1. Acceptance of Terms

By accessing, browsing, or using Pawthentic (“the Service”), whether or not you create an account, you agree to be bound by these Terms of Service (“Terms”). If you do not agree to these Terms, you may not access or use the Service in any manner.

You must be at least 18 years of age to use the Service. If you are between 13 and 18, you may use the Service only with the consent and supervision of a parent or legal guardian who agrees to be bound by these Terms. The Service is not intended for children under 13.

By creating an account, you confirm that you have read, understood, and agree to be bound by these Terms and our Privacy Policy. We may update these Terms from time to time; your continued use after changes are posted constitutes acceptance of the revised Terms.

2. Description of Service

Pawthentic is a consumer information platform that aggregates publicly available data about dog breeders and provides editorial scores based on a published methodology. The Service includes breeder profiles, health data analytics, customer review aggregation, adoptable dog listings, deposit facilitation between buyers and breeders, and related content and tools.

Pawthentic is a platform for consumer information and commentary. While Pawthentic may facilitate certain transactions such as puppy deposits between buyers and breeders, it acts solely as a technology facilitator and is not a party to any transaction between users. Pawthentic does not guarantee the quality, safety, or legality of any breeding operation, and is not responsible for the performance of any breeder or the health of any animal.

3. Pawthentic Scores & Editorial Content

Pawthentic Scores are editorial opinions generated by applying our published methodology to available data inputs. They constitute protected speech under the First Amendment and applicable state laws. They are not statements of fact, endorsements, certifications, or condemnations of any breeder or breeding operation. The complete methodology is disclosed at /about/standards.

Scores may change as new data becomes available or as our methodology evolves. We do not guarantee that scores are complete or reflect every aspect of a breeding operation. Users should conduct their own due diligence before making purchasing decisions.

Pawthentic retains the unrestricted right to use, publish, and distribute its Scores and editorial content in any medium, including but not limited to marketing materials, industry reports, media publications, research papers, partner communications, and promotional campaigns, without additional notice or compensation to any party.

4. User Accounts

Some features of the Service require account registration. You agree to provide accurate, current, and complete information during registration and to keep your account information up to date. You are responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of your account credentials and for all activity that occurs under your account.

We reserve the right to suspend or terminate accounts that violate these Terms, provide false information, or engage in fraudulent activity.

5. User-Generated Content

Users may submit reviews, reports, photos, health records, DNA results, documents, and other content (“User Content”) to the Service. By submitting User Content, you:

• Represent and warrant that you own or have all necessary rights to submit the content, that it is accurate to the best of your knowledge, and that it does not violate any third party's intellectual property, privacy, or other rights.
• Grant Pawthentic a non-exclusive, worldwide, royalty-free, perpetual, irrevocable, transferable, and sublicensable license to use, reproduce, modify, adapt, publish, translate, create derivative works from, distribute, perform, and display such User Content in any media or format now known or hereafter developed, for any purpose, including but not limited to: operating and improving the Service; business development, marketing, advertising, and promotional activities; research, analytics, and industry reporting; advancing the mission of improving canine health outcomes; training and improving artificial intelligence and machine learning models; creating aggregated, anonymized, or de-identified datasets and trend reports; and sublicensing to partners, service providers, research institutions, and veterinary organizations.
• Acknowledge that this license survives the termination or deletion of your account. Pawthentic is not required to remove User Content from the Service or from any derivative works upon account deletion.
• To the maximum extent permitted by applicable law, irrevocably waive any “moral rights” or equivalent rights (such as the right of attribution or integrity) in your User Content.
• Agree not to submit content that is false, defamatory, harassing, threatening, obscene, or that infringes the rights of others.

We reserve the right to remove, edit, or refuse to display User Content that violates these Terms, at our sole discretion and without prior notice.

6. Breeder Profiles

Breeder profiles may be created from publicly available business information without the breeder's prior consent, similar to how business directories, review platforms, and search engines index publicly available business data.

Breeders may claim their profile to verify their identity, correct inaccuracies, and provide additional information. Unclaimed profiles are labeled as such. Breeders who believe their profile contains inaccuracies can submit a correction through our dispute process.

7. Third-Party Content & Reviews

The Service aggregates content from third-party sources, including customer reviews from Google, Facebook, Yelp, Better Business Bureau, and other platforms; health clearance data from the OFA database; and adoption listings from RescueGroups.org.

Pawthentic does not author, endorse, or guarantee the accuracy of third-party content. Under Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, Pawthentic is not the publisher of third-party reviews and is not liable for their content.

8. Data Usage & Analytics

By using the Service, you acknowledge and agree that Pawthentic may collect, aggregate, anonymize, and otherwise process data generated through your use of the Service, including but not limited to: search queries, page views, click patterns, breeder and breed preferences, review activity, alert configurations, feature interactions, and other behavioral and usage data.

Pawthentic may use such data, in aggregated, anonymized, or identifiable form as appropriate and as described in our Privacy Policy, for any lawful purpose, including but not limited to:

• Business intelligence, product development, and improvement of the Service.
• Industry research, breed health insights, and trend analysis.
• Publishing reports, white papers, articles, and media content furthering canine health and responsible breeding practices.
• Partnerships and data sharing with veterinary organizations, breed clubs, research institutions, and other entities aligned with Pawthentic's mission.
• Marketing, advertising, and promotional activities.
• Any other purpose Pawthentic deems beneficial to its business or its mission of improving canine health outcomes.

Aggregated or de-identified data that does not personally identify you is not subject to data deletion requests and may be retained and used indefinitely.

9. Payments & Deposits

Certain features of the Service allow users to place deposits with breeders through third-party payment processors. By using these features, you agree to the following:

• Pawthentic facilitates deposit transactions as a technology platform but is not a party to the agreement between buyer and breeder. Any deposit you place constitutes an agreement between you and the breeder, subject to the breeder's own terms and policies.
• Pawthentic charges a non-refundable platform fee on each deposit transaction. This fee is disclosed before you complete the transaction.
• Pawthentic does not guarantee the availability, quality, or health of any puppy or dog, and is not responsible for resolving disputes between buyers and breeders regarding deposits, refunds, or the sale of animals.
• Chargebacks initiated against Pawthentic for disputes that are properly between you and a breeder may result in suspension of your account and may be contested by Pawthentic.

All payment processing is handled by third-party payment providers (currently Stripe). Your use of payment services is subject to the payment provider's own terms and privacy policy.

10. Intellectual Property

The Service, including but not limited to its design, text, graphics, logos, icons, images, Pawthentic Scores, scoring methodology, compiled data sets, algorithms, software, and all other content and materials (collectively, “Pawthentic IP”), are owned by or licensed to Pawthentic and are protected by copyright, trademark, trade secret, and other intellectual property laws.

You may not reproduce, distribute, modify, create derivative works of, publicly display, publicly perform, republish, download, store, transmit, scrape, or commercially exploit any Pawthentic IP without our prior written consent, except as expressly permitted by these Terms or as required by applicable law.

“Pawthentic,” the Pawthentic logo, “Pawthentic Score,” and related marks are trademarks of Pawthentic. You may not use these marks without our prior written consent.

11. AI & Automated Analysis

Pawthentic uses artificial intelligence and machine learning technologies to analyze documents, extract and verify health data, improve scoring accuracy, and enhance the Service. By submitting content to the Service, you acknowledge and agree that:

• Your content may be processed by automated systems, including third-party AI services, for the purposes described in these Terms.
• AI-generated analysis is provided as a tool to assist in data extraction and verification, and may contain errors. Pawthentic does not guarantee the accuracy of AI-generated outputs.
• Pawthentic may use aggregated and anonymized data derived from AI processing to improve its models, algorithms, and the Service generally.

12. Prohibited Uses

You agree not to:

• Use the Service for any unlawful purpose.
• Submit false reviews, fake health data, or misleading information to manipulate scores.
• Coordinate with others to artificially inflate, deflate, or otherwise manipulate Pawthentic Scores or review ratings.
• Scrape, crawl, or systematically download content from the Service without prior written consent.
• Attempt to reverse-engineer, compromise, circumvent rate limits or security measures, or disrupt the Service or its infrastructure.
• Impersonate another person, breeder, or business.
• Use the Service or its data to threaten, coerce, extort, or harass any breeder, business, or individual.
• Use data obtained from the Service for any commercial purpose, including resale, competitive analysis, or commercial database compilation, without Pawthentic's prior written consent.
• Use automated means (bots, scripts, or similar technology) to access the Service unless expressly authorized by Pawthentic.

13. Electronic Communications

By creating an account or using the Service, you consent to receive electronic communications from Pawthentic, including but not limited to: account verification emails, service-related announcements, security alerts, health record notifications, breeder score updates, litter availability alerts, and other transactional or administrative messages.

You may opt out of marketing and promotional communications at any time by following the unsubscribe instructions in those messages. However, you may not opt out of transactional, administrative, or security-related communications while your account remains active.

14. Disclaimer of Warranties

THE SERVICE IS PROVIDED “AS IS” AND “AS AVAILABLE” WITHOUT WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, AND NON-INFRINGEMENT.

We do not warrant that the data displayed is complete, current, or error-free. Scores are editorial opinions, not certifications. We do not guarantee the quality, safety, or practices of any breeder profiled on the platform. We do not warrant that the Service will be uninterrupted, secure, or free from errors or harmful components.

15. Limitation of Liability

TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW, PAWTHENTIC AND ITS OFFICERS, DIRECTORS, EMPLOYEES, AND AGENTS SHALL NOT BE LIABLE FOR ANY INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, CONSEQUENTIAL, OR PUNITIVE DAMAGES ARISING FROM YOUR USE OF THE SERVICE, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO DAMAGES ARISING FROM RELIANCE ON SCORES, REVIEWS, OR BREEDER PROFILES; ANY TRANSACTION BETWEEN YOU AND A BREEDER; LOSS OF DATA; OR UNAUTHORIZED ACCESS TO YOUR ACCOUNT.

Our total aggregate liability for any and all claims arising from or related to the Service shall not exceed the greater of (a) the amount you paid to Pawthentic, if any, in the twelve months preceding the claim, or (b) one hundred dollars ($100).

16. Indemnification

You agree to indemnify, defend, and hold harmless Pawthentic and its officers, directors, employees, and agents from any claims, damages, losses, or expenses (including reasonable attorneys' fees) arising from: your use of the Service; your User Content; any transaction between you and a breeder facilitated through the Service; or your violation of these Terms or any applicable law.

17. DMCA & Copyright

Pawthentic respects intellectual property rights. If you believe content on the Service infringes your copyright, you may submit a DMCA takedown notice through our dispute process or by contacting us at legal@pawthentic.com. See our Dispute & Corrections page for the required elements of a DMCA notice.

18. Arbitration & Dispute Resolution

Please read this section carefully. It affects your legal rights, including your right to file a lawsuit in court.

Informal Resolution. Before initiating any formal proceeding, you agree to first contact us at legal@pawthentic.com and attempt to resolve any dispute informally for at least thirty (30) days. Most disputes can be resolved without formal proceedings.

Binding Arbitration. If a dispute cannot be resolved informally, you and Pawthentic agree that any dispute, claim, or controversy arising out of or relating to these Terms or the Service shall be resolved by binding individual arbitration administered by the American Arbitration Association (“AAA”) under its Consumer Arbitration Rules. The arbitration shall be conducted in New Castle County, Delaware, or at another mutually agreed location, and may be conducted remotely to the extent permitted by the AAA rules.

Class Action Waiver. YOU AND PAWTHENTIC AGREE THAT EACH PARTY MAY BRING CLAIMS AGAINST THE OTHER ONLY IN YOUR OR ITS INDIVIDUAL CAPACITY, AND NOT AS A PLAINTIFF OR CLASS MEMBER IN ANY PURPORTED CLASS, CONSOLIDATED, OR REPRESENTATIVE ACTION. The arbitrator may not consolidate more than one person's claims and may not preside over any form of class or representative proceeding.

Exceptions. Notwithstanding the foregoing, either party may seek injunctive or other equitable relief in any court of competent jurisdiction to prevent the actual or threatened infringement of intellectual property rights. Either party may also bring claims in small claims court if the claim qualifies.

19. Governing Law

These Terms shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of Delaware, without regard to its conflict of law provisions. To the extent that litigation is permitted under these Terms, any action shall be brought in the state or federal courts located in New Castle County, Delaware, and you consent to the personal jurisdiction of such courts.

20. Changes to Terms

We reserve the right to modify these Terms at any time. Material changes will be posted on this page with an updated “Last updated” date. We may also notify you of material changes via email or through a notice on the Service. Your continued use of the Service after changes are posted constitutes your acceptance of the revised Terms.

21. Severability & General Provisions

Severability. If any provision of these Terms is found to be unenforceable or invalid, that provision shall be limited or eliminated to the minimum extent necessary so that the remaining provisions remain in full force and effect.

Entire Agreement. These Terms, together with the Privacy Policy, constitute the entire agreement between you and Pawthentic regarding the Service and supersede all prior agreements and understandings.

No Waiver. The failure of Pawthentic to enforce any right or provision of these Terms shall not constitute a waiver of that right or provision.

Assignment. Pawthentic may assign or transfer these Terms, in whole or in part, without restriction and without notice to you. You may not assign or transfer any rights or obligations under these Terms without Pawthentic's prior written consent.

Force Majeure. Pawthentic shall not be liable for any failure or delay in performing its obligations where such failure or delay results from circumstances beyond its reasonable control, including but not limited to natural disasters, acts of government, internet or infrastructure failures, or pandemics.

Headings. Section headings are for convenience only and have no legal effect.

22. Contact

For questions about these Terms, contact us at legal@pawthentic.com.