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terms of service

effective date: May 21, 2025  ·  last updated: May 21, 2025

please read these terms of service ("terms") carefully before using the pawd. mobile application or website at usepawd.com (collectively, the "service") operated by pawd. ("pawd.," "we," "our," or "us"). by accessing or using the service, you agree to be bound by these terms. if you do not agree, do not use the service.

1. eligibility

you must be at least 13 years of age to use the service. by using the service, you represent and warrant that you meet this age requirement. if you are under 18, you represent that your parent or legal guardian has reviewed and agreed to these terms on your behalf.

2. description of service

pawd. is a personality-driven pet adoption platform that connects prospective adopters with adoptable animals listed by shelters and rescue organizations. the service includes:

  • a pet matching feed based on user preferences and lifestyle
  • access to adoptable pet profiles sourced from partner shelters and data providers
  • a shelter fund system allowing users to earn and donate credits to animal shelters
  • rewarded advertising through which users earn shelter fund credits
  • direct inquiry tools to contact shelters about specific animals

pawd. is a discovery and donation platform. we do not sell, transfer ownership of, or broker the sale or acquisition of animals. all adoption decisions, agreements, and transactions occur directly between the prospective adopter and the shelter or rescue organization.

3. accounts

to access certain features of the service, you may be required to create an account. you agree to provide accurate, current, and complete information during registration and to keep your account information updated. you are responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of your account credentials and for all activity that occurs under your account.

you may not share your account with others or create accounts for any purpose other than your own personal use of the service. we reserve the right to suspend or terminate accounts that violate these terms.

4. the shelter fund

earning credits

pawd. users earn shelter fund credits by watching rewarded advertisements served through Google AdMob. each qualifying ad view awards the user a credit value as displayed in the app at the time of viewing. credit values may change at our discretion with reasonable notice.

making donations

shelter fund credits may be redeemed as charitable donations to animal shelters by using the "swipe down" gesture on an eligible pet profile within the app. each donation sends $0.25 (or the then-current displayed amount) to the shelter associated with the selected pet.

donations are irrevocable once confirmed. credits spent on donations cannot be refunded or reversed.

credit balance policies

  • shelter fund credits have no cash value and are not transferable between accounts.
  • credits may only be redeemed as charitable donations through the in-app donation mechanism.
  • credits cannot be withdrawn, cashed out, or transferred to any external account.
  • inactive balance policy: shelter fund balances that have seen no donation activity for 18 or more consecutive months will be automatically donated in full to active shelters listed on the pawd. platform. "donation activity" means at least one completed donation made using that balance within the 18-month period. we will make reasonable efforts to notify users with inactive balances at least 30 days before this auto-donation occurs, via the email address associated with their account. auto-donated balances are not returned under any circumstances.

revenue allocation

pawd. allocates no less than 50% of net advertising revenue generated through the rewarded ad program to animal shelters via the shelter fund. "net advertising revenue" means gross ad revenue less applicable platform fees, payment processing fees, and taxes.

5. acceptable use

you agree not to use the service to:

  • violate any applicable law or regulation
  • impersonate any person or entity or misrepresent your affiliation with any person or entity
  • post false, misleading, or fraudulent content
  • attempt to manipulate the shelter fund, exploit rewarded ad systems, or engage in any form of ad fraud
  • scrape, crawl, or harvest data from the service without prior written permission
  • interfere with or disrupt the integrity or performance of the service
  • attempt to gain unauthorized access to any part of the service or its systems
  • use the service for any commercial purpose not expressly authorized by pawd.

6. user content

you may submit content to the service, including profile photos and preference information ("user content"). you retain ownership of your user content. by submitting user content, you grant pawd. a non-exclusive, royalty-free, worldwide license to use, store, display, and process your user content solely as necessary to operate and improve the service.

you represent and warrant that your user content does not violate any third-party rights and that you have all necessary rights to grant the license above.

7. third-party services and content

the service integrates with and links to third-party services including Google AdMob and Supabase. your use of these third-party services is governed by their respective terms and privacy policies. pawd. is not responsible for the content, accuracy, or practices of third-party services.

pet profile information displayed in the service is sourced from third-party data providers and shelter organizations. pawd. does not verify the accuracy of individual pet listings and makes no representations or warranties about the health, temperament, or availability of any specific animal.

8. intellectual property

the pawd. name, logo, wordmark, and all original content, features, and functionality of the service are owned by pawd. and are protected by applicable intellectual property laws. you may not reproduce, distribute, modify, or create derivative works from any pawd. content without prior written permission.

9. disclaimers

the service is provided on an "as is" and "as available" basis without warranties of any kind, either express or implied, including but not limited to warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, and non-infringement.

pawd. does not warrant that the service will be uninterrupted, error-free, or free of viruses or other harmful components. pawd. does not guarantee that any specific pet listed on the service will be available for adoption or that any adoption inquiry will result in a successful adoption.

10. limitation of liability

to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, pawd. and its officers, directors, employees, agents, and licensors shall not be liable for any indirect, incidental, special, consequential, or punitive damages, including but not limited to loss of profits, data, or goodwill, arising out of or in connection with your use of the service, even if pawd. has been advised of the possibility of such damages.

pawd.'s total cumulative liability to you for any claims arising under these terms shall not exceed the greater of $100 USD or the amount you have paid to pawd. in the twelve months preceding the claim.

11. indemnification

you agree to indemnify, defend, and hold harmless pawd. and its officers, directors, employees, and agents from and against any claims, liabilities, damages, losses, and expenses (including reasonable attorneys' fees) arising out of or in any way connected with: (a) your use of the service; (b) your violation of these terms; (c) your user content; or (d) your violation of any third-party rights.

12. termination

we reserve the right to suspend or terminate your access to the service at any time, with or without notice, for any reason, including violation of these terms. upon termination, your right to use the service will immediately cease. provisions of these terms that by their nature should survive termination shall survive, including sections on disclaimers, limitation of liability, and governing law.

you may delete your account at any time by contacting hello@usepawd.com. any unused shelter fund credits at the time of account deletion will be donated to active shelters on the platform.

13. governing law and dispute resolution

these terms are governed by the laws of the United States, without regard to conflict of law principles. any dispute arising under or relating to these terms or the service shall first be subject to informal resolution — contact us at hello@usepawd.com and we will attempt to resolve the dispute within 30 days.

if informal resolution fails, disputes shall be resolved by binding arbitration under the rules of the American Arbitration Association, conducted in English. you waive any right to participate in a class action lawsuit or class-wide arbitration.

14. changes to terms

we may modify these terms at any time. when we do, we will update the "last updated" date at the top of this page and, where appropriate, notify users through the app or by email. your continued use of the service after changes become effective constitutes acceptance of the revised terms.

15. contact

questions about these terms? contact us at:

pawd.
hello@usepawd.com
usepawd.com

pawd.
blog shelters for shelters about privacy terms
hello@usepawd.com
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