Cancellations & Refunds

You may cancel your registration up until the first day of class for a full refund or credit.  Requests for refunds after the first class meeting will be considered on a case-by-case basis.

We reserve the right to cancel a class that does not generate enough interest and will issue a full refund or credit for that class upon its cancellation.

Classes are not held after 7pm on the Club's monthly General Membership meeting nights. Meetings are usually held on the 2nd Monday of odd-numbered months (January, March, etc.) and the 2nd Tuesday of even-numbered months (February, April, etc.) The schedule is posted on the Meetings page. If your class ends before 7pm on a meeting night, it will likely be held. Students are welcome to attend meetings.

Individual classes may be canceled/postponed in the event of bad weather or other unforeseen circumstances. Class cancellation/postponement policies will be provided at your first class.

What about makeup classes?  If we cancel a scheduled class meeting (owing to bad weather or other circumstances), we will make every effort  to schedule a makeup.  If it isn't possible for us to hold all the class meetings we promised you, we will issue prorated refunds or credits. However, if you miss a class for reasons of your own, we cannot offer a makeup, refund, or credit for the meeting you missed.

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Priority & Permission Codes

We are a volunteer-run club. Our entry-level obedience classes (Puppy, Pre-Basic, Basic) are offered as a public service, but our other classes are offered mostly as a service to our members, particularly those who teach the classes. For this reason, registration operates on a priority basis, not a first-come/first-served basis.

• Registration opens first for SOTC instructors, then for other members, next for non-member current students (those who have taken a class with us within the last two sessions), and finally for non-member new students (those who have never taken a class with us, or have not done so within the last two sessions).

• For non-members, registration for Puppy, Pre-Basic, and Basic opens first; registration for other classes opens later.
  

• For Pre-Basic and Basic, current students may register ahead of new students by means of a time-limited permission code. The code expires the day registration open for new students.

• Permission codes are also required for any non-member to register for any class other than Puppy, Pre-Basic, or Basic. Codes are made available to current students first, new students later.

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Vaccinations

As part of the registration process, all students must attest that their dogs have received age-appropriate vaccinations (either initial puppy vaccines or adult boosters). 

• To enroll in Puppy classes,  dogs must have received at least the first DAP shot and the first worming at least 7 days before the start of class.  

• Dogs enrolled in other classes should have been vaccinated in accord with the guidelines outlined on the American Animal Hospital Association website. New York State law requires that dogs over 4 months of age be vaccinated for rabies.   

In addition, students enrolled in Puppy, Pre-Basic or Basic must show proof of the dog's age-appropriate vaccination at the first class meeting.  Acceptable forms of proof :

• A veterinarian's certificate or invoice that includes the date of vaccination and duration of the vaccine (1 year, 3 years), or the date(s) on which re-vaccination is due.

• For puppies whose initial vaccines were administered by the breeder, a photocopy of the vaccine vial or the breeder-supplied puppy health card.

• For adult dogs with a known history of initial vaccination,  titers (quantitative antibody testing reports) may substitute for proof of boosters.

• For dogs with a medically necessary exemption from certain vaccines, provide a letter from your veterinarian.

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Special Situations

Junior Handlers (under age 18)

• Children attending classes with their families must be at least 4 years of age.

• Children registering for any class as the primary trainer of the dog must be at least 10 years of age (and must attend a run-through the first time he or she registers).

Dogs with Multiple Owners

• For Puppy classes, the entire family is welcome (and encouraged!) to attend and participate in the training.

• For classes other than Puppy, we ask that just ONE person handle the dog in class, and that the same person handle the dog from week to week. Other family members may watch from outside the ring.

Owners with Multiple Dogs

• For entry-level obedience classes (Puppy, Pre-Basic, Basic), only one dog per household per class. Students with multiple dogs must enroll them in separate classes.

• For other obedience classes, a student may enroll two dogs in the same class only by permission, and only if another person is available to handle the second dog.

• For agility classes, a student may run two dogs in one class only if the class has not filled by the end of the priority registration period.