As stated in its By-laws, the Basset Hound Club of America, Inc., was formed to do everything possible to bring the natural qualities of purebred Basset Hounds to perfection and to do everything in its power to protect and advance the interests of the breed and to encourage sportsmanlike competition at conformation dog shows, field and obedience trials, tracking tests, and agility tests.

In accordance with this, the Basset Hound Club of America, Inc. (BHCA), has established the VERSATILITY CERTIFICATE (VC) PROGRAM and is making available Versatility Certificates to BHCA member/owners of Basset Hounds who meet the eligibility requirements.

When an application has been approved by the Versatility Chairperson, the Basset Hound’s and its owner’s name(s) will be published in Tally-Ho, and the owner may use the initials “VC” after the dog’s name in advertising and in publications. It should be noted that this is a BHCA title, so it should not be used on entry forms for American Kennel Club (AKC) events.

The purpose of this program is to provide an incentive to encourage Basset Hound owners to have their conformationally correct scent hounds participate in multiple fields of endeavor such as the following:

1. AKC conformation shows, to display an acceptance of the breed standard as approved by AKC as the only conformation standard of excellence for the breed.
2. AKC field trials, AKC tracking tests, or BHCA hunting tests, to demonstrate consistency in scent work.
3. AKC obedience, rally, or agility trials to demonstrate that the Basset Hound is a useful and reliable partner to mankind.

GENERAL REQUIREMENTS

1. Eleven (11) VC points from at least three (3) of the following disciplines: a) Conformation, b) Field Trialing, c) Hunting, d) Tracking, e) Agility, f) Obedience/Rally.
2. Must include conformation and one of the scent disciplines (field, hunting, or tracking).
3. Must include a minimum of five (5) points from one discipline, three (3) points from a second discipline, and two (2) from a third discipline.
4. VC points are not cumulative within a discipline. Only the points from the highest-ranking title in a discipline are counted. For example, a UD entitles a dog to five (5) points. No additional points are earned from his CDX and CD titles.
5. Must include at least one VC point in another discipline (tracking, agility, or obedience/rally) for those dogs whose VC points come from the combination of hunt, field, and conformation.
6. It is required that all owners be members of the BHCA.

PROCEDURE FOR APPLYING FOR A VERSATILITY CERTIFICATE

A completed "Basset Hound Club of America Versatility Certificate Program Application for Certificate," plus necessary verifications as described below, shall be submitted to the Chairperson of the BHCA Versatility Certificate Program. The name and address of this person will be regularly published, along with that of their standing committee chairpersons, in Tally-Ho.

REQUIRED VERIFICATIONS

It will be the responsibility of the person making the application to include the necessary verification with the application. These will consist of the following:

For AKC titles or Certificates or BHCA titles, either:

1. Photocopies of the document provided by AKC or BHCA
2. Copies of the AKC Gazette pages indicating that these titles were earned. Be sure all publication dates and page numbers are included.
3. Copy of the Summary of Title Progression from the AKC web site

For points earned toward partial completion of a title, either:

1. Copies of the AKC Gazette pages indicating the points earned or
2. Copy of the Summary of Title Progression from the AKC web site

CHAIRPERSON’S RESPONSIBILITY

Upon receipt of a properly completed application, along with pertinent documents, the Chairperson will complete a VERSATILITY CERTIFICATE, which will be signed by the BHCA President and the Versatility Program Chairperson. The names of the Basset Hound and owners will be published in the next issue of Tally-Ho. At that point, the initials “VC” may be used after the dog’s name in advertisements or publications.