ANIMAL SAFETY & WELFARE POLICY

ANIMAL SAFETY & WELFARE POLICY — PETTOC

Effective Date: []

Scope / Applicability: This Animal Safety & Welfare Policy (the “Policy”) is an integral part of Pet Talk’s Terms of Service and applies to all users, creators, moderators, employees, contractors, advertisers, partners, and any third parties who create, upload, post, share, or otherwise publish content on or using Pettoc services (the “Platform”). By using the Platform, you agree to comply with this Policy.

1. Definitions

“Animal” means any non-human sentient creature including, but not limited to, domestic pets (dogs, cats), livestock, wildlife, fish, birds, and companion animals.

“User Content” means any text, image, video, audio, livestream, message, comment, or other content uploaded, posted, or shared by Users on the Platform.

“Harmful Conduct” means any act, omission, content, or instruction that causes, attempts to cause, encourages, facilitates, or documents physical or psychological harm, neglect, exploitation, or death of an Animal.

2. General Policy Statement

Pettok exists to celebrate animals and to promote their welfare. The Platform strictly prohibits any content, behavior, or practice that harms, mistreats, endangers, neglects, abuses, exploits, injures, or kills an Animal, or encourages others to do so. Violations will result in swift disciplinary action including, where applicable, immediate account termination, deletion of content, and reporting to law enforcement and animal welfare authorities.

3. Prohibited Conduct and Content (Non-Exhaustive)

Users must not post, publish, or otherwise distribute any content or engage in any conduct that includes, but is not limited to:

a. Physical Abuse: Beating, kicking, striking, stabbing, burning, drowning, hanging, shooting, or otherwise physically injuring an Animal.

b. Sexual Exploitation: Sexual abuse, exploitation, bestiality, or any sexual content involving Animals.

c. Neglect / Deprivation: Intentional withholding of necessary food, water, shelter, veterinary care, grooming, or other essentials; prolonged isolation or abandonment.

d. Torture / Cruelty: Any act carried out for torture, sadism, entertainment, monetization, or social media engagement that causes pain or suffering.

e. Staged Harm or Depictions Encouraging Harm: Showing or instructing on how to harm Animals, including staged or simulated abuse presented as real.

f. Poisoning / Toxic Exposure: Administering toxic substances, drugs, or other harmful materials that can injure or kill an Animal.

g. Dangerous Stunts / Improper Handling: Encouraging or performing stunts, fights, or other activities that create a high risk of injury or death to an Animal.

h. Wildlife / Illegal Capture: Illegal capture, trafficking, hunting, or sale of protected wildlife or endangered species.

i. Animal Fighting / Gambling: Promoting, organizing, or showing animal fights, baiting, or gambling on animal injury.

j. Commercial Sale of Live Animals Via Platform: Facilitating direct sales or transfers of Animals in a manner that bypasses safe adoption/rescue standards or applicable law (subject to specific adoption/sales policy).

k. Professional Veterinary Negligence: Content advocating for withholding necessary veterinary treatment or promoting dangerous, non-evidence-based treatments to the detriment of Animal health.

l. Encouraging Self-Harm to Animals: Commands or suggestions to third parties (including minors) to harm or neglect Animals.

4. Mandatory Content Actions & Disclosures

Any User who captures or witnesses content showing suspected real-world cruelty, neglect, or illegal activity must, where safe and feasible, attempt to secure the Animal’s immediate safety and contact local emergency services or animal welfare authorities. Users should not intervene in a manner that endangers human safety.

Creators must include truthful context in metadata/captions when content depicts medical treatment, rescue operations, or a reenactment. Misrepresenting abuse as real or fabricating emergency claims to garner views is prohibited.

5. Reporting, Review, and Enforcement

a. Reporting Mechanism: Pettoc will provide clear in-app reporting tools for suspected violations and a dedicated Animal Welfare reporting channel at [email / form / in-app] (e.g., support@mypettoc.com). Reports must be reviewed promptly.

b. Enforcement Tiers:

Tier 1 (Severe / Clear Harm): Content showing actual abuse, killing, or torture → Immediate takedown, permanent account termination, report to law enforcement and animal welfare agencies, preservation of evidence, and cooperation with investigations.

Tier 2 (Likely Harm / Reckless Behavior): Content encouraging dangerous stunts, negligent treatment → Takedown, temporary or permanent account sanctions depending on severity and repeat offenses; require corrective actions and education resources. May be reported to authorities if illegal.

Tier 3 (Ambiguous / Educational / Allowed with Conditions): Educational veterinary procedures, rescue operations, or controlled training displayed with appropriate context and warnings → Content may remain if clearly contextualized, includes safety warnings, and does not depict gratuitous harm.

c. Preservation of Evidence: When reporting severe violations, Pet Talk will preserve relevant User Content, account data, and metadata and will cooperate with lawful requests from law enforcement and animal welfare authorities.

d. Automated Detection: Pettoc may use automated tools to detect potentially harmful content. Automated flags will be reviewed by human moderators prior to final enforcement actions where feasible.

6. Mandatory Consequences

Immediate Account Termination & Deletion: Any verified instance of actual abuse, torture, killing, sexual exploitation, or organized animal fights will result in immediate account termination, deletion of the content and associated accounts, and permanent ban from the Platform.

Reporting to Authorities: Verified illegal conduct will be reported to appropriate law enforcement and animal welfare/regulatory authorities without delay.

Civil & Criminal Liability: Pettoc reserves the right to pursue civil remedies and to cooperate with criminal investigations; users may also be banned from any affiliated services.

7. Cooperation with Law Enforcement and Authorities

Pettoc will cooperate with law enforcement, animal control, and relevant regulatory authorities worldwide. Pettoc may disclose user information (subject to applicable privacy laws and its Privacy Policy) when required by law or to report suspected criminal activity. Pettoc will document chain-of-custody for any digital evidence preserved for investigations.

8. User Obligations and Representations

By posting content, users represent and warrant that:

They did not, directly or indirectly, cause or facilitate any Harmful Conduct.

The content is accurate and not staged to falsely show cruelty or be used to incite violence.

They will comply with all applicable animal welfare laws and veterinary guidance.

They will immediately remove or report any content under their control that violates this Policy.

9. Moderation Standards & Transparency

Pettoc will publish a moderation and transparency report at least annually summarizing enforcement of this Policy, including numbers of reports received, takedowns, account terminations, and reports made to authorities (with privacy safeguards).

Pettoc will maintain trained moderation staff with expertise in identifying animal cruelty and will provide ongoing training and external expert consultation (e.g., animal welfare organizations, veterinarians).

10. Education, Prevention & Partnerships

Pettoc will maintain and promote animal welfare guidance, best practices for humane training and handling, and resources for reporting abuse.

Pettoc will seek partnerships with recognized animal welfare organizations and veterinarians to support educational campaigns and provide credible guidance to creators.

11. Emergency Response Protocol

For content indicating immediate danger to an Animal’s life, Pettoc will escalate to emergency response procedures, including expedited review and contact with local authorities where jurisdiction and privacy laws permit.

Pettoc will include in its reporting form an option to indicate immediate danger so moderators can prioritize.

12. Indemnity & Liability

Users who violate this Policy agree to indemnify and hold Pet Talk harmless from claims arising from their violation, including costs Pettoc incurs cooperating with investigations or defending third-party claims.

Nothing in this Policy limits Pettoc liability for willful misconduct or gross negligence under applicable law; however, Pettoc liability for ordinary negligence is limited as set forth in its Terms of Service.

13. Remedies & Injunctive Relief

Pettoc may seek injunctive or equitable relief to prevent further violations (including court orders to preserve evidence, freeze accounts, or prevent distribution).

Users acknowledge that monetary damages may be inadequate to address violations causing animal harm or risk and agree that Pettoc may pursue immediate injunctive remedies.

14. Data Retention & Privacy

Pettoc will preserve copies of removed content and related metadata for a reasonable retention period to facilitate investigations and compliance with legal obligations, subject to the Platform’s Privacy Policy and data protection laws.

15. Appeals & Reinstatement

Users may appeal enforcement actions via a defined appeal process (describe procedure/location). Appeals will be reviewed by a separate moderation team or an independent reviewer.

Reinstatement after a violation may require evidence of remedial action, completion of an educational program, and proof that the conduct will not recur. Certain severe violations (e.g., animal killing, sexual exploitation) are ineligible for reinstatement.

16. Examples of Disallowed and Potentially Allowed Content (Illustrative)

Disallowed: Video of a dog being beaten; livestream of an organized fight; instructions demonstrating how to poison an animal; staged “pranks” that injure animals presented as real.

Potentially Allowed (with requirements): A vet performing surgery shown for educational purposes with clear caption and that it was performed by a licensed vet; a rescue operation with context and post-care information.

17. Training & Age Restrictions

Creators producing animal-handling content should disclose their credentials; content that involves professional veterinary procedures should be performed only by licensed professionals.

Where appropriate, warnings and age restrictions will be applied to content that may distress viewers.

18. Changes to the Policy

Pettoc reserves the right to amend this Policy. Material changes will be posted with an updated Effective Date and communicated to users as required by law.

19. Severability

If any provision is held invalid or unenforceable, the remainder of this Policy remains in full force and effect.

20. Governing Law & Jurisdiction

This Policy is governed by the laws of [STATE/COUNTRY], without regard to conflict of law rules. Disputes shall be resolved in the appropriate courts of [JURISDICTION], subject to any arbitration clauses in Pettoc Terms of Service.

21. Contact & Reporting

To report violations or for questions relating to this Policy, contact:

Email: support@pettalk.com 

Emergency: If an Animal is in immediate danger, contact local emergency services and local animal control or police before or while reporting to the Platform.