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Special Convention of Delegates · Petition

Full ASFA Recognition for the Magyar Agár

Member clubs are being asked to sign a petition requesting a Special Convention of Delegates to vote on moving the Magyar Agár from Provisional Status to full breed recognition.

How your club signs Responses due Friday 31 July 2026

Where the petition stands

13 of 17 signatures needed — 4 still to go

ASFA has 49 member clubs in good standing. The Constitution requires the petition to be signed for one-third of them, which rounds up to 17 clubs.

Responses are due Friday, 31 July 2026.

Counts only — no club is identified here. Figures reflect the committee's response tracker and may lag the latest returns; Michele Bisbee holds the authoritative count.

Which clubs count?

Only member clubs in good standing count toward the one-third threshold. ASFA also has Affiliate and Fast Track Affiliate clubs, which appoint liaisons but do not count toward the threshold, cannot sign the petition, and cannot vote at a Special Convention.

How your club signs

There is no online signature

This petition cannot be signed electronically. There is no e-petition form and no e-signature service. The form must be printed, physically signed, scanned, and emailed back.

The four steps

  1. Print the petition form.
  2. Sign it — or attach your actual signature to the form.
  3. Scan the signed form.
  4. Email it to Michele Bisbee, Provisional Breeds Committee Chair, at bisbeemmichele@gmail.com, by Friday, 31 July 2026.
Download the petition form

Who signs for the club?

The petition form is addressed to Club Liaisons, and is signed by your club's liaison/delegate on behalf of the club — one signature per member club.

The proposed Special Convention

As stated on the petition form:

Date & timeTuesday, September 15th, 8:00 PM est / 5:00 PM PST
LocationZoom Virtual Meeting
PurposeVote on motion to move the Magyar Agárs to full ASFA breed recognition.

SCoD Agenda

  1. Call to Order
  2. Roll Call
  3. Magyar Agar Motion/Discussion/Vote
  4. Adjournment

Under Article IV, Section 4, no other Association business may be transacted at a Special Convention, and a quorum is a majority of the member clubs — 25 of 49.

The email as circulated

Reproduced below in full, exactly as sent by the ASFA Provisional Breeds Committee to ASFA Club Liaisons.

Hello ASFA Club Liaisons,

Please see the attached Petition for an ASFA Special Convention of Delegates regarding moving the Magyar Agár from Provisional Status to Full Breed Status.

ASFA Background of the Magyar Agár:

  • The Magyar Agár was inducted into the Miscellaneous Class in 1995
  • Since that time ASFA changed the Miscellaneous Class to the Limited Stake (date unknown) to the Provisional Stake (2018)
  • The Magyar Agár meets the ASFA Constitution Article X, Section 4 requirements of being a Provisional Breed for a minimum two full calendar years
  • On June 6, 2025 Devorah Hayman, on behalf of the North American Magar Agár Association (NAMAA), submitted a request to the Region 3 Director, Michele Bisbee
  • The Region 3 Director discussed the request with the ASFA Board of Directors (BoD) at the 2025 Second Quarterly BoD Meeting and procedural questions came up. The BoD approved a Motion to have the Constitutional Review Committee (CRC) review the procedural questions. In retrospect, these questions were outside of the NAMAA request for Full Recognition. The NAMAA request instead should have been sent to the ASFA Corresponding Secretary for distribution to be included on the 2026 ACoD Agenda
  • The CRC completed their review with a finding that the questions were outside their purview and thus did not rule on them. Those results were published in the CRC 2026 ACoD Report.
  • The CRC findings came too late to include the Magyar Agár request on the 2026 ACoD Agenda

Case for Full ASFA Recognition of the Magyar Agár:

The Magyar Agár (Hungarian Greyhound) is no newcomer to the coursing field. The breed is fully recognized by the Fédération Cynologique Internationale (FCI) and placed in Group 10: Sighthounds, alongside the Greyhound, Saluki, and Whippet (FCI Standard No. 240).

Closer to home, the United Kennel Club has recognized the Magyar Agár since 2006.

Recognition aside, the Magyar Agár is backed by a healthy and growing community. The Magyar Agár Breed Archive lists more than 4,200 dogs worldwide - evidence of a sound global population with active breeding programs. In North America the breed continues to gain ground, championed by NAMAA and a committed network of owners, breeders, and fellow sighthound enthusiasts across the US and Canada. Between their steady growth, the organizational support already in place and a long record in the field, the Magyar Agár is more than ready - and well deserving - of full recognition in ASFA's lure coursing program.

Reference Links:

Next Steps:

  • Please review the attached Petition for a Special Convention of Delegates (SCoD) for the one specific purpose of fully recognizing the Magyar Agár
  • Provide your Club’s response back to:
  • Provide the response by: July 31st, 2026
  • At least one third of Member Clubs in good standing must sign the Petition to Request the SCoD
  • Providing the requisite number of Member Clubs is reached, the Petition will be sent to the Corresponding Secretary (CS)
  • The CS has 45 days to notify all Member Clubs of the Date, Location (can be virtual) and Purpose of the SCoD. No other business can take place at the SCoD.
  • The CS must physically mail each Member Club at least 30 days prior to the SCoD
  • The mailing will include:
    • Notice of Special Convention of Delegates
    • Petition Information – Subject of SCoD
    • Delegate Identification Form
  • A quorum shall be the majority of the Member Clubs (50% plus 1)

Thank you very much for your time and consideration of this very important step for the ASFA community,

ASFA Provisional Breeds Committee

  • - Michele Bisbee, Chair
  • - Tom Cigolle
  • - Jessica Epstein
  • - Devorah Hayman
  • - Jayme Jones

What the Constitution says

The three passages that govern this petition, quoted in full from the ASFA Constitution & By-Laws (rev. 08/01/2024). If anything on this page differs from the Constitution, the Constitution governs.

Article IV, Section 4 — Special Convention of Club Delegates

There shall be a Special Convention of Club Delegates called by the Corresponding Secretary upon receipt of a petition signed by the club delegates of one-third of the member clubs in good standing. The petition shall state the date (at least 45 days after the date of the petition), location and purpose of such a Special Convention of Club Delegates and no other Association business shall be transacted thereat. Written notice of such a Special Convention of Club Delegates shall be mailed by the Corresponding Secretary at least thirty (30) days prior to the date of the Special Convention of Club Delegates. The quorum for such a meeting shall be a majority of the member clubs.

In plain terms, this section requires four things:

  • The petition is signed by the club liaisons/delegates of one-third of member clubs in good standing.
  • The petition itself states the date, location and purpose — and that date must be at least 45 days after the date of the petition.
  • The Corresponding Secretary mails written notice at least 30 days before the convention.
  • Quorum is a majority of the member clubs. No other business may be transacted.

Article X, Section 4 — Convention Voting for Recognizing New Breeds

After two years of Provisional status, the member clubs may vote on whether to accord the breed full recognition. If the national parent club or a board appointed committee wishes full recognition, a letter requesting such status must be sent to the Corresponding Secretary by January 1st of the year following at least two full calendar years of Provisional status Member club delegates present at the Annual Convention of Delegates at which a breed has come up for recognition will vote with each member club allowed one vote. However, a member club not in attendance at the ACoD may send in one absentee ballot to be received not less than two weeks before the ACoD in which a breed has come up for recognition. A two-thirds majority of clubs voting shall be required for full approval. Results of such voting shall be announced at the Annual Convention of Delegates. When a breed is fully recognized, it shall assume the same status as any previously recognized breed, and any appropriate titles and certificates, or points toward such titles and certificates, shall then be awarded to the members of the breed based on sanctioned lure field trial results from the Provisional period. If a breed does not achieve full recognition, the breed will stay within the Provisional status. Such a breed may re-apply for recognition every two years. The new fully recognized breed will be eligible the first of the month after approval at the Annual Convention of Delegates.

This is the section that governs breed recognition itself. Points worth noting:

  • A breed becomes eligible for a recognition vote after two full calendar years of Provisional status — a requirement the Magyar Agár meets.
  • A two-thirds majority of clubs voting is required for full approval, with each member club allowed one vote.
  • Once fully recognized, the breed takes the same status as any other recognized breed, and points and placements earned during Provisional status are applied toward titles.
  • If recognition is not achieved, the breed stays in Provisional status and may re-apply every two years.

Article XI, Sections 1–2 — Amendments

Section 1. Amendments to the Constitution and By-Laws may be proposed by the Board of Directors, by a special committee appointed by a Convention of Delegates for such purpose, or by a written petition addressed to the Corresponding Secretary signed by the club liaisons of one-third of the member clubs in good standing. Amendments proposed by such petition shall be promptly considered by the Board of Directors and must be submitted with recommendations of the Board of Directors for a vote at the next Annual Convention of Delegates held at least forty-five (45) days after receipt of the petition or at a Special Convention of Club Delegates properly requested by the petitioners.

Section 2. The Constitution and By-Laws may be amended by a two-thirds majority vote of the delegates present and voting at such Annual Convention of Delegates or Special Convention of Club Delegates, provided the proposed amendments have been mailed to each club liaison at least thirty (30) days prior to the date of such convention.

Included for reference. Amendment petitions under this Article are signed by club liaisons/delegates, and may be voted at either an Annual Convention of Delegates or a Special Convention of Club Delegates.

Questions about procedure

This page reproduces the Constitution so clubs can read the requirements directly. It does not interpret them, and nothing here should be taken as a ruling on whether any step has been correctly followed. Questions of interpretation are properly directed to the ASFA Corresponding Secretary and the Board.

Dates that matter

DateWhat happens
Fri 31 July 2026Deadline for clubs to return signed petition forms to Michele Bisbee.
17 signaturesOne-third of 49 member clubs. Once reached, the petition goes to the Corresponding Secretary.
Tue 15 Sept 2026Date stated on the petition for the Special Convention — 8:00 PM EST / 5:00 PM PST, by Zoom.
Quorum: 25 clubsA majority of the 49 member clubs must be present for the convention to do business.
Two-thirdsUnder Article X, Section 4, full recognition requires a two-thirds majority of clubs voting.

How the notice periods work

Article IV, Section 4 sets two separate clocks. The convention date named in the petition must fall at least 45 days after the date of the petition, and the Corresponding Secretary must mail written notice at least 30 days before the convention.

For a 15 September convention, that puts the latest workable petition date at 1 August 2026, with notice mailed by 16 August 2026.