The Zoo Promise & Community Guidelines
Updated – April 18, 2023
The Zoo was created for all kinds of pet parents (“users”) to meet up, have fun, share content, make friends, and create memories. At the core of our mission is the basic concept that we will all work together as a community to encourage an inclusive and positive environment. Together, let’s make the Zoo the best it can be for you, for the Zoo, and for all of #petkind.
By being a part of the Zoo community, you agree to treat every pet and user in the Zoo – regardless of their fur, shell, feather, scale or skin color, breed, age, sexual orientation, religion, disability, habitat preference, communication and movement style – with respect and kindness.
COMMUNITY GUIDELINES
When a user posts something inappropriate, or non-pet related, it significantly detracts from the experience that we’re all here to enjoy. Please take a moment to review our community guidelines and do your part to keep our community pet-centric, positive and kind.
Any violation of our community guidelines may result in moderation action, up to and including suspension or deletion of accounts.
Let’s keep it pet focused. If we see posts where a pet is not the main subject, we may remove the post. Some examples of posts that get removed are those featuring only human faces, posts where no pet is visible, screen shots of chats, video games or non-pet related topics, offensive posts, sexually offensive or posts that involve illegal or unethical conduct, hate posts, drama starters and posts targeting other pets in a negative way.
There’s no place for hate in the Zoo. Please do not make a post, comment or account that iscoming from a place which is intended to humiliate, target, expose, offend, bully, harass, discriminate or threaten.
Pawsitive vibes only. Please frame all content in a way which contributes pawsitively to the Zoo community. If you are feeling like you must express yourself in a negative manner, please take a break before using the app. Respect ownership. Please make sure you have the appropriate rights and permissions to use any materials before posting them to the Zoo.
Respect boundaries. Not all topics belong in a pet centric experience. If a pet wouldn’t say it, it’s probably not appropriate for the Zoo. Pets join the Zoo for pawsitive vibes so respect other pets by leaving the human topics for human social media platforms
No one likes a spammer. Begging for votes and excessive posts of screen shots are considered spam by the majority of the community. Also, please don’t send excessive messages to other community members. Don’t be a poor sport. The events and challenges are designed to be fun. It’s a chance to try out a photography skill, make a memory with your pet or just laugh with your friends. Yes, there is voting and virtual awards but it’s not the Olympics. If you find yourself getting upset, it may be time to take a break.
Mature human topics. Please do not post anything which could depict, glorify or encourage self-injury, abuse or violence or contain offensive or degrading material, violent or graphic content, content of sexual nature.
Stay on topic in Packs. Discussions in packs are meant to be directly related to the pack itself. For example, the Cat Pack is a place to discuss things cat related. Discussions not related to any specific pack should go on your individual feed as long as the discussion is also appropriate for the Zoo in general.
Be Safe. Please do not post any content which which may threaten the safety of pets or humans, such as encouraging risk of physical or emotional harm, encouraging child, adult or pet abuse, coordinating harmful or criminal behavior to others or general public.
Be Yourself. When you open a Zoo account, make sure you are providing correct information about yourself and not using another identity.
No Commerce. The Zoo is a place to have fun and relax with other pet parents. Please do not use the platform to try to buy or sell merchandise or services of any kind.
Fraud and Security. The Zoo is a safe place for pet parents. Please do not engage in any fraudulent activity or attempt in any way to violate or circumvent our policies.
HOW AND WHEN TO REPORT A USER OR A POST:
If you see a post or a user behaving in ways that you believe to be in violation of our guidelines, report it by tapping the three dots below the photo or at the top of a profile, or by sending screen shots and user names to support@thezoobychewy.com. The more information and screen shot examples you can provide, the more efficiently we can respond. DO NOT use your account to post screenshots targeting the pet that is in violation because that may be classified as harassment.
If you do not like another pet’s comment but it is not in violation of our guidelines, you can attempt to resolve the issue by respectfully asking them to take it down, deleting the comment from your feed, unfollowing or blocking that pet. DO NOT use your account to post screen shots to draw attention to the situation because that may be classified as harassment.
Lastly, we care deeply about this community and if you feel that you or someone you care about is in immediate physical danger, please contact local emergency services for help. If the danger is not immediate, then the following may be helpful:
Text or call someone you trust.
Reach out to a friend, family member, counselor, or teacher and ask them to let you share what’s on your mind.
Contact a support hotline.
Talk to a trained counselor confidentially, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week:
Crisis Text Line:
Text START to 741741 from anywhere in the USA, at any time, about any type of crisis | https://www.crisistextline.org/
The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline:
1-800-273-8255 | https://suicidepreventionlifeline.org/
The Trevor Project:
https://www.thetrevorproject.org/ | 1-866-488-7386
Eating Disorders – National Eating Disorders Association:
1-800-931-2237; info@myneda.org; https://NationalEatingDisorders.org
Please note that we reserve the right to remove all posts that are inconsistent with our Terms & Conditions or the mission of our application. If this policy applies to any of your posts and any comments, we may remove them.