Effective Date: October 15, 2026 Version: 1.0 Applies to: All Groomers, reception staff, and location managers who access Customer or pet data in connection with Services booked through the Platform.
Article 1: Introduction and Scope
1.1 This document states the Groomer's duties for Customer and pet data in the daily work of grooming: what data the Groomer may access, the single purpose for which the data may be used, what the Groomer shall never do with it, how long the Groomer may keep it, and what happens on a suspected breach. The Privacy Policy states the Company's handling of personal information and the rights of the persons the information concerns; this document states the Groomer's obligations under that policy. In any conflict, the Privacy Policy controls; this document implements it and does not override it.
1.2 This document applies to a Groomer in every participation mode: Marketplace Groomer acting as an independent contractor, Salon Groomer acting as a salon service provider under the salon program terms, and Company salon employee, as defined in the Groomer Terms of Service. The duties are identical in every mode. A Marketplace Groomer's independent-contractor status confers no greater right in Customer data: the data is received for the Service, in trust for the purpose stated in Article 3, and for no other purpose.
1.3 If a provision of this document conflicts with the Terms of Use, this document controls for the subject it governs. If a provision of this document conflicts with the terms of a program in which the Groomer participates, the program terms control for that program, except that no program term may authorize a use of Customer data that Article 4 prohibits. Policies and help pages explain this document; they do not amend it, and in any conflict this document prevails.
Article 2: Definitions
2.1 The definitions in the Terms of Use and in the Groomer Terms of Service are incorporated into this document by reference and apply to this document. This article defines only the additional terms used in this document, in alphabetical order. Handling Profile bears the meaning given in the Pet Safety and Handling standards.
2.2 Customer Data: information about a Customer or a Customer's pet held in Platform systems, including names, contact details, Handling Profiles, vaccination status, Service Records, and Appointment notes.
2.3 Data Incident: any unauthorized access to, acquisition of, disclosure of, or loss of Customer Data, whether confirmed or reasonably suspected.
Article 3: Access and Permitted Use
3.1 Access is on a need-to-know basis and nothing more. The Groomer may access the Customer Data required for the Groomer's assigned Appointments: the Customer's name and contact details for the Groomer's current book, the pet's Handling Profile, vaccination status, Service Records, and Appointment notes, internal and customer-facing. The Platform shows the Groomer the Groomer's book; it does not show the Groomer the business.
3.2 The Groomer shall use Customer Data for one purpose only: to provide the Service for the Appointment to which the data relates, including intake, performance, the Service Record, and the pickup report under the Service Standards. Any other use is prohibited unless Article 4 expressly permits it; Article 4 permits none of the uses it lists.
3.3 The Groomer shall not access: (a) data of Customers not on the Groomer's book: curiosity about another Groomer's client is not a need to know; (b) payment instrument details: the Groomer never needs a card number to groom a dog; (c) another Groomer's compensation: the commission record is personal to the Groomer it concerns; or (d) any Customer Data after the Groomer's separation, access to which is revoked the same day under the Groomer Offboarding and Separation Policy.
3.4 Access shall occur through Platform systems only. Customer telephone numbers, addresses, and pet records shall not be placed on personal devices, in personal messaging applications, or on paper that leaves the premises. Contact with a Customer about an assigned Appointment occurs through the Platform's messaging or, for a pickup call, from the location's line; every other channel is outside this document's permission.
Article 4: Prohibited Uses
4.1 No removal. The Groomer shall not copy, export, photograph, or otherwise remove Customer lists, pet records, or contact information from Platform systems. The method is immaterial: a screenshot, a notebook, and information deliberately memorized for use after departure are each removal within this clause where the purpose is a use outside Article 3.
4.2 No off-platform contact. The Groomer shall not message Customers from personal accounts, shall not connect with Customers on personal accounts in order to arrange Appointments, and shall not build a parallel book of Platform Customers outside the Platform. The sole exception is the operational pickup call permitted by clause 3.4.
4.3 No personal use, marketing, or solicitation. The Groomer shall not use Customer Data for any personal purpose, for marketing of any kind, or to solicit a Customer for services outside the Platform, during the Groomer's participation and for twelve (12) months after it ends, in accordance with the Groomer Terms of Service.
Article 5: Pet Information and Photographs
5.1 The Service Record's health observations: coat condition, skin condition, matting level, and behavior notes: are Customer Data. What is marked customer-visible is the Customer's copy and shall be written in plain, professional language. The Groomer shall not record commentary about the Customer, jokes, or complaints in a customer-visible record; the Customer reads the record.
5.2 Internal notes and unshared behavior flags are staff-to-staff handoff detail: handling cautions and behavioral observations. They are never shown to the Customer, never disclosed to third parties, and shall never contain personal remarks about the Customer.
5.3 A veterinary referral shares only what the Customer authorizes. The Groomer shall not send a Service Record to a veterinarian unasked; the Customer decides what the Customer's veterinarian sees.
5.4 Photographs taken to document an animal's condition for the Service Record are part of the Service. Any other use of a photograph of a Customer's pet: marketing, social media, or display: requires the Customer's consent, recorded. Where consent is withdrawn, the photograph shall be removed from the use to which the consent applied within seventy-two (72) hours.
5.5 Grooming records document the Service: coat, skin, behavior, and handling. They are not medical records, and nothing in this document makes them medical records or authorizes a Groomer to create, store, or transmit a medical record.
Article 6: Retention: No Keeping Beyond the Relationship
6.1 The Groomer shall not retain Customer Data beyond the relationship that justified access to it. The Groomer holds no personal copy of any Customer Data at any time: the prohibition on removal in Article 4 means there is nothing in the Groomer's possession to retain. On separation, for any reason, the Groomer shall return or destroy any Customer Data that has nonetheless come into the Groomer's possession, and shall confirm the return or destruction in writing when the Company requests it.
6.2 Records held in Platform systems: Service Records, Incident Reports, and Handling Profiles: are retained by the Company and, where applicable, the salon operator under their own retention duties, including the seven (7) year retention of Incident records under the Incident and Injury Reporting policy. Retention by the Company in its systems is not retention by the Groomer, and the Groomer's duties in Article 4 continue to apply to that data for as long as the Groomer can access it and for twelve (12) months after access ends, as clause 4.3 provides.
Article 7: Breach Notice and Response
7.1 The Groomer shall report a suspected Data Incident to the location manager or, for a Marketplace Groomer, to the Company at support@aapawz.com, immediately on suspicion: not at the end of the shift and not on the following day. Speed matters because exposure compounds. A suspected Data Incident concerning legal process or a regulator's inquiry shall also be reported to legal@aapawz.com.
7.2 A reported Data Incident is investigated under the Privacy Policy and the Company's incident response. The Groomer shall cooperate fully with the investigation, shall preserve every record bearing on it, and shall take no step to delete, alter, or conceal evidence of access or disclosure.
7.3 Every access to Customer Data is attributable through the access record maintained for Platform systems. The Groomer is responsible for every act performed under the Groomer's credentials. Credential sharing is prohibited and is itself a violation of this document; that another person used the Groomer's credentials is an admission of the violation, not a defense to it.
Article 8: Animals in Care and Their Records
8.1 The data duties in this document protect the Customer; the records themselves also protect the animal. The Handling Profile is the instrument by which the next Groomer learns what the last Groomer learned, and the duty to record handling information accurately and the same day, under the Pet Safety and Handling standards, is part of the Groomer's bailee duty of care: a Groomer who withholds or falsifies handling information endangers the animal at its next Appointment and breaches the duty of care stated in the Groomer Terms of Service.
8.2 A Data Incident does not alter the cost allocation for veterinary care. That cost follows the Incident and Injury Reporting policy: care made necessary by negligence in a Service is not borne by the Customer, and care made necessary by a pre-existing condition is the Customer's.
Article 9: Liability
9.1 To the fullest extent permitted by law, neither party is liable to the other for indirect, incidental, special, punitive, or consequential damages, or for lost profits, lost revenue, or loss of goodwill, arising out of or relating to this document, even if the party has been advised of the possibility of those damages.
9.2 To the fullest extent permitted by law, the Company's total liability arising out of or relating to this document shall not exceed the greater of (a) the amounts the Groomer paid to the Company under this document in the twelve months before the event giving rise to the claim, or (b) one hundred dollars ($100).
9.3 This article does not limit (a) a party's indemnification obligations under this document; (b) liability for fraud or willful misconduct; (c) amounts the Groomer owes for fees, chargebacks, or refunds under this document; or (d) liability that cannot be limited under applicable law.
9.4 Nothing in this article limits liability for personal injury or injury to an animal caused by negligence, where applicable law does not permit the limitation.
9.5 The parties agree that this article allocates risk between them, that it is an essential part of the basis of their bargain, and that it applies even if a limited remedy fails of its essential purpose.
Article 10: Indemnification
10.1 The Groomer shall indemnify, defend, and hold harmless the Company and its members, managers, employees, and agents from and against every claim, demand, action, loss, liability, judgment, settlement, cost, and expense (including reasonable attorneys' fees) arising out of or relating to: (a) the Groomer's breach of this document, including any unauthorized access, use, removal, or disclosure of Customer Data; (b) the Groomer's Services, listings, or User Content; (c) the Groomer's violation of any law, including a privacy or data-protection law, or of the rights of any person; and (d) taxes for which the Groomer is responsible under this document.
10.2 The Company shall give prompt written notice of a claim under this article. The Groomer shall control the defense with counsel reasonably acceptable to the Company. The Company may participate in the defense at its own expense. The Groomer shall not settle a claim in a manner that imposes any obligation or restriction on the Company, or that does not release the Company fully, without the Company's prior written consent.
10.3 This article survives the termination of this document.
Article 11: Enforcement and Appeals
11.1 The Company may investigate any suspected violation of this document. The Groomer shall cooperate with an investigation and shall produce the records this document requires the Groomer to keep.
11.2 If the Company determines that the Groomer has violated this document, the Company shall give written notice stating the provision violated and the facts relied on, except where notice would compromise an investigation of fraud, a safety risk, or a legal obligation.
11.3 Where a violation is capable of cure, the Groomer has ten (10) business days from notice to cure it and to confirm the cure in writing. No cure period applies to fraud, to a confirmed misuse of Customer Data under clause 11.5, a risk to the safety of a person or an animal, unlawful conduct, or a violation that by its nature cannot be cured.
11.4 If a violation is established and is not cured within the period allowed, the Company may, proportionate to the violation: (a) issue a written warning; (b) suspend the Groomer's assignments; (c) cancel an Appointment or a booking; (d) suspend the Account or a program participation, in whole or in part; (e) terminate this document and the Account; and (f) exercise any other right or remedy available under this document or at law.
11.5 Confirmed misuse of Customer Data: copying Customer lists, off-platform solicitation using Platform data, or disclosure of Customer Data to a third party: is treated under the Groomer Conduct and Enforcement Policy as a violation for which the measures in clause 11.4(d) and 11.4(e) are available without a prior warning. Misuse of Customer Data is a breach of trust, not a performance defect, and it is not addressed by an improvement plan.
11.6 The Company may suspend the Groomer's access to Customer Data immediately, without prior notice, on reasonable suspicion of a Data Incident involving the Groomer's credentials, pending the investigation under Article 7.
11.7 The Groomer may appeal a measure under this article by written notice to legal@aapawz.com within thirty (30) days of the measure, stating the grounds and attaching the records relied on. The appeal is decided by a person who did not make the original decision. The Company's decision on appeal is final. A measure remains in effect during an appeal unless the Company directs otherwise in writing.
11.8 The Company's delay in acting on a violation is not a waiver of the violation or of any later violation of the same kind.
Article 12: Term and Termination
12.1 This document takes effect when the Groomer is activated under the Groomer Onboarding and Qualification policy and continues until terminated under this article. The duties in Articles 4 and 6 survive termination for the periods those articles state.
12.2 The Company may terminate this document and the Account on thirty (30) days' written notice for any reason, and immediately on written notice if the Groomer materially breaches this document, engages in fraud, or becomes ineligible to participate.
12.3 The Groomer may terminate this document on thirty (30) days' written notice to support@aapawz.com, provided the Groomer has no Appointment, booking, or investigation outstanding.
12.4 On termination: (a) the rights granted under this document end, and access to Customer Data is revoked the same day; (b) obligations that arose before termination: including data, record-keeping, and indemnification obligations: survive until satisfied; and (c) the Company shall disburse amounts owed, less amounts the Company may set off under this document, within thirty (30) days, except amounts held in connection with an open investigation or dispute.
12.5 The Definitions, Liability, Indemnification, Enforcement and Appeals (for measures taken before termination), Dispute Resolution, and General Provisions articles survive termination.
Article 13: Dispute Resolution
13.1 Any dispute arising out of or relating to this document, or to the relationship it governs, is governed by the Dispute Resolution Policy, which is incorporated into this document by reference.
Article 14: General Provisions
14.1 The Company may amend this document by posting the amended document in the Document Center and giving notice to the Groomer at the email address in the Account. An amendment that materially increases the Groomer's fees or obligations takes effect thirty (30) days after notice; other amendments take effect on posting. Continued use of the Platform after the effective date of an amendment is acceptance of it. If the Groomer does not accept an amendment, the Groomer's remedy is to terminate under the Term and Termination article before the amendment takes effect.
14.2 Legal notices under this document shall be sent to legal@aapawz.com. Operational notices and all other communications shall be sent to support@aapawz.com. A notice to the Company is effective when the Company acknowledges receipt or, for email, one business day after sending, whichever is earlier. Notices to the Groomer are effective when sent to the email address in the Account or posted to the Account's notice facility in the portal, whichever occurs first. The Groomer shall keep the email address in the Account current. Notices under the DMCA and Copyright Policy are given as provided in that policy, to the designated agent at legal@aapawz.com.
14.3 This document is governed by the laws of the State of Tennessee, without regard to its conflict-of-laws rules. Subject to the Dispute Resolution Policy, any proceeding arising out of this document shall be brought in the state or federal courts located in Shelby County, Tennessee, and the parties consent to personal jurisdiction there.
14.4 If any provision of this document is held unenforceable, the provision shall be enforced to the fullest extent permitted, and the remaining provisions continue in full effect.
14.5 This document, together with the documents it incorporates by reference, is the entire agreement between the Company and the Groomer for the subject it governs and supersedes every prior or contemporaneous statement, communication, or agreement on that subject, whether written or oral.
14.6 The Groomer shall not assign this document or any right or obligation under it without the Company's prior written consent, and an assignment without consent is void. The Company may assign this document to an affiliate or in connection with a sale of all or part of its business, on notice to the Groomer.
14.7 A waiver of any provision of this document is effective only in writing and only for the instance stated. No waiver is a waiver of any other provision or instance.
14.8 Headings are for convenience only. "Including" means "including without limitation." This document shall not be construed against a party as its drafter. The English-language text controls over any translation.
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