Effective Date: October 15, 2026 Version: 1.0 Applies to: All Franchisees operating a Franchised Business under a Franchise Agreement with the Company, and to each Franchised Location.
Article 1: Introduction and Scope
1.1 This Policy governs the brand standards that apply to every Franchised Business: the scope of the standards, the content of the Brand Standards Manual, the procedure by which standards change, the Franchisee's duty to report incidents and regulatory actions, and the manner in which compliance is enforced. Compliance with the brand standards is a core obligation of the Franchisee under the Franchise Agreement.
1.2 The Franchise Disclosure Document controls the offer and sale of franchises. No provision of this Policy, and no content in any portal, makes any representation concerning earnings, sales, revenue, or profitability of a Franchised Business, and no such representation shall be relied on by any Franchisee or prospective franchisee.
1.3 Where the franchise law of the state in which the Franchised Business is located gives the Franchisee rights greater than this Policy, that law prevails to the extent of the conflict.
1.4 If a provision of this Policy conflicts with the Terms of Use, this Policy controls for the subject it governs. If a provision of this Policy conflicts with the Franchise Agreement, the Franchise Agreement controls. Policies and help pages explain this Policy; they do not amend it, and in any conflict this Policy prevails over such explanatory content.
Article 2: Definitions
2.1 Brand Standards Manual: the Company's versioned and dated specification of the brand standards for the franchise system, as published to Franchisees through the franchisee portal or as otherwise distributed by the Company.
2.2 Company: All About Pawz, LLC, a Tennessee limited liability company.
2.3 Franchise Agreement: the franchise agreement between the Company and the Franchisee granting the franchise for the Franchised Business.
2.4 Franchise Disclosure Document: the disclosure document the Company provides to a prospective franchisee under the Federal Trade Commission Franchise Rule and applicable state franchise law.
2.5 Franchised Business: the business the Franchisee is granted the right to operate under the Franchise Agreement at the Franchised Location.
2.6 Franchised Location: the premises from which the Franchised Business is operated, as identified in the Franchise Agreement.
2.7 Franchisee: a person or business that has been granted a franchise by the Company and is a party to a Franchise Agreement.
2.8 Marks: the Company's trademarks, service marks, trade names, logos, and other brand identifiers licensed to the Franchisee under the Franchise Agreement.
2.9 Platform: the websites, applications, and services the Company operates under the name All About Pawz, including aapawz.com.
Article 3: The Standards Duty
3.1 The Franchisee shall operate the Franchised Business in compliance with the brand standards in the current version of the Brand Standards Manual at all times. The standards are operating requirements. No standard stated in the Brand Standards Manual is a suggestion, an aspiration, or a target that the Franchisee may elect not to meet.
3.2 The purpose of the standards is uniformity of customer experience across the franchise system: signage, service standards, product quality, and the condition of each location shall be such that a customer is not able to distinguish a franchised location from a Company-operated location by the standard of presentation, service, or quality.
3.3 A Franchisee cited for non-compliance shall be cited against a specific version and section of the Brand Standards Manual, and not against the standards in general. The Company shall maintain the version of the Brand Standards Manual in effect at the time of any cited non-compliance as part of the record of the citation.
Article 4: The Brand Standards Manual
4.1 The Brand Standards Manual is the operative specification of the brand standards. This Policy governs the Brand Standards Manual; the Brand Standards Manual governs the day-to-day operations of the Franchised Business.
4.2 The Brand Standards Manual is versioned and dated. Each standard carries the version and the effective date of the standard. The Franchisee shall operate to the current version of the Brand Standards Manual.
4.3 The Company shall publish the current version of the Brand Standards Manual to the Franchisee through the franchisee portal or by another distribution method the Company designates in writing. The Franchisee shall keep the Brand Standards Manual confidential, shall use it only in the operation of the Franchised Business, and shall not distribute it outside the Franchised Business.
Article 5: Standards Domains
5.1 Identity and presentation. The Franchisee shall comply with the standards for signage (exterior and interior), use of the Marks, color palette, uniforms and name badges, facility appearance and cleanliness, and vehicle livery where applicable. The Franchisee shall use the Marks and the brand's visual identity exactly as specified in the Brand Standards Manual. The Franchisee shall not create or use a variant logo, shall not substitute colors, and shall not use handmade or non-conforming signage.
5.2 Customer experience. The Franchisee shall comply with the standards for service scripts and greetings, appointment and booking procedures, complaint handling, response times, and review-response protocols. Training for the customer-experience standards is governed by the Franchise Training Policy.
5.3 Product and service quality. The Franchisee shall comply with the standards for approved product lines and suppliers where the Franchise Agreement designates them, service procedure standards, and quality-control checkpoints. The Franchisee shall not substitute a product or a service input that the Brand Standards Manual does not approve.
5.4 Operations. The Franchisee shall comply with the standards for hours of operation, including minimum hours and holiday schedules; staffing minimums and role coverage; use of the point-of-sale and Platform systems the Company provides for the Franchised Business; cash handling and financial controls; and inventory management.
5.5 Animal welfare. The Franchisee shall comply with the standards for animal handling, animal housing where the Franchised Location boards animals or provides daycare, health and sanitation protocols, incident reporting, and veterinary-care escalation. Article 6 states the enforcement rule for this domain.
5.6 The Franchisee shall keep, for the Franchised Location, the records that demonstrate compliance with each domain of this Article, including training records, incident reports, and sanitation and quality-control records, and shall produce those records on inspection under Article 9.
Article 6: Animal Welfare Standards
6.1 Animal welfare standards are enforced immediately. Neglect, abuse, or reckless endangerment of an animal in the Franchisee's care is cause for immediate termination proceedings under the Franchise Termination Policy. No cure notice and no warning period applies to animal cruelty, neglect, or abuse.
6.2 The cure-notice procedure in Article 9 applies to brand standards generally. That procedure does not apply to a violation described in Article 6.1.
Article 7: Self-Reporting
7.1 The Franchisee shall report to the Company, through the channel the Company designates: (a) an animal-welfare incident, including an injury, an escape, a death, or a bite, within twenty-four (24) hours; (b) a food-safety or product-safety issue affecting the Franchised Business, within twenty-four (24) hours; (c) a data breach affecting customer information, within the time the Franchise Agreement states and in no event later than seventy-two (72) hours after discovery; and (d) a regulatory action against the Franchised Location, including a health-department citation, a license suspension, and a lawsuit, within five (5) business days.
7.2 A report under this Article shall state the facts: the event, the animal, customer, or record affected, and the action the Franchisee has taken in response.
7.3 The duty to report under this Article is a standalone duty, separate from responsibility for the underlying incident. A Franchisee that reports an incident that was not the Franchisee's fault is in compliance with this Article. A Franchisee that conceals a reportable incident commits a separate violation in addition to any violation arising from the incident itself. A report does not immunize the Franchisee from enforcement for the underlying incident, and concealment aggravates the underlying violation.
Article 8: Changes to the Standards
8.1 The Company may amend the Brand Standards Manual as the brand, operations, and applicable law change. The Company shall publish each amendment with the new standard, the version number, the effective date, and the reason for the change.
8.2 A material change: a change requiring capital expenditure, including new signage, equipment, or modification of the build-out, or a change requiring significant operational restructuring: carries a minimum implementation period of ninety (90) days from publication. Where the Franchise Agreement provides cost-sharing or phased-compliance terms for such a change, those terms apply as the Franchise Agreement states.
8.3 A change required for the safety of a person or an animal, or for compliance with law, takes effect immediately on notice. No implementation period applies to such a change.
8.4 No amendment to the Brand Standards Manual may increase a fee, a royalty, or any other amount payable by the Franchisee. A change to an amount payable may be made only by the Franchise Agreement and, for the offer and sale of franchises, only as disclosed in the Franchise Disclosure Document.
8.5 The Franchisee may comment on a proposed material change through the franchise advisory council before the change is finalized. Comment under this clause is consultation; it is not a veto, and the Company retains the right to adopt the change after the comment period the Company designates.
Article 9: Verification and Enforcement Procedure
9.1 Compliance with the brand standards is verified by inspection under the Franchise Audit & Inspection Policy. An inspection is scored against the current version of the Brand Standards Manual, and the inspection result is part of the record on which any enforcement measure under this Policy is based. The Company does not rely on self-certification alone.
9.2 Enforcement of the brand standards proceeds by written cure notice under the Franchise Agreement, in accordance with Article 12. A cure notice shall cite the specific standard by Brand Standards Manual version and section, state the observed non-compliance, and state the cure deadline. The cure deadline is thirty (30) days for an ordinary standard, a shorter period where health or safety requires it, and no period for a violation described in Article 6.1.
9.3 Where a Franchisee does not cure within the period allowed, the Company may issue a further notice requiring a cure plan that states the correction made and the procedure by which compliance is maintained. A failure to cure after notice and a cure plan is a default matter governed by the Franchise Termination Policy.
Article 10: Liability
10.1 Exclusion of certain damages. 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 Policy, even if the party has been advised of the possibility of those damages.
10.2 Cap. To the fullest extent permitted by law, the Company's total liability arising out of or relating to this Policy shall not exceed the greater of (a) the amounts the Franchisee paid to the Company under this Policy in the twelve months before the event giving rise to the claim, or (b) one hundred dollars ($100).
10.3 Carve-outs. This Article does not limit (a) a party's indemnification obligations under this Policy; (b) liability for fraud or willful misconduct; (c) amounts the Franchisee owes for fees, royalties, or other amounts under the Franchise Agreement; or (d) liability that cannot be limited under applicable law.
10.4 Essential purpose. 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 11: Indemnification
11.1 Duty. The Franchisee 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 Franchisee's breach of this Policy or of the brand standards; (b) the operation of the Franchised Business, including the acts and omissions of the Franchisee's employees and agents and the condition of the Franchised Location; (c) the Franchisee's Products, Services, or handling of animals in the Franchisee's care; (d) the Franchisee's violation of any law or of the rights of any person; and (e) taxes for which the Franchisee is responsible under the Franchise Agreement.
11.2 Procedure. The Company shall give prompt written notice of a claim under this Article. The Franchisee shall control the defense with counsel reasonably acceptable to the Company. The Company may participate in the defense at its own expense. The Franchisee 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.
11.3 Survival. This Article survives the termination of this Policy.
Article 12: Enforcement and Appeals
12.1 Investigation. The Company may investigate any suspected violation of this Policy. The Franchisee shall cooperate with an investigation and shall produce the records this Policy requires the Franchisee to keep.
12.2 Notice. If the Company determines that the Franchisee has violated this Policy, 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.
12.3 Opportunity to cure. Where a violation is capable of cure, the Franchisee has the cure period stated in Article 9.2, or the period the Franchise Agreement states if longer, to cure the violation and to confirm the cure in writing. No cure period applies to fraud, a risk to the safety of a person or an animal, unlawful conduct, or a violation that by its nature cannot be cured.
12.4 Measures. 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) require a cure plan under Article 9.3; (c) require remedial training under the Franchise Training Policy; (d) suspend an approval or a program participation connected with the violation, in whole or in part; (e) proceed to termination under the Franchise Termination Policy; and (f) exercise any other right or remedy available under the Franchise Agreement or at law.
12.5 Appeal. The Franchisee 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.
12.6 No waiver by delay. 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 13: Term and Termination
13.1 This Policy takes effect when the Franchisee enters into the Franchise Agreement and continues for the term of the Franchise Agreement, unless the Franchise Agreement ends earlier under the Franchise Termination Policy.
13.2 Termination of the franchise relationship, the grounds for termination, the cure periods by ground, and the post-termination duties of the Franchisee are governed exclusively by the Franchise Agreement and the Franchise Termination Policy, which are incorporated into this Policy by reference for that subject. This Policy creates no separate right to terminate the Franchise Agreement.
13.3 On termination of the Franchise Agreement, the Franchisee's right to use the Brand Standards Manual and the Marks ends as stated in the Franchise Termination Policy. Obligations that arose before termination, including payment, record-keeping, confidentiality, and indemnification obligations, survive until satisfied.
13.4 The Definitions, Liability, Indemnification, Enforcement and Appeals (for measures taken before termination), Dispute Resolution, and General Provisions Articles of this Policy survive termination.
Article 14: Dispute Resolution
14.1 Any dispute arising out of or relating to this Policy, or to the relationship it governs, is governed by the Dispute Resolution Policy, which is incorporated into this Policy by reference. The franchise dispute procedure stated in the Franchise Dispute Resolution Policy applies before and in addition to that incorporation, as that policy provides.
Article 15: General Provisions
15.1 Amendments. The Company may amend this Policy by posting the amended Policy in the Document Center and giving notice to the Franchisee at the email address in the Franchisee's account. An amendment that materially increases the Franchisee's obligations takes effect thirty (30) days after notice; other amendments take effect on posting. No amendment to this Policy may increase a fee, as stated in Article 8.4. Continued operation of the Franchised Business after the effective date of an amendment is acceptance of it. If the Franchisee does not accept an amendment, the Franchisee's remedy is to terminate under the Franchise Termination Policy as that policy and the Franchise Agreement provide, before the amendment takes effect.
15.2 Notices. Legal notices under this Policy 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 Franchisee are effective when sent to the email address in the Franchisee's account or posted to the account's notice facility in the portal, whichever occurs first. The Franchisee shall keep the email address in the account current.
15.3 Governing law. This Policy 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 Policy shall be brought in the state or federal courts located in Shelby County, Tennessee, and the parties consent to personal jurisdiction there. Where the franchise law of the state in which the Franchised Business is located gives the Franchisee rights greater than this Policy, that law prevails to the extent of the conflict.
15.4 Severability. If any provision of this Policy is held unenforceable, the provision shall be enforced to the fullest extent permitted, and the remaining provisions continue in full effect.
15.5 Entire agreement. This Policy, together with the documents it incorporates by reference, is the entire agreement between the Company and the Franchisee for the subject it governs and supersedes every prior or contemporaneous statement, communication, or agreement on that subject, whether written or oral. No statement concerning earnings, sales, revenue, or profitability forms part of the agreement between the Company and the Franchisee unless the statement is contained in the Franchise Disclosure Document as the Franchise Rule permits.
15.6 Assignment. The Franchisee shall not assign this Policy or any right or obligation under it without the Company's prior written consent, and an assignment without consent is void. A transfer of the franchise is governed by the Franchise Transfer Policy. The Company may assign this Policy to an affiliate or in connection with a sale of all or part of its business, on notice to the Franchisee.
15.7 Waiver. A waiver of any provision of this Policy is effective only in writing and only for the instance stated. No waiver is a waiver of any other provision or instance.
15.8 Interpretation. Headings are for convenience only. "Including" means "including without limitation." This Policy shall not be construed against a party on the ground that the party prepared it. The English-language text controls over any translation.
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