Effective Date: October 15, 2026 Version: 1.0 Applies to: All Groomers who provide grooming Services through the Platform, and all Customers whose animals receive those Services.
Article 1: Introduction and Scope
1.1 This document states how liability for injury, loss, and damage connected with a grooming Service is allocated among the Company, the Groomer, and the Customer; what the Customer's service waiver covers and what no waiver covers; the Customer's duty to disclose an animal's health, temperament, and bite history; and the authorization and cost allocation for emergency veterinary care. The Groomer Terms of Service state the master terms of the Groomer's engagement; this document states the liability terms for animals in the Groomer's care.
1.2 The allocation in this document rests on a recorded agreement. The waiver described in Article 5 has effect only where the Customer's acceptance of the current version is recorded as that article requires.
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. 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 Customer: a person who books or receives grooming Services through the Platform for an animal in the person's care.
2.4 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.
2.5 Grooming Record: the record of a completed Appointment maintained under the Grooming Records and Continuity of Care Policy.
2.6 Intake Record: the record made at booking and at check-in of the Customer's disclosures concerning the animal, including health conditions, temperament, and bite history, and of the animal's vaccination standing.
2.7 Waiver: the service waiver published by the Company and accepted by the Customer under Article 5, in the version recorded for that Customer.
Article 3: Allocation of Responsibility
3.1 The Company and the Groomer are responsible for injury and loss that a Service causes, including a cut or clipper burn sustained during grooming and an escape of an animal from an unsecured enclosure or area. The Groomer shall perform each Service in accordance with the Pet Safety and Handling Standards and the Service Standards Policy, and a failure to meet those standards is the Groomer's failure for the purposes of this document.
3.2 The Customer is responsible for the Customer's part of the safety of the Service. The Customer shall: (a) disclose accurately, at booking and at check-in, the animal's health conditions, temperament, and bite history; (b) keep the vaccinations the Vaccination Requirements Policy requires current; and (c) follow the pickup instructions the Company gives for the Appointment.
3.3 An incident may have contributions from more than one party. Liability is allocated according to the contribution established by the Intake Record, the Grooming Record, and the incident report made under the Incident and Injury Reporting Policy, and not by assertion alone.
Article 4: Pre-existing Conditions and Non-disclosure
4.1 Disclosure of a pre-existing condition at intake does not transfer liability for a new injury. An animal with a disclosed cardiac condition that is cut during grooming has sustained an injury caused by the Service, and liability for that injury is allocated under Article 3.
4.2 A disclosed condition is evidence on causation. Where the question is whether the Service caused an animal's distress or whether a disclosed condition caused it, the Intake Record is the record on which that question is determined. The Groomer shall record each disclosed condition in the Intake Record and in the Grooming Record, and shall adapt the handling of the animal to the disclosed condition.
4.3 A Customer who fails to disclose a known bite history, or another known condition material to safe handling, (a) has no claim under the Platform Service Guarantee for an event arising from the undisclosed matter, and (b) bears the cost responsibility for injury or damage that the non-disclosure causes, including injury to the Groomer or to another animal, to the extent the non-disclosure caused it.
Article 5: The Waiver: Acceptance and Effect
5.1 The Waiver is a published document that requires acceptance. The Waiver carries a version and an effective date. The Customer shall accept the current version of the Waiver before the Customer's first Appointment, and no Appointment shall proceed to check-in for a Customer who has not accepted the current version, as the Appointment Operations Policy provides.
5.2 Each acceptance is recorded. The record states the document accepted, the version accepted, the Customer who accepted, and the time of acceptance, together with the record of the act of acceptance. The recorded version is the version that governs a later dispute concerning that Customer.
5.3 A material change to the Waiver: a change to the risks acknowledged, to an authorization, or to a liability term: is issued as a new version and requires re-acceptance before the Customer's next Appointment. A non-material change, including a change to formatting or to a contact detail, does not require re-acceptance. A change is material if a reasonable Customer would want to know of it before agreeing again.
5.4 The Waiver covers: (a) the Customer's acknowledgement of the inherent risks of grooming, including that cuts and clipper irritation may occur and that grooming is stressful for some animals; (b) the Customer's authorization for emergency veterinary care under Article 6 where the Customer cannot be reached; (c) the Customer's consent to photographs taken for the Grooming Record; and (d) the Customer's disclosure obligations stated in Article 3, clause 3.2.
5.5 No Waiver covers, and no provision of the Waiver shall be read to waive or limit, liability for gross negligence or willful misconduct. In particular, no Waiver language waives liability for a violation of the Pet Safety and Handling Standards that that document treats as intolerable, including striking an animal. The Waiver allocates the inherent risks of the Service; the Waiver does not authorize misconduct.
Article 6: Emergency Veterinary Authorization and Costs
6.1 If an animal needs emergency veterinary care during or in connection with an Appointment and the Customer cannot be reached within thirty (30) minutes of the first attempt to reach the Customer, the location manager shall authorize transport of the animal to the nearest emergency veterinarian under the standing authorization in the Waiver. Before that period expires, the Groomer and the location staff shall continue to attempt to reach the Customer. After that period expires, the animal's need for care takes precedence over further attempts.
6.2 Costs of emergency veterinary care are allocated as follows: (a) where the injury or condition was caused by the Service, the Company bears the cost; (b) where the emergency arises from a pre-existing condition or another cause not attributable to the Service, the Customer bears the cost.
6.3 Where delay in treatment would endanger the animal, the Company shall advance the cost of emergency care and shall invoice the Customer afterward for any amount allocated to the Customer under clause 6.2. Treatment shall not be delayed pending the allocation of cost.
6.4 The Groomer shall record the emergency, the attempts to reach the Customer, the authorization given, and the veterinary provider used, in the incident report required by the Incident and Injury Reporting Policy and in the Grooming Record for the Appointment.
Article 7: Measure of Liability for a Single Appointment
7.1 The Company's and the Groomer's combined liability to a Customer for a single Appointment shall not exceed the Service fee for that Appointment plus the reasonable emergency veterinary costs arising from the event, allocated under Article 6.
7.2 Consequential amounts: including lost wages, travel costs, and the cost of boarding an animal during recovery: are excluded from liability for a single Appointment, except where Article 10 provides otherwise or applicable law does not permit the exclusion.
Article 8: Evidence and Order of Resolution
8.1 A quality complaint is resolved first under the Platform Service Guarantee. A claim of injury or loss is reported and investigated under the Incident and Injury Reporting Policy. A dispute that is not resolved under either document is governed by the Dispute Resolution Policy, as Article 13 provides.
8.2 The evidence record for a liability dispute consists of the incident report, the Grooming Record, the animal's handling profile, and the recorded Waiver acceptance version. The Groomer shall keep each record this document requires in the form the governing document states, and shall produce the records in an investigation under Article 12.
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 Orders, fees, chargebacks, or refunds under this document; or (d) liability that cannot be limited under applicable law.
9.4 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.
9.5 Nothing in this article, and nothing in Article 7, limits liability for personal injury, or for injury to an animal, caused by negligence, where applicable law does not permit the limitation. Nothing in this document limits liability for gross negligence or willful misconduct.
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; (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. A claim by a Customer for injury to an animal in the Groomer's care, caused by the Groomer's failure to meet the Pet Safety and Handling Standards or the Service Standards Policy, is a claim within clause (b).
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, counterfeiting, 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) 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.
11.5 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.
11.6 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 12: Term and Termination
12.1 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.
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 Order, booking, or investigation outstanding.
12.4 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.
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 on the ground that the party prepared this document. The English-language text controls over any translation.
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