Effective Date: October 15, 2026 Version: 1.0 Applies to: All Groomers who provide grooming Services through the Platform, and all managers and schedulers who publish a Groomer's availability.
Article 1: Introduction and Scope
1.1 This document governs how a Groomer's availability is recorded and published, how shifts are built and confirmed, how the Company determines which time a Customer may book, and how a Groomer's daily capacity is protected. The duties in this document are duties of accuracy: a published availability is a representation to Customers on which bookings, compensation, and animal care depend.
1.2 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. 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 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.
2.2 Appointment: a booking for a grooming Service through the Platform, confirmed in accordance with the Appointment Operations Policy.
2.3 Availability: the recurring record of the days and hours a Groomer is available to be booked, together with any exception recorded under Article 4.
2.4 Blocked Time: time recorded as not bookable, reserved for training, cleaning, breaks, or station reset between Appointments.
2.5 Customer: a person who books or receives grooming Services through the Platform for an animal in the person's care.
2.6 Daily Cap: the maximum number of Appointments recorded for a Groomer for one day.
2.7 Groomer: a person the Company has accepted to provide grooming Services through the Platform, whether engaged as an employee or as an independent contractor, as the engagement states.
2.8 Shift: a scheduled period of work built from a shift template, stating the date, the start and end times, break minutes, the role, and the location.
Article 3: Bookable Time and the Booking Determination
3.1 The Company determines the time a Customer may book from the published business hours, the Groomer's Availability, existing bookings measured with the duration of each Service, Blocked Time, and any holiday closure recorded under Article 6. Bookable time is presented in thirty (30) minute slots within the published hours of the location.
3.2 Availability shown to a Customer is not a promise of a booking until the booking is completed. The Company validates the slot again at booking, and where two Customers seek the same slot, the booking completed first prevails and the later booking is refused as taken. A member of staff shall not represent to a Customer that a slot shown as open is held for that Customer, and a representation of that kind does not override a refusal at booking.
3.3 Where a Service does not state a duration, the duration applied for booking purposes is one hundred twenty (120) minutes. The Company applies stated Service durations where a Service states one, and the default in this clause where a Service does not, so that a booking determination errs toward protecting the Groomer's time rather than toward double-booking the Groomer.
Article 4: Availability Records and Time Off
4.1 A Groomer's recurring Availability records the day of the week, the available hours, the availability type, and the effective dates of the record. Availability is set by the manager with the Groomer and is confirmed by the Groomer. The manager shall not publish Availability the Groomer has not agreed to, and the Groomer shall not claim Availability the Groomer has not confirmed. The confirmed record governs.
4.2 Time off is recorded as an exception to the recurring Availability and not by deletion of the recurring record. Approved time off blocks booking for the dates it covers.
4.3 A change to Availability requires fourteen (14) days' notice, except in an emergency. A change inside fourteen (14) days requires manager approval. A change to a Groomer's Availability does not cancel a booked Appointment: a booked Appointment is honored by the Groomer or reassigned as the Booking, Cancellation and No-Show Policy provides, and shall not be left without a Groomer by reason of the change.
4.4 The Groomer shall keep the Groomer's Availability accurate. A Groomer who becomes aware that published Availability is incorrect shall notify the manager promptly, and the manager shall correct the record. Repeated publication of Availability the Groomer does not honor is enforced under the Groomer Conduct and Enforcement Policy.
Article 5: Shifts, the Time Record, and Swaps
5.1 Shifts are published at least fourteen (14) days in advance and are confirmed by the Groomer. A Shift that has not been published in time for the Groomer to see and confirm it is not a commitment of the Groomer.
5.2 The time record, stating clock-in and clock-out times, is the record of hours worked. Hours are paid according to the time record and not according to the Shift template. The Groomer shall record clock-in and clock-out times accurately.
5.3 Overtime requires approval in advance, except where a Service in progress runs long. An animal shall not be rushed through a Service, and a Service shall not be left incomplete, in order to avoid overtime. Repeated unapproved overtime is addressed as a scheduling matter: by correction of the book: and not as a Service-quality matter against the Groomer who completed the animal's Service.
5.4 A Shift swap takes effect only on recorded manager approval. The requesting Groomer is recorded for the swap. The replacement Groomer shall hold the service specialties required for the booked Services covered by the Shift, and a swap that places a Groomer without the required specialty on an animal with a handling flag under the Pet Safety and Handling Standards is a violation of that document and of this document.
Article 6: Protection of Capacity
6.1 The Daily Cap recorded for a Groomer limits the Groomer's book for the day, and the Company enforces the Daily Cap in booking. An Appointment beyond the Daily Cap may be booked only on a manager override with the reason recorded. No override shall compromise the safety ratios stated in the Pet Safety and Handling Standards.
6.2 Blocked Time is not bookable inventory. A manager shall not book an Appointment over Blocked Time recorded for training, and shall not treat Blocked Time as capacity available to absorb additional bookings.
6.3 A holiday closure, closing online booking for a date or a range of dates, and a full closure of a location, shall each be published at least thirty (30) days in advance, except in an emergency.
6.4 A turnaround interval between Appointments, for station reset and for completion of the Grooming Record, is set for each location and is applied in booking. Bookings shall not be scheduled on the assumption that the turnaround interval is zero.
6.5 Overbooking beyond the limits of this article, and a pattern of overrides without recorded reasons, are enforced under the Groomer Conduct and Enforcement Policy against the person who made the booking or the override.
Article 7: Liability
7.1 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.
7.2 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).
7.3 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 Orders, fees, chargebacks, or refunds under this document; or (d) liability that cannot be limited under applicable law.
7.4 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.
7.5 Nothing in this article limits liability for personal injury, or for injury to an animal, caused by negligence, where applicable law does not permit the limitation.
Article 8: Indemnification
8.1 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; (b) the Groomer's Services, listings, or User Content; (c) the Groomer's violation of any law or of the rights of any person; and (d) taxes for which the Groomer is responsible under this document.
8.2 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.
8.3 This article survives the termination of this document.
Article 9: Enforcement and Appeals
9.1 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.
9.2 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.
9.3 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, counterfeiting, a risk to the safety of a person or an animal, unlawful conduct, or a violation that by its nature cannot be cured.
9.4 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) remove or suppress a listing or content; (c) cancel an Order 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. The Company may suspend the Groomer immediately, without prior notice and without a cure period, where the safety of an animal is at risk or where a qualification or certification the Groomer is required to hold has lapsed.
9.5 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.
9.6 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 10: Term and Termination
10.1 This document takes effect when the Groomer is accepted to provide Services through the Platform and accepts this document, and continues until terminated under this article.
10.2 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.
10.3 The Groomer may terminate this document on thirty (30) days' written notice to support@aapawz.com, provided the Groomer has no Order, booking, or investigation outstanding.
10.4 On termination: (a) the rights granted under this document end; (b) obligations that arose before termination: including payment, refund, chargeback, 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.
10.5 The Definitions, Liability, Indemnification, Enforcement and Appeals (for measures taken before termination), Dispute Resolution, and General Provisions articles survive termination.
Article 11: Dispute Resolution
11.1 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 12: General Provisions
12.1 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.
12.2 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.
12.3 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.
12.4 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.
12.5 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.
12.6 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.
12.7 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.
12.8 Headings are for convenience only. "Including" means "including without limitation." This document shall not be construed against a party on the ground that the party prepared this document. The English-language text controls over any translation.
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