Community Guidelines

Updated – October 12, 2023
Welcome to The Zoo by Chewy (referred to as “Zoo by Chewy,” “The Zoo,” or “app”), the ultimate social network for the pet-obsessed! This community is created for pet parents (“users”) from all walks of life to connect, 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 environment full of pets and 🧡 PAWsitive vibes 🐾.
When you create an account on The Zoo, you agree to treat every user in the community with respect and kindness, regardless of breed, age, sexual orientation, religion, disability, habitat preference, communication, movement style, and fur, feather, shell, scale, or skin color.
When a user posts something inappropriate to The Zoo, it significantly detracts from the experience that users come to the community to enjoy.
Please take a moment to review our Guidelines to keep the community pet-centric, positive, and kind.Please note that violation of these Guidelines may result in moderation action, up to and including suspension or deletion of accounts. The Zoo’s moderation staff reserves the right to remove any content that is inconsistent with our Terms & Conditions, Community Guidelines, or the mission of our app.
Guidelines:
🧡 It’s all about the pets. Please keep all content on The Zoo pet-focused. If we see posts where a pet is not the main subject, we may remove the post. Some examples of posts that will be removed include: posts focused on human topics, selfies, or inanimate objects that are not pet-related; screenshots of chats, other users’ profiles, text or graphics that are not about pets, or other apps that are not pet-related; video games, cartoons, or furry fandom content including fursuits and fursonas; hate posts, posts about human arguments, or posts targeting other users in negative ways; sexually offensive posts, posts that involve illegal or unethical conduct, or posts about mature or explicit topics.
Everyone is welcome on The Zoo. The Zoo is an inclusive community full of pets and pet parents from all walks of life. Please do not make a post, comment, or account with the intent to humiliate, target, expose, call-out, offend, bully, harass, discriminate, or threaten others in any way.
PAWsitive vibes only. Please frame all content in a way which contributes positively to The Zoo community. The Zoo is an escape from the negativity and drama of other human-focused social media platforms, and we ask that all users help us to create an uplifting, positive environment. If you feel like you must express yourself in a negative manner, please take a break before using the app.
Respect ownership – be yourself. Please make sure you have the appropriate rights and permissions to share the content you post to The Zoo. Make sure you are providing correct information about yourself and not using another identity. We take issues of copyright, intellectual property, and impersonation seriously, and our moderation staff reserve the right to remove any content that has been misappropriated or stolen from other sources.
No one likes a spammer. Repeatedly begging for others to lick posts, add comments, send boops, vote for certain entries in events, or follow certain accounts is considered spam by the majority of the community. Please also avoid sending excessive ZooChat messages to other community members, or copying and pasting the same messages over and over again throughout the app.
Be a good sport. The events and Challenges within The Zoo are designed to be delightful experiences where users can share their pet’s adventures and connect with new friends. There may be elements of competition to some events, but at the end of the day please remember that a free event on a pet social media app is not the Olympics. If you find yourself getting upset or obsessing over how well your entries are doing in our events, it may be time to take a break from the app.
Practice good Pack protocol – keep it focused. Discussions in Packs are meant to be directly related to the Pack itself. Make sure that each discussion post you share is in the appropriate Pack and stays focused on topics related to that specific Pack. If we notice off-topic posts in Packs, they may be removed by moderation staff to help keep things organized.
Use good judgement. While we believe there is strong value in crowd-sourced wisdom, keep in mind that not all users on The Zoo are trained veterinary professionals and this app is not designed for providing professional vet advice. We encourage all pet parents to consult their local veterinarian with any immediate concerns about their pet’s health. The Zoo and Chewy are not liable for any false information that may be published on the platform. If you believe another user is sharing harmful information, please report them through the app or reach out to our Support team directly at .
Be safe. Practice good internet safety and do not give out sensitive personal information. In addition, please do not post any content which may threaten the safety of pets or humans in any way. This includes content that encourages risk of physical, emotional, or self-harm; encouraging child, adult, or animal abuse; attempting to “dox” others; or coordinating harmful or criminal behavior.
Be appropriate. 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, or content of a sexual nature.
No commerce. Please do not use The Zoo to buy or sell merchandise or services of any kind. Links to external shops are allowed, however The Zoo takes no liability for any merchandise or service transactions through external links.
No fraudulent activity. Please do not engage in any fraudulent activity or attempt in any way to violate or circumvent our policies.
How to report a user or a post:

If you see a user behaving in ways that you believe to be in violation of our Guidelines, report them by tapping the three dots in the top right corner of their profile. To report an individual post, tap the three dots at the bottom right corner of the post. You can also send a report with screenshots directly to our Moderation team via email at . The more information and screenshot examples you can provide, the more effectively we can respond. Please do not use your account to make posts targeting any users you believe to be in violation of our Guidelines, as this is considered harassment.
If you do not like another user’s content but it is not in violation of our Guidelines, we recommend unfollowing the user or using the “block” feature to remove them from your experience in the app. Go to the user’s profile, tap the three dots in the top right corner, and then tap “Block User.” This will prevent the user from being able to see your profile, from commenting on your posts, from seeing any comments you make on other users’ posts, and from sending you ZooChat messages. To unblock a user, visit the “Manage your Friends and Followers” tab in your account settings.
Mental health resources:

We care deeply about this community. If you feel that yourself or someone you care about is in immediate physical danger, please contact local emergency services for help.
If you are struggling, we want you to know that mental health and suicide prevention resources are available to you. We strongly encourage you to contact a hotline for immediate help, and to explore the links provided below. (Please note that The Zoo is merely posting the links to these resources, is in no way endorsing them, and excludes any liability associated with the use of such resources.)
US Resources:
  • National Suicide & Crisis Prevention Hotline – Call 988 for immediate help. There is also a free online chat option, as well as options for those who are deaf or hard of hearing. There is also a Spanish language line available.
  • Crisis Text Line – Call or text a trained professional for immediate help. Text HOME to 741741 from anywhere in the United States.
  • The Trevor Project – US – Call, text, or chat with a trained professional. The Trevor Project is geared specifically towards young people in the LGBTQIA+ community.
  • National Eating Disorders Association – Call, text, or chat between certain hours each day. The NEDA website also allows you to search for more help and resources in your area.
Canada Resources:
  • Talk Suicide Canada – Call or text this secure hotline to speak with a trained professional. They also provide tools on their website to search each province for more help and resources.
Mexico Resources:
  • Open Counseling Hotlines List – This list contains a wide variety of hotlines for all crisis situations, plus the ability to search for localized resources and help.
  • The Trevor Project – Mexico – Call, text, or chat with a trained professional. The Trevor Project is geared specifically towards young people in the LGBTQIA+ community.
International resources:
  • Your Life Counts – A wonderful website with a searchable list of resources and hotlines.
  • Hope For The Day – Another helpful website where you can find help for anything from therapy to food pantries to housing.
Let’s work together to create a supportive, inclusive, and safe community where we lift each other up through delightful pet content and 🧡 PAWsitive vibes! 🐾