The rules, in plain words.

PetArchive (petarchive.com) is operated by MZ NY Technologies Inc. ("PetArchive", "we", "us"), 1781 47th Street, Brooklyn, NY 11204. "You" means the person using the site.

These terms are an agreement between you and us. You accept them when you check the box "I agree to the Terms and Privacy Policy" on any of our forms or otherwise use PetArchive. If you don't agree, don't use the site. Our Privacy Policy explains how we handle information and is part of these terms.

What PetArchive is

PetArchive is a map of pets. You can claim a free spot for a pet, add a photo and a few words, and get a page with an archive number. A one-time payment lets you choose a bigger spot or add a beacon. Pet shops, vets, groomers and other pet services can pay for an ad rectangle on the map.

Adoptable pets from shelters and rescues appear as guests, drawn from shelters' public listings and public data feeds, with a way to contact the shelter. PetArchive is not a shelter, breeder or animal marketplace. We never sell, place or hand over animals ourselves.

Who can use PetArchive

You must be at least 13 to use PetArchive, including to hold an account or put your pet on the map. If you're 13 to 17, you need a parent's or guardian's permission.

You must be at least 18 (or the age of majority where you live) to pay for a bigger spot, beacon, gift or ad. By paying or subscribing, you confirm that you meet this requirement. PetArchive is not directed at children; see "Children" in the Privacy Policy.

If you use PetArchive for a shelter, rescue or advertiser, you confirm that you're authorized to act for it, and "you" includes that organization.

Your account

You sign in with your email and password. New accounts confirm their email through a link we send. If you claimed a spot with just your email, open that link to set a password. Keep your email and password secure. Tell us if you suspect someone else has used your account.

Use your own, real, everyday email address; throwaway addresses aren't accepted. Keep only one account and keep your details accurate. Your account is yours alone and can't be transferred or sold. You're responsible for activity under it.

Your pet's spot and page

• The free spot. Every pet can have one free 1×1 spot and a page. Post only pets you own or have the owner's permission to post. Don't add a pet already on the map under someone else.
• Going on the map. A new pet appears when you open the link we email you. Until then, its square is held for 24 hours and the pet isn't displayed. After 24 hours, the claim expires and the square becomes available again.
• The archive number. A pet receives its number when it joins, and that number isn't reassigned, with one exception: if a pet is removed within 24 hours of joining, has no likes, comments or shares, and has the newest number issued, its number becomes available again. The removal screen tells you which applies.
• Moving. You can move a pet to any open place once every 30 days. A free resize that requires a new place counts as that move.
• Map layout and placement. We may expand the map or change its layout, grid, areas, landmarks, water and appearance. These changes may shift any pet's position. We do not guarantee a specific position or give individual notice of map-wide changes. We may also move an individual pet to another available place when reasonably needed to operate or maintain the map. A paid spot keeps its paid size when moved. We do not move a pet to give its spot to another user. If the place chosen for a paid spot is taken during payment, the placement provisions under "Paying for a bigger spot" apply.
• A spot is not property. A spot is a licensed place on our map, not property you own. It depends on your account and these terms, has no cash value, and cannot be sold or transferred except for shelter transfers described in these terms. This does not prevent someone from buying a bigger spot for another person's pet under "Gifts." A spot, including a paid spot purchased with a one-time payment, lasts for as long as PetArchive operates, subject to these terms. If we reduce a spot's paid size, we treat that as removing the spot under "Removal without a violation."

What you post

You own what you post, including photos, names, stories, updates, comments and nicknames. By posting, you give us a non-exclusive, worldwide, royalty-free license to host, store, copy, resize, crop, display and share your content on PetArchive, in share cards and link previews, in emails about it, in the daily activity, and in PetArchive's promotion of the site, such as a picture of the map. This license also allows the services that run the site to handle your content for us.

We won't use a photo showing a recognizable person in our own promotion without that person's separate written consent, or a parent's or guardian's written consent for a child. The license ends when you remove the content, except for copies already shared and copies held briefly in backups. We don't sell your content.

You're responsible for what you post. You confirm that you have the right to post it; that you own the photos or have the photographer's permission; that anyone recognizable in a photo, and a parent or guardian of any child, has agreed to its display under this license; and that it doesn't violate the law or anyone's rights.

Don't post other people's personal information, including a shelter worker's name or phone number, unless they've published it for that purpose. If your content was posted without permission, or you appear in a photo you didn't agree to, contact us at petarchive.com/help and we'll take it down.

Intimate images. If an intimate image of you, or of someone you're authorised to act for, appears on PetArchive without consent, write to us through the contact form at petarchive.com/help with a link to it, a short statement that you believe in good faith it was posted without consent, your name and a way to contact you, and your signature (typing your name is enough). Within 48 hours of a valid request we remove the image and make reasonable efforts to find and remove identical copies.

The rules

Don't use PetArchive to:

• post hateful, harassing, threatening, sexual or violent content, or content showing or promoting animal cruelty;
• sell, breed, trade or advertise animals, or ask for money for an animal (adoption fees set by shelters in their own listings are allowed);
• post illegal or misleading content, or anything unrelated to a pet;
• impersonate another person, shelter or rescue;
• post spam, repeated comments or links to unrelated sites;
• collect information with automated tools (scraping), including shelter contact details and other people's content;
• bypass our limits, checks, blocks or security, or interfere with the site, map or other people's accounts;
• infringe anyone's copyright, trademark or privacy.

Checks, moderation and removal

An AI service automatically checks words and photos when posted and rejects content that appears to break these rules. It also locates pets' faces for photo cropping and detects people in photos. If you think a decision is wrong, write to us and a person will review it.

We don't review everything posted or promise to do so. We may remove or hide content, exclude it from What's new, or suspend or close an account without notice if we judge that it violates these terms or the law.

Anyone can report content. When several people report the same item, it's hidden pending review. Reports alone never remove a pet from the map. We may pause parts of the site, such as new comments or spots, to address abuse, and block email or network addresses from posting.

Comments, likes, saves and the daily activity

Comments are public. Adoptable pets do not accept comments anywhere on the site. Anyone can comment using a name; replies require an account. Pet owners can remove any comment on their pet's page, and you can remove your own comments. Likes are public counts. Saved pets are private to you.

The daily activity is one post a day in What's new: a pixelated pet photo to guess or a pet to suggest a nickname for. Guesses aren't displayed with your name; nicknames are ordinary comments. Owners choose whether their pets participate. Adoptable pets participate automatically, and shelter pets keep their real names.

Posts we make for your pet

A short item appears in What's new when your pet joins or reaches a round number of likes. If you add a birthday or came-home day, we post a short note on your pet's page and in What's new on that date each year, starting with the first anniversary.

We also post when your pet is featured or earns a badge for one year on the map, 100 likes, or 500 likes. These posts are automatic. You can delete any of them, and removing a date stops its annual post. Emails about these posts are optional.

Copyright

We respect copyright and expect you to do the same. If you believe a photo or text on PetArchive infringes your copyright, send a Digital Millennium Copyright Act notice to our designated agent:

Copyright Agent, MZ NY Technologies Inc., 1781 47th Street, Brooklyn, NY 11204. Email: [email protected]. Phone: (917) 773-8380.

Your notice must include: your physical or electronic signature; the work you say is infringed; the material you say infringes it and where it is on PetArchive (a link); your name, address, phone number and email; a statement that you believe in good faith the use isn't authorised by the owner, its agent or the law; and a statement, under penalty of perjury, that the notice is accurate and that you are the owner or authorised to act for the owner.

When we get a complete notice we remove or disable the material and tell the person who posted it. They can send a counter-notice with their signature; the material and where it was; a statement under penalty of perjury that they believe in good faith it was removed by mistake or misidentification; their name, address and phone number; and their consent to the jurisdiction of the federal court for their district (or the Eastern District of New York if they're outside the United States) and to accept service from the person who complained. If we get a valid counter-notice we forward it to the complainant and, unless they tell us they've filed a court action, restore the material in 10 to 14 working days. People who repeatedly infringe lose their account.

Paying for a bigger spot or beacon

• One-time. A bigger spot or beacon requires a one-time payment, not a subscription. Prices appear in US dollars before payment. We don't currently add sales tax at checkout; if we're legally required to collect it, it will appear before you pay.
• Stripe. Stripe, Inc. processes payments under Stripe's terms (stripe.com/legal). The card form on our page belongs to Stripe. We never see or store your card number. We keep the amount, order, your email as recorded by Stripe, and Stripe's reference numbers.
• The difference. To upgrade later, you pay the difference between the size you've paid for and the new size. You can shrink your spot and return to any size you've paid for at no charge. Shrinking a spot doesn't qualify for a refund.
• Placement. Your new size takes effect as soon as payment succeeds. If your chosen place was taken during payment, we assign the nearest available place of that size and email you. If no place of that size is available, your pet keeps its current size, we email you, and we either find a place together or refund you in full.
• Gifts. You can buy a bigger spot for someone else's pet. We email the owner about the gift, including your note if you provide one, but don't show your name. Gifts apply immediately and can't be declined. The owner can shrink the spot or remove the pet at any time; only the payer can request a refund.
• Beacons. A beacon is a paid map feature that displays a small light for your pet when the map is zoomed far out, shows the pet's name on hover, and zooms in when clicked or tapped. It costs $10 per pet, paid once, and is available only for your own pet, not shelter or adoptable pets or ads. Beacons cannot currently be gifted. A beacon does not change a spot's size or place. We may change its appearance on the map. It ends if the pet is removed or the account closes, subject to the refund rules.
• Refunds. All purchases are final and non-refundable except for billing errors, including duplicate or mistaken charges; our inability to provide what you purchased, other than because PetArchive closes; or refunds owed under "Removal without a violation" or the closure provisions in "Ending things." Ads have their own refund terms, described under "Ads." Request a refund through the contact form at petarchive.com/help within 14 days of payment; this deadline does not apply to refunds owed under "Removal without a violation" or on closure of PetArchive. A request alone or a change of mind does not entitle you to a refund. A refund ends what the purchase provided, such as returning a spot to its previous size or turning off a beacon, and goes back to the original payment method without fees, usually appearing within 5 to 10 working days. You may request a written copy of this policy at any time. Nothing in this policy limits your legal refund rights.
• Reversed payments. If a payment is reversed or disputed with your bank, we may restore the spot's previous size or turn off the beacon while the matter is resolved. If a dispute is used to keep a spot or beacon without paying, we may close the account. Please contact us first; we respond within two working days.
• Prices. Prices may change, but changes never affect a spot or beacon you've already paid for.

Ads

• Who and what. Ads must be for products and services for pets and their caregivers. We don't accept ads that sell or breed animals, are unrelated to pets, are misleading, adult or political, or that we judge unsuitable for the site. The ad policy on the Advertise page is part of these terms.
• A subscription that renews. An ad is a rectangle on the map, paid monthly or yearly by card through Stripe at the price shown when you choose its shape. Your subscription renews automatically and your card is charged at the end of each monthly or yearly period until you cancel. You agree to this by checking the box and pressing Subscribe.
• Review. We review every ad within two working days of payment and email you the decision. Declined ads are canceled and refunded in full.
• Cancelling. Cancel at any time from your ad's page ("Manage subscription", then "Cancel ad") or through petarchive.com/help. Your ad remains until the paid period ends, then is removed and its tiles become available. We don't refund the remainder of a canceled period unless the law requires it. Switching between monthly and yearly billing takes effect at your next renewal.
• Reminders and price changes. If your plan is yearly, we email you a reminder between 15 and 45 days before it renews, with the price and how to cancel. We won't charge a higher price for a running ad without emailing you at least five working days, and no more than 30 days, ahead, and then either getting your agreement first or letting you cancel for at least 14 days after the charge with a refund for the rest of that period.
• Failed payments. If a charge fails, we email you and Stripe retries over the following days. If payments stop, the ad is removed from the map.
• Taking an ad down. We may remove any ad at any time for any reason. If we remove it for violating these terms or the ad policy, there is no refund. Otherwise, we refund the unused portion of the current period.
• Your responsibility. You're responsible for your ad. Its claims must be true and lawful, and you must have the right to use its image, name, photos and words. Your ad's page displays the line "Written by the advertiser, not PetArchive."
• Not us. PetArchive doesn't endorse, verify or guarantee advertisers, their qualifications or anything they sell. Check them yourself as you would any vet, groomer or shop. We aren't a party to any dealings between visitors and advertisers. To the extent permitted by law, we have no liability for advertisers' goods, services or conduct. The limits in "Our side" also apply to advertisers.

Adoptable pets and shelters

• Where listings come from. Adoptable pets come from RescueGroups.org, a service shelters and rescues use to publish their listings, and from shelters connected directly with us. We display the information the source provides: name, species, breed, age, sex, photo, the shelter's description and adoption fee where provided, the shelter's name and contact details, and a link to its page for the pet where available. We check sources every few hours and remove pets when their sources do, but updates and removals can lag by hours and sometimes longer.
• We don't verify listings. Shelters are responsible for their listings. We don't verify availability, descriptions, ages, breeds, fees, health or temperament, and make no promises about them. Removal from the map usually means a pet found a home, but we don't know for certain.
• Adoption is between you and the shelter. PetArchive doesn't house, place or hand over animals and isn't a party to any adoption. Applications, fees, visits and adoption agreements are handled by the shelter under its rules. To the extent permitted by law, we have no liability arising from an adoption or your contact with a shelter.
• Shelters' choice. A shelter or rescue can request removal of its pets or changes to a listing or contact details through petarchive.com/help. We'll make the requested changes within one working day.

Shelters and rescues on PetArchive

If you connect your shelter or list pets yourself, you confirm that you're an animal shelter or rescue organization, or authorized to act for one. You also confirm that your listings are accurate, that you'll keep them current, and that you'll tell us when a pet is no longer available. Listing is free; we don't charge shelters.

When you mark a pet as adopted and transfer its spot to the new family, you provide their email so we can send them a link. You confirm that they've agreed to this. The pet's page will then identify your organization as the shelter it was adopted from.

Other people's sites and content

PetArchive links to shelter and advertiser sites and social pages, displays videos owners embed from YouTube, TikTok and Instagram, and displays some shelter photos directly from shelters' systems. We don't own or control those sites or services. Their terms and privacy policies apply when you use them. We also pick some videos for What's new using YouTube API Services. By watching them you agree to the YouTube Terms of Service: youtube.com/t/terms

Not advice

PetArchive lets you display pets and find adoptable ones. Nothing on the site, including shelter descriptions, comments and our own content, is veterinary, legal, financial or other professional advice. Decisions about an animal's care or adoption are yours and the shelter's.

Our side

PetArchive is provided "as is" and "as available," without warranties of any kind, express or implied, including merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose and non-infringement, to the extent permitted by law. We work to keep the site available, your data safe and the map accurate. We don't warrant uninterrupted or error-free service, freedom from loss, availability of content for any particular period, or the accuracy of any listing. Keep your own copies of your photos.

To the extent permitted by law, we are not liable for indirect, incidental, special, consequential or punitive losses, lost profits or lost data. Our total liability to you for all claims arising from PetArchive is limited to the greater of the amount you paid us in the twelve months before the claim or fifty US dollars. Nothing in these terms limits liability that cannot be limited by law, including for fraud, gross negligence or willful misconduct, or death or personal injury caused by negligence.

You agree to cover us and our officers, employees and contractors against third-party claims, losses and reasonable legal costs to the extent they arise from your content, your ad, your violation of these terms, or your violation of the law or another person's rights while using PetArchive.

Ending things

You can remove a pet's page at any time from that page or your account. The page and photos are deleted, and deletion can't be undone. You can delete your account from your account page, using the confirmation link we email you, or ask us to delete it. The Privacy Policy explains what we retain.

We may suspend or close an account or remove content if you violate these terms or the law, if necessary to protect others or the site, or if required by law. If we close your account for a violation, its paid spots and ads end without a refund.

Removal without a violation. We may remove a pet or close an account at our discretion, even without a violation of these terms or the law. If a paid spot or beacon ends because of such a removal or account closure without a violation, we refund the amount paid for that spot or beacon. If we remove a pet or close an account for a violation, its paid spots and beacons end without a refund. Free spots have no payment to refund. Closure of PetArchive is governed by the following paragraph.

If we close PetArchive, we'll first notify account holders by email, allow time to save photos where we can, and refund the unused portion of any ad period. Paid spots and beacons end when PetArchive closes and are not refunded. However, for spots and beacons paid for within the 90 days before our closing notice, we refund the amount paid. The terms covering your posted content, payments, our side and disputes continue after your account ends.

Changes to these terms

We may change these terms. For material changes, we email account holders at least 14 days before they take effect and update the date above. For small changes, such as wording or a new feature's description, we only update the date.

Continued use after a change takes effect means you accept it. If you disagree, remove your pets and stop using the site before then.

Law and disputes

These terms are governed by New York State law, without regard to its conflict-of-law rules, and US federal law.

If a dispute arises, first contact us through petarchive.com/help with your account email and an explanation. We'll try to resolve it with you within 30 days. If we can't, either of us may bring a claim in small claims court where allowed, or in the state or federal courts in Kings County, New York. Both of us consent to those courts and waive objections to them.

General

If any part of these terms is unenforceable, the rest remains effective. These terms, the Privacy Policy and the ad policy form the entire agreement between you and us about PetArchive.

If we don't act immediately on a violation, we may still act later. We may transfer our rights and duties under these terms if PetArchive changes hands; you may not transfer yours. Notices go to your account email.

Contact

Contact us through petarchive.com/help. Send copyright notices to [email protected] (see "Copyright"). Mail: MZ NY Technologies Inc., 1781 47th Street, Brooklyn, NY 11204.