Organizational Processes and Operating Guidelines

This section provides an overview of operating procedures and guidelines to be used by Members of CBRR&R in carrying out CBRR&R’s mission. The intent is to provide the basic requirements for Members to follow in conducting rescue activities. Adherence to these processes is mandatory and will result in the establishment of uniform standards within the Organization as well as minimizing the likelihood for liability in the event of a dispute.

A library of resources and information on the various components of rescue, such as contracts, forms and checklists for evaluation, transporting, fostering, screening home etc. is available in the Appendices of this Manual and on the CBRR&R Member website.

2.1 Risk

It is not possible to eliminate all the potential liability risks involved in dog rescue. CBRR&R minimizes risks by providing adequate insurance, setting operating guidelines, and educating Members and Adopters. It is in the interest of CBRR&R that all Members to follow the guidelines listed below. Failure to follow these procedures puts rescued dogs in jeopardy, opens the Organization to unacceptable risks, and threatens the loss of a good reputation. Shortcutting or ignoring the guidelines below may subject Members to disciplinary action by the Board of Directors of CBRR&R, including loss of membership and loss of liability insurance coverage that is included with membership in CBRR&R. Amendments and changes to these guidelines will be communicated to CBRR&R Members via the email list and website.

2.2 Evaluation and Intake

In all cases, dogs must be evaluated for temperament, health and adoptability. Under no circumstances may a potential adopter be allowed to adopt a CBRR&R dog directly from a shelter. All dogs will be evaluated for temperament by a Member and, if at all possible, during such evaluation digital pictures shall be taken of the dog. It is not the policy of this organization to accept or re-home known dangerous dogs. CBRR&R provides assessment tools to Members an initial determination of the dog’s temperament based on its history and observed behaviors presented at the initial meeting. If a dog has a history of being accused of biting, a Member must assess the circumstances as accurately as possible and submit a report to the Board for a waiver of the dog’s bite history prior to intake. NO dog with known multiple bite episodes, unpredictable or unprovoked bites will be accepted into the rescue program.

Evaluation continues after a dog enters a foster home and more varied situations are encountered. Dogs with bite histories of any kind should never be placed in a foster home with children or where children can be expected to be present. Dogs with repeated or severe episodes of aggression toward humans will be euthanized. Certain types of behavior can be modified or managed, and in cases of mild displays of undesirable behavior, a Member may choose to work with a dog and re-evaluate before placement in a permanent home.

Members should urge owners surrendering their dogs to CBRR&R to be responsible for spay/neutering, updating the dog’s vaccinations and heartworm testing. Members are also encouraged to request a surrender fee.

All dogs received into a Member’s care or the care of a non-member pursuant to a signed Foster Waiver approved by the appropriate Regional Director must be transferred by the appropriate documentation (i.e., Shelter Release, Gift & Relinquishment). A CBRR&R Member, or designated representative, must sign the appropriate CBRR&R surrender form. Once the surrender form is executed, the dog becomes the legal property of CBRR&R. The surrender form and Foster Waiver, if any, must be sent to the Treasurer within 10 days of execution.

2.3 First Contact

Notice that a CBR is in need of rescue or relief may come from many sources: a shelter, a desperate owner, a veterinarian, or another rescue worker. The contact may be in the form of a phone call, email, or through the CBRR&R owner surrender process. As a CBRR&R Member you may be contacted by a third party based on your area code and you must realize that in the eyes of the caller, you are a CBR rescue expert. You should make every attempt to return the call, call the shelter, or otherwise make direct contact with the person or organization holding the dog within 24 hours. If you are unable to make contact in 24 hours, please contact your Regional Director so that another Member may take the case. This "first contact" is critical and lends credibility to CBRR&R. A prompt, courteous, helpful phone call is often appreciated by the distraught shelter worker or rattled owner. This simple, short communication establishes that there may be a "safety net" for this dog and support for the people already involved.

2.3.1 Initial Contact Guidance

The Member making the initial contact should, as a minimum, ask the following questions: