PawM8 Community Guidelines

Effective date: April 26, 2026

PawM8 is a community for pet owners. These rules keep it safe, friendly, and worth coming back to. Breaking them can get your account warned, suspended, or permanently banned. They apply to all users worldwide and are enforced consistently regardless of where you live.

If you see something that breaks these rules, report it in the app — every report is reviewed.

Be real

• Use your real name and current photos of yourself and your pet.
• One account per person. No duplicates, no impersonation.
• If your pet passed away or you rehomed them, update or remove the profile — don’t pretend they’re still with you.
• Profile verification (selfie verification) is optional but encouraged.

Be 18+

PawM8 is for adults only. Anyone under 18 isn’t allowed on the platform. If you believe a user is under 18, report them — we will investigate promptly.

Be kind

• No harassment, threats, slurs, or hate speech — ever.
• No unsolicited sexual or explicit content.
• No pressuring other users for dates, photos, or personal info.
• Disagreements are fine. Attacks on people (or their pets) are not.

No animal cruelty or neglect

• No images of animals being mistreated, harmed, or in distress for entertainment.
• No promoting practices we consider cruel — including dog fighting, backyard breeding, and tail-docking or ear-cropping for cosmetic reasons.
• Pets in your photos should look healthy and well cared-for.

No commerce (without permission)

PawM8 is for playdates and friendship. Don’t use it to:

• Sell, broker, or advertise the sale of animals.
• Advertise your walking, training, grooming, or sitting business in your profile or messages.
• Promote products or services in messages.

If you have a legitimate reason to do pet-related business through the community (a partnership, an event), email support@pawm8.com before you post.

Keep meetings safe

• Meet in public places (dog parks, cafés, off-leash beaches) for first meetings.
• Tell someone where you’re going.
• Don’t share your home address in your profile or in early messages.
• Verify a profile is real before meeting — look for the verification badge or arrange a video call first.
• If a user makes you uncomfortable, unmatch and report — we review every report.

Report instead of retaliate

If someone violates these guidelines, use the in-app report button. Don’t dox, harass back, or try to expose them yourself — it creates more problems and may itself violate these rules.

We read every report. Actions we take range from warnings to content removal to permanent bans. You won’t always see the outcome (privacy applies to other users too), but the report did something — and we’ll notify you of the resolution where appropriate.

What happens when you break the rules

Severity	What we do
First minor violation	Warning + content removal
Repeated or moderate violation	Temporary suspension (24 hours to 30 days)
Serious violation (threats, CSAM, animal cruelty, doxing, hate speech)	Immediate permanent ban + reporting to authorities where required

We may ban without prior warning where the safety of users requires it, or where we are legally obliged to act.

Appeals

If you believe an enforcement action against you was incorrect, you can appeal by emailing support@pawm8.com with the subject “Appeal” within 30 days. We will review the case and respond within a reasonable time. Where required by law (including the EU Digital Services Act for EU users), we will provide a reasoned explanation of our decision.

Questions

Email safety@pawm8.com.