Community Guidelines

The Pack You Keep™

Version 1.0

Effective Date: August 30, 2026

Last Updated: August 30, 2026

Why this exists

Most communities don't fail because of one dramatic incident. They fail quietly — one person who felt unwelcome and didn't come back, one meetup where somebody's dog wasn't safe and nobody said anything.

TailsTrails exists so that dog owners can find real belonging in the neighborhoods where they already live. That only works if the people in it look after each other, and after each other's dogs.

These Guidelines are the short version of how we do that. They apply to every member, on every part of the platform — profiles, the feed, messages, walks, meetups, and events. They form part of your agreement with us under the Terms of Service, which means breaking them has consequences, and we've written them plainly so nobody has to guess where the line is.

1. The one rule

Treat every member, and every dog, the way you'd want yours treated.

Everything below is that rule, made specific. If you're ever unsure whether something is okay, this is the test that answers it.

2. How we treat each other

Assume the best. People arrive here lonely, anxious, new to the neighborhood, or new to dogs. The first-timer standing at the edge of the group is the whole reason we built this. Wave them over.

Be real, and be you. One human account, one real person. Every dog profile is a real dog. Don't invent either.

Different is fine. Some dogs sleep outside. Some have a Halloween costume and a birthday cake. Some owners train with treats, some with a clicker, some are figuring it out as they go. Curiosity beats judgment here, every time.

No hate. None. No racism, no bigotry of any kind, no harassment, no bullying, no stalking, no threats, no sexual harassment, no shaming — of members, of their dogs, of their choices, or of anyone they bring along. This applies whether you're a new member or our most active Pack Leader. There is no performance level that earns an exception.

No means no, the first time. If someone declines a walk, leaves a conversation, or asks you to stop contacting them, that's the end of it.

Keep what you learn here, here. Names, addresses, phone numbers, locations, photos of someone's kids in the background of a park shot. Don't screenshot it, don't share it, don't put it on a mailing list, don't sell it.

3. Being a responsible dog owner

This is the part where honesty matters most, because other people's dogs are on the other side of it.

Tell the truth about every dog on your account. Temperament, bite history, reactivity triggers, health, vaccinations, spay and neuter status. Every match we make and every meetup someone attends is built on what you told us. Nobody can make a safe decision on bad information.

If something changed, update it. A dog who developed leash reactivity last spring is not the dog in last year's profile.

Disclose before you show up, not after. If the dog you're bringing is reactive, in a training program, muzzle-trained, recovering from something contagious, or having a bad week — tell the organizer and the people who'll be there. Almost everyone will make room for it. Nobody can make room for a surprise.

Follow the local rules. Leash laws, off-leash hours, cleanup, the posted rules of the park you're in. Ghost Mode hides your pin, not your responsibilities.

Know each dog's limit. A crowded meetup isn't a training exercise. If it isn't their day, take them home. That's good ownership, not a failure.

Zero tolerance for aggression. Knowingly bringing a dog you believe to be aggressive or dangerous into a meetup, without disclosure, is the fastest way to lose your account. Not because we're strict, but because someone else's dog pays for it.

Cruelty ends it immediately. Abuse, neglect, fighting, or content that promotes any of them. No warning, no ladder, no appeal to our better nature.

4. What you post

Post the specific thing. Daisy meeting Charlie. The trail that turned out to be muddier than advertised. The vet who actually returns calls. That's what people come here for.

Don't post anything illegal, threatening, abusive, harassing, defamatory, obscene, or sexually explicit. Don't post content that depicts or promotes animal cruelty. Don't post someone else's work as your own, or someone else's dog as yours.

If other people, their dogs, or their property are in your photo, have their okay first. Any member can ask for content featuring them or their dog to be removed by writing to [email protected].

Don't use the platform to sell things, recruit for another service, or build a list — that includes selling, buying, breeding, or rehoming dogs, which we don't host here.

We moderate content with human review, adding automated tools as the community grows. If we remove something of yours and you think we got it wrong, say so at [email protected] and a person will look at it again.

5. Meeting in real life

This is the point of TailsTrails, and it's also the part we can't supervise.

Meet somewhere public the first time. Tell someone where you're going. Trust your gut, and leave if you want to leave — you don't owe anyone an explanation.

Show up when you say you will, or cancel early enough that people can change their plans. A meetup that quietly doesn't happen costs more than one that's called off.

We match dogs and their humans together, as a pair — the Dog Vibe Check and the Vetted Pack™ are how that starts, and on the mobile app it grows: vouching from people who've actually met you, and signals from how packs really form. We verify what we can, but the information in profiles comes from members, and no platform can guarantee how any dog or any person behaves in a park. You're responsible for your own safety and for the dogs you bring. The full picture is in Terms of Service Sections 11 and 12.

6. Pack Leaders

Pack Leaders hold these Guidelines like everyone else, and a bit more besides. The Founding Pack Leader Code covers the rest of it — how to host, how to welcome, and where the role's limits sit. Its legal counterpart is Terms of Service Section 6.

7. What happens if a line is crossed

We'd rather have a conversation than take an action. Most things end at the first step.

A private word. Most misunderstandings resolve here.
A formal warning on your account.
Temporary suspension while we look into it.
Removal of Treats, badges, or Pack Leader status.
Permanent removal from TailsTrails.

Where someone's safety or a dog's safety is at risk, we skip steps. Where the conduct is illegal, we report it.

We will always tell you what happened and why. If you think we've got it wrong, write to [email protected] and ask us to look again. The full enforcement powers are set out in Terms of Service Section 7.

8. Reporting something

If you see something that breaks these Guidelines, tell us at [email protected], or through the in-app reporting tools where they're available. If someone is in immediate danger, call your local emergency number first, then tell us.

We take every report seriously and we'll look into it promptly. Reports are confidential. Filing one in bad faith, to punish someone or to win an argument, is itself a violation.

9. Changes to these Guidelines

As the community grows we'll learn things we don't know yet, and we'll update this document when we do. Material changes will be posted here with a new effective date, and we'll tell members about the significant ones. Continuing to use TailsTrails after a change means the updated Guidelines apply to you.

10. How this fits with everything else

These Guidelines form part of your agreement with TailsTrails Social Inc., together with the Terms of Service and the Privacy Policy. Where these Guidelines describe how to behave and the Terms of Service sets out what we can do about it, the Terms of Service governs.

Questions about any of it: [email protected].

Look after each other. Look after the dogs. That's the whole thing.