📜 Ethical Dogs International LLC

Terms & Conditions, Disclaimers, and Privacy Policy
Effective Date: August 25, 2025

1. Introduction

Welcome to Ethical Dogs International LLC (“Company,” “we,” “our,” or “us”).
Our mission is to elevate ethical breeders, rescues, and rehomers, protect buyers, and provide transparency across the canine community.

By using our websites, platforms, directories, and related services (the “Services”), you agree to these Terms & Conditions. These terms form a legally binding agreement between you and Ethical Dogs International LLC. If you do not agree, do not use the Services.

2. Definitions

  • Entity – Any party listing dogs, litters, or services on our platform. This includes breeders, rescues, and rehomers.

    • Breeder – An individual or business engaged in planned canine breeding for sale or placement.

    • Rescue – A nonprofit or private group dedicated to rescuing, rehabilitating, and rehoming dogs.

    • Rehomer – An individual or family rehoming a personal dog, outside of organized breeding or rescue activity.

  • Verified – A status granted after review of documentation submitted by an Entity. Verification indicates reporting compliance but does not guarantee health, temperament, or availability of any dog.

  • Complaint – A report submitted by buyers, rescues, rehomers, or peers regarding concerns with an Entity.

  • User – Any person accessing the Services, including Entities, buyers, reviewers, and members of the public.

  • Microchip Lookup – Registry feature allowing confirmation of ownership or Entity connection by microchip number.

3. General Use of the Services

  • You must be at least 18 years old to create an account.

  • You are responsible for the accuracy of all information submitted.

  • We may update, suspend, or remove listings, reviews, or complaints at our discretion.

  • Access to certain features (e.g., rebuttals, badges, dashboard tools) requires paid membership.

4. Memberships and Fees

  • Membership fees are non-refundable, including if accounts are suspended or removed due to ethics enforcement.

  • Memberships may be billed monthly or annually and auto-renew unless canceled before renewal.

  • Benefits (badges, rebuttal rights, visibility boosts, etc.) activate only after payment and documentation review.

5. Verification & Reporting System

  • Verification is not a guarantee. Paid membership covers evaluation, but badges must be earned through submitted documentation.

  • Entities may submit documents (contracts, health testing, policies, etc.).

  • Private records submitted are not posted publicly. They are deleted after 30 days. Only metadata (confirmation that a report was submitted) is retained.

  • If an Entity chooses, they may make medical or genetic testing results public on their listing.

  • The directory shows what information has been reported: some Entities submit nothing, some partial, some complete.

  • It is up to the public to:

    • Ask Entities for detailed reports.

    • Verify veterinary results with licensed professionals.

    • Confirm temperament, availability, and accuracy of claims.

We do not guarantee dog availability or quality based on a listing.

6. Ethics & Definitions

For the purposes of this platform:

Ethics means practices that prioritize the health, welfare, and humane treatment of dogs above profit.

Indicators of ethical practices include:

  • Proper housing, nutrition, and veterinary care.

  • Transparent contracts and lifetime return policies.

  • Responsible breeding intervals and medical testing.

  • Adequate socialization, exercise, and temperament care.

  • Compliance with licensing and welfare standards.

Unethical practices include but are not limited to: neglect, misrepresentation, continuous breeding without recovery, lack of veterinary care, poor sanitation, or puppy mill activity.

7. Complaints, Reviews & Rebuttals

  • Complaint Display Policy: Only status labels (“Complaint on Record,” “Under Ethics Review,” “Resolved”) appear publicly. Evidence is never shown.

  • Complaint evidence is reviewed internally and deleted after 30 days; only summaries remain for public display.

  • Entities have 30 days to rebut a complaint before a public label is applied.

  • Serious allegations (fraud, abuse, neglect) may trigger immediate suspension.

  • Reviews must be truthful, based on direct experience, and may be removed if false or abusive.

8. Microchip Lookup & Registry

  • Public can search chip numbers to check Entity connections.

  • Verified Entities may have contact information displayed; unverified remain masked.

  • Entities are notified when their chip is searched.

  • We are not responsible for outdated, missing, or incorrect chip records.

9. Rehoming & Rescue Listings

  • Owners submitting rehoming listings must provide truthful information.

  • Rescue organizations must comply with applicable welfare laws.

  • Listings may be removed if misleading or unethical.

10. Service Providers & Advertisements

  • Third-party ads (trainers, repro services, transport, etc.) are informational only.

  • We do not endorse or guarantee third-party providers. Perform independent due diligence.

11. Suspension & Termination

We may suspend or terminate accounts for:

  • Abuse, neglect, or unethical practices.

  • Repeated or unresolved complaints.

  • Fraudulent activity, chargebacks, or contract breaches.

  • Violation of these Terms.

No refunds are given for terminated memberships.

12. Disclaimers

  • We do not breed or sell dogs.

  • We do not guarantee the health, temperament, availability, or quality of any dog listed.

  • Verified badges and complaint scores are informational only.

  • Users assume all risks in transactions, transport, and ownership.

  • We are a reporting and verification system to help the public identify trustworthy Entities and avoid scammers, puppy mills, and unethical operators.

13. Limitation of Liability

To the fullest extent allowed by law:

  • Ethical Dogs International LLC is not liable for damages, disputes, or losses from transactions with Entities.

  • Our Services provide reporting, directory listings, and complaint summaries only.

14. Privacy Policy

What We Collect:

  • Account info (name, email, phone, address).

  • Payment info (handled by third-party processors; we do not store card data).

  • Microchip numbers, dog details, verification documents.

  • Complaint/review submissions.

What We Keep:

  • Verification documents are deleted after 30 days.

  • Only metadata (that a document was submitted) is retained for profile scoring.

What We Share:

  • Public directory information (Entity name, location, breeds, website, badge status).

  • Complaint/review summaries (status only).

  • Microchip results (limited based on verification status).

We do not sell personal information.

Security: Encrypted connections, secure storage, role-based access.
Retention: Complaint/score metadata, membership and payment logs retained for compliance.

15. Jurisdiction

These Terms are governed by the laws of New Mexico, USA, without conflict-of-law rules.

16. Updates

We may update these Terms periodically. Continued use constitutes acceptance of updates.

17. Contact

📧 support@[yourdomain].com
📬 Ethical Dogs International LLC, Albuquerque, NM