1. Acceptance of these Terms
These Terms of Service (“Terms”) govern your access to and use of PayPaw™ (“PayPaw,” the “Service”), operated by Advanced Companions Inc., a Delaware corporation with offices at 2140 South DuPont Hwy, Camden, DE 19934 (“Advanced Companions,” “we,” “us,” or “our”). By creating an account or otherwise using the Service, you agree to be bound by these Terms and by our Privacy Policy. If you do not agree, you may not use the Service.
PayPaw is a software platform for independent pet care professionals (“Specialists”) and the people whose pets they care for (“Pet Parents”). PayPaw provides invoicing, payment, scheduling, and recordkeeping tools. PayPaw is not the provider of pet care services and is not a party to the service relationship between any Specialist and any Pet Parent.
2. Eligibility and account types
The Service is available only to individuals who are at least 18 years old and able to enter into a binding contract. By creating an account, you represent that you meet these requirements.
PayPaw supports two account types:
- Specialist accounts — for individuals or businesses delivering pet care services, including dog walking, drop-in visits, boarding, training, medication administration, and grooming add-ons. Specialists are independent contractors operating their own businesses; PayPaw does not employ Specialists and does not direct their work.
- Pet Parent accounts — for individuals receiving pet care services from a Specialist and paying for those services through PayPaw.
You are responsible for providing accurate registration information, keeping your credentials confidential, and all activity that occurs under your account. Notify us promptly at info@paypaw.app if you believe your account has been compromised.
3. Specialist terms
3.1 Stripe Connect onboarding. Specialists who accept payments through PayPaw must complete onboarding with our payment processor, Stripe, including identity verification (“Know Your Customer”) and tax information collection. Specialists agree to Stripe’s Connected Account Agreement in addition to these Terms.
3.2 Payouts. Funds collected from Pet Parents are paid out to the Specialist’s connected bank account on Stripe’s standard payout schedule, subject to holds, reversals, and dispute outcomes governed by Stripe. PayPaw is not a bank and does not hold funds beyond what is required to process payouts.
3.3 Tax obligations. Specialists are responsible for all taxes arising from their pet care business, including income tax, self-employment tax, and any applicable sales or service taxes. Stripe issues annual tax forms (e.g., Form 1099-K) where required by law.
3.4 Service quality and conduct. Specialists are solely responsible for the care they provide, including the safety and well-being of pets in their custody. Specialists must comply with all applicable laws, licensing requirements, and local regulations governing pet care services.
4. Pet Parent terms
4.1 Authorization for payments. By saving a payment method and authorizing a Specialist’s invoice or recurring subscription, you authorize PayPaw and Stripe to process payments using that payment method according to the terms presented to you at the time of authorization. You may revoke a recurring authorization at any time by canceling the subscription through your account; the revocation does not affect payments already processed.
4.2 Disputes and refunds. If you believe a payment was made in error or you are dissatisfied with the services received, contact your Specialist directly first. Refunds are issued at the Specialist’s discretion. If you cannot resolve the dispute, you may file a chargeback through your card issuer; PayPaw and the Specialist may submit evidence in response.
4.3 Pet information. Information you provide about your pets (medical, behavioral, feeding, and safety details) is used to deliver care and is shared with the Specialists you authorize. See our Privacy Policy for details on how pet data is handled.
5. Fees and payments
5.1 SaaS subscription. Specialists may be required to pay a subscription fee to use PayPaw. Subscription pricing, payment cadence, and any free trial terms are disclosed at the point of subscription and may be updated from time to time with advance notice.
5.2 Platform fee. PayPaw may apply a per-transaction platform fee (a percentage of the invoice amount) for payments processed through the Service. The current platform fee, if any, is disclosed in your Specialist dashboard and is shown to Pet Parents at the time of checkout. Stripe processing fees apply in addition to any PayPaw platform fee and are deducted from each transaction.
5.3 Changes to fees. We may change subscription pricing or the platform fee on at least 30 days’ prior notice (delivered by email or in-product announcement). Continued use of the Service after the effective date constitutes acceptance of the new fees.
6. Acceptable use
You agree not to:
- Use the Service to provide or solicit services that are illegal under the laws of your jurisdiction.
- Misrepresent your identity, your business credentials, your insurance status, or any certification.
- Upload content that is unlawful, defamatory, fraudulent, infringing, or that contains malware.
- Attempt to interfere with, probe, or disrupt the Service, its infrastructure, or other account holders’ accounts.
- Use the Service to harass, threaten, or harm any person or pet.
- Use automated means (bots, scrapers) to access the Service without our prior written permission.
We may suspend or terminate accounts that violate these rules. Serious violations, including those affecting pet welfare or financial integrity, will be reported to applicable authorities.
7. Dispute resolution between Specialist and Pet Parent
PayPaw is a payments and software platform. We are not a party to the service relationship between a Specialist and a Pet Parent, and we do not arbitrate quality disputes about the care delivered. Specialists and Pet Parents should attempt to resolve disputes directly. PayPaw may, at its discretion, provide transaction records or other information to assist in good-faith dispute resolution.
8. Intellectual property
The Service, including the PayPaw™ name, logo, software, designs, and content (other than user-generated content), is the property of Advanced Companions Inc. or its licensors and is protected by intellectual property laws. You may not copy, modify, distribute, or create derivative works of the Service except as expressly permitted by these Terms.
You retain ownership of the content you submit to the Service (including pet profiles, invoices, and messages). You grant Advanced Companions a worldwide, non-exclusive, royalty-free license to host, store, transmit, display, and process that content solely for the purpose of operating and improving the Service.
9. Termination and data export
You may terminate your account at any time by contacting info@paypaw.app. We may suspend or terminate your account if you violate these Terms or if your continued use poses a risk to the Service or other account holders.
Upon termination, you may request an export of the data associated with your account (invoices, payment history, pet profiles, and reservation records). We will retain data after termination only as required by law (for example, to comply with tax recordkeeping requirements) or for the legitimate business purposes described in our Privacy Policy.
10. Disclaimers
THE SERVICE IS PROVIDED ON AN “AS IS” AND “AS AVAILABLE” BASIS. TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW, ADVANCED COMPANIONS DISCLAIMS ALL WARRANTIES, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING THE IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, AND NON-INFRINGEMENT.
ADVANCED COMPANIONS DOES NOT WARRANT THE QUALITY, SAFETY, OR OUTCOMES OF ANY PET CARE SERVICES DELIVERED BY SPECIALISTS. ADVANCED COMPANIONS IS NOT A VETERINARY PROVIDER, AND NO INFORMATION SURFACED THROUGH THE SERVICE (INCLUDING ANY ASSISTANT FEATURE) CONSTITUTES VETERINARY ADVICE.
11. Limitation of liability
TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW, ADVANCED COMPANIONS’ TOTAL LIABILITY ARISING OUT OF OR RELATED TO THE SERVICE WILL NOT EXCEED THE GREATER OF (A) THE AMOUNTS YOU PAID TO ADVANCED COMPANIONS IN THE TWELVE MONTHS BEFORE THE EVENT GIVING RISE TO LIABILITY, OR (B) ONE HUNDRED U.S. DOLLARS ($100). IN NO EVENT WILL ADVANCED COMPANIONS BE LIABLE FOR INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, CONSEQUENTIAL, OR PUNITIVE DAMAGES, OR FOR LOST PROFITS, REVENUE, OR DATA.
12. Indemnification
You agree to indemnify and hold harmless Advanced Companions, its officers, directors, employees, and agents from any claims, damages, liabilities, and expenses (including reasonable attorneys’ fees) arising out of your use of the Service, your violation of these Terms, or your violation of any rights of another party.
13. Governing law and venue
These Terms are governed by the laws of the State of Delaware, without regard to its conflict-of-laws principles. Any dispute arising out of or related to these Terms or the Service will be brought exclusively in the state or federal courts located in Delaware, and you consent to personal jurisdiction in those courts.
14. Changes to these Terms
We may update these Terms from time to time. Material changes will be communicated by email or in-product notice at least 30 days before the changes take effect. The “Last updated” date at the top of this page reflects the current version. Your continued use of the Service after the effective date constitutes acceptance of the updated Terms.
15. Contact
Questions about these Terms? Contact us at info@paypaw.app or by mail at Advanced Companions Inc., 2140 South DuPont Hwy, Camden, DE 19934.