Effective Date: October 15, 2026 Version: 1.0 Applies to: All Sellers who offer live animals through the Platform.
Article 1: Introduction and Scope
1.1 This Policy states the Seller's duties for the sale of live animals: eligibility and licensing, listing content, animal welfare in transport, health records, and the remedies that apply when an animal arrives sick, injured, or not as described. The platform rule for live animals is stated in the Live Animal Policy, which is incorporated into this Policy by reference; this Policy states the Seller's obligations under that rule and does not restate it. The regulatory framework is stated in the Live Animal Regulations.
1.2 State law primacy. The law of the state of origin and the law of the state of destination govern each sale, and the more restrictive of the two controls. No provision of this Policy, and no approval granted under this Policy, authorizes a sale, a transport, or a practice that the applicable state or local law forbids. The federal framework includes the Animal Welfare Act (7 U.S.C. §2131 et seq.), the Lacey Act, and the Endangered Species Act.
1.3 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 terms of a program in which the Seller participates, the program terms control for that program.
Article 2: Definitions
2.1 Account: the account a person or business establishes with the Company to use the Platform.
2.2 Buyer: a person who purchases Products or Services through the Platform.
2.3 Company: All About Pawz, LLC, a Tennessee limited liability company.
2.4 Covered Species: a species subject to licensing by the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service of the U.S. Department of Agriculture for dealers, exhibitors, or transporters under the Animal Welfare Act.
2.5 Live Animal: any living vertebrate offered for sale through the Platform, including a dog, a cat, a bird, a fish, a reptile, and a small mammal, and any invertebrate the applicable law covers. Feeder insects and similar invertebrate Products carry the transport-welfare duties of Article 5 where the carrier and the law impose them.
2.6 Order: a Buyer's purchase of Products or Services through the Platform, accepted in accordance with the Order Formation and Acceptance Policy.
2.7 Platform: the websites, applications, and services the Company operates under the name All About Pawz, including aapawz.com.
2.8 Products: goods offered for sale through the Platform.
2.9 Prohibited Species: a species whose sale or interstate transport is barred by federal law, including an injurious species under the Lacey Act and a listed species under the Endangered Species Act, or by the law of the state of origin or the state of destination. A Prohibited Species shall not be listed under any condition; the prohibition is categorical and sits inside this restricted category as a prohibition, governed also by the Prohibited Products Policy.
2.10 Seller: a person or business the Company has accepted to offer Products or Services through the Platform.
Article 3: Eligibility: Invitation, Licenses, Verification
3.1 Live-animal sales are by invitation and Category Approval only, as governed by the Restricted Products Policy. There is no self-serve enrollment in this category. The Seller shall apply, the Company shall verify, and the category opens only when the approval is recorded. Until the approval is recorded, no live-animal listing shall be published.
3.2 The Seller shall hold every license the law requires for the species and the jurisdictions, including: a dealer, exhibitor, or transporter license under the Animal Welfare Act where that Act applies; state breeder, kennel, or pet-dealer licenses; and local permits. The Seller shall produce each license before the first listing, shall keep each license current, and shall submit to re-verification on renewal. An expired license suspends the Category Approval until the license is renewed and re-verified; selling during the lapse is selling without approval.
3.3 The Seller shall be lawful in both the jurisdiction of origin and the jurisdiction of destination on every sale. Several states and many localities restrict or prohibit the retail sale of dogs and cats from commercial breeders. A Seller lawful in the state of origin that ships into a jurisdiction that prohibits the sale has violated this Policy and the destination law. The destination check is the Seller's duty on every sale, performed before the Order is accepted.
3.4 Sourcing from a substandard commercial breeding operation is prohibited. The Company may require a supply-chain attestation: the source of the animals and the conditions under which the animals are kept: and a Seller that cannot or does not attest shall not sell live animals through the Platform. A Seller with an animal-cruelty conviction, a license revocation, or an enforcement action by an animal-welfare authority is ineligible for this category.
Article 4: Listing Duties
4.1 Each live-animal listing shall state: (a) the species and, where applicable, the breed; (b) the age and the sex; (c) the health standing and veterinary history, including vaccinations; (d) the health-certificate standing; (e) the origin of the animal, by breeder or facility name and location; and (f) the Seller's license numbers. A listing without the license numbers is incomplete and shall not be published.
4.2 Age minimums. The Seller shall not sell an animal under the minimum legal age for sale or transport. Federal transport minimums and state sale minimums both apply, and the stricter controls. No sale shall close without the health certificate and the health records the law requires for the animal and the journey.
4.3 A health representation shall be truthful and documented. A statement that an animal is "vet-checked" means a veterinarian examined the animal on a stated date, with records the Seller can produce. A forged health certificate is fraud governed by the Fraud and Abuse: Zero Tolerance (Fraud and Abuse — Zero Tolerance).
4.4 An undisclosed illness or congenital condition engages the pet lemon laws many states provide: refund, replacement, or veterinary-cost reimbursement within the statutory period. The statutory remedy is the floor of the Seller's obligation, not the ceiling.
4.5 Pricing shall be complete before purchase: the price of the animal, transport costs, health-certificate fees, and every other charge shall be disclosed before the Buyer commits. A charge first disclosed after checkout, including a crate fee, is a violation of the Seller Pricing Policy in addition to a violation of this Policy.
4.6 An adoption listing is subject to the same welfare and documentation duties as a sale listing. Adoption fees and return-to-Seller terms are the Seller's terms and shall be stated in the listing.
Article 5: Welfare and Transport
5.1 A shipment shall use only a carrier and a service level that accept live animals, with a species-appropriate container, ventilation, and feeding and watering provision proportionate to the journey, and with the documentation the journey requires. For air transport, the Live Animals Regulations of the International Air Transport Association state the container and handling standards the Seller shall meet. Carrier acceptance is necessary and is not sufficient: the Seller's duties under this Article apply regardless of the carrier's terms.
5.2 Weather and temperature embargoes shall be honored. An animal that cannot lawfully or safely ship in current conditions shall not ship. The Seller shall communicate the delay to the Buyer and shall offer the Buyer the choice of waiting or cancelling with a full refund. Shipping into a known embargo to satisfy a delivery measure is a welfare violation.
5.3 Each live-animal shipment shall carry tracking and delivery confirmation. Handoff to the Buyer shall be documented: time, condition of the animal, and recipient. An animal left at an unoccupied delivery point is a failure the Seller bears.
5.4 A carrier prohibition controls over this Policy. If the carrier does not accept the species, the route, or the conditions, the Seller shall use a lawful alternative or shall cancel the Order with a full refund.
5.5 Health documentation required by law shall accompany the animal, including a certificate of veterinary inspection for interstate transport where required, vaccination records, and each state-entry requirement for the destination.
Article 6: Incidents, Disease, and Returns
6.1 Where an animal arrives sick, injured, or dead, the Seller shall respond within twenty-four (24) hours, shall arrange veterinary care or the lemon-law remedy the Buyer's state provides, and shall preserve all transport and health records. The Company may require an incident report, and the Seller shall provide it.
6.2 On a disease outbreak connected to the Seller's animals, the Seller shall notify the Company immediately, shall stop the sale and shipment of affected animals, and shall cooperate with the product-safety process stated in the Product Safety & Recalls. Buyers who received animals from the same source shall be notified where the risk warrants notice, with the Company's direction.
6.3 Returns of live animals are governed by the Return and Refund Policy: Sellers (Return and Refund Policy — Sellers) as modified by welfare: the animal's welfare determines the logistics of a return, a live animal is not returned by ordinary parcel post, and the Seller shall accept the return of an animal the Buyer cannot keep where the law or the sale contract requires acceptance. A returned animal shall be quarantined, examined, and rehomed responsibly, and shall not be resold without disclosure of the return history where that history is material to health.
Article 7: Records
7.1 The Seller shall keep, for each animal: the license records, the health certificate and veterinary records, the vaccination record, the transport and carrier records, and the handoff documentation. Records are kept for the period the Selling Terms of Service requires, and are produced on the Company's request, including in an investigation or an appeal under Article 10.
Article 8: Liability
8.1 Live-animal risk. The Seller bears the risk of the animal's health and welfare until the Buyer accepts delivery. That risk includes illness, injury, and death in transport attributable to the Seller's sourcing, condition, container, carrier selection, or timing. 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.
8.2 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. Article 8.1 governs the allocation of the animal's own loss and is not limited by this clause.
8.3 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 Seller 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).
8.4 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 Seller owes for Orders, fees, chargebacks, or refunds under this Policy, including veterinary costs and lemon-law remedies under Articles 4.4 and 6.1; or (d) liability that cannot be limited under applicable law.
8.5 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 9: Indemnification
9.1 Duty. The Seller 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 Seller's breach of this Policy; (b) the Seller's animals, listings, or content, including claims arising from the health, condition, or transport of an animal; (c) the Seller's violation of any law or of the rights of any person; and (d) taxes for which the Seller is responsible under the Company's documents.
9.2 Procedure. The Company shall give prompt written notice of a claim under this Article. The Seller shall control the defense with counsel reasonably acceptable to the Company. The Company may participate in the defense at its own expense. The Seller 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.
9.3 Survival. This Article survives the termination of this Policy.
Article 10: Enforcement and Appeals
10.1 Investigation. The Company may investigate any suspected violation of this Policy. The Seller shall cooperate with an investigation and shall produce the records this Policy requires the Seller to keep.
10.2 Notice. If the Company determines that the Seller 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. The Company may suspend live-animal listings and the Category Approval immediately where a license has lapsed, a Prohibited Species is listed, or a safety risk to an animal arises.
10.3 Opportunity to cure. Where a violation is capable of cure, the Seller 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.
10.4 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) remove or suppress a listing or content; (c) cancel an Order; (d) suspend the Account or the Category Approval, in whole or in part, with reinstatement of the category only on approval of a remediation plan covering the Seller's entire transport procedure where the violation is a transport-welfare failure, and revocation of the Category Approval on a second such failure; (e) terminate this Policy and the Account; and (f) exercise any other right or remedy available under this Policy or at law. Unlicensed dealing and a Prohibited Species listing are governed by the Fraud and Abuse: Zero Tolerance (Fraud and Abuse — Zero Tolerance), under which no warning precedes an account-level measure.
10.5 Appeal. The Seller 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. A lemon-law claim is decided through the dispute process, with the statutory remedy as the floor.
10.6 Disbursement holds. The Company may hold disbursements to the Seller while an investigation under this Article is pending, and shall release amounts not required to satisfy the Seller's obligations when the investigation closes.
10.7 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 11: Term and Termination
11.1 Term. This Policy takes effect when the Seller is accepted to offer Products through the Platform and continues until terminated under this Article.
11.2 Termination by the Company. The Company may terminate this Policy and the Account on thirty (30) days' written notice for any reason, and immediately on written notice if the Seller materially breaches this Policy, engages in fraud, or becomes ineligible to participate.
11.3 Termination by the Seller. The Seller may terminate this Policy on thirty (30) days' written notice to support@aapawz.com, provided the Seller has no Order or investigation outstanding.
11.4 Effect of termination. On termination: (a) the rights granted under this Policy 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 Policy, within thirty (30) days, except amounts held in connection with an open investigation or dispute.
11.5 Survival. The Definitions, Liability, Indemnification, Enforcement and Appeals (for measures taken before termination), Dispute Resolution, and General Provisions Articles survive termination.
Article 12: Dispute Resolution
12.1 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.
Article 13: General Provisions
13.1 Amendments. The Company may amend this Policy by posting the amended Policy in the Document Center and giving notice to the Seller at the email address in the Account. An amendment that materially increases the Seller'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 Seller does not accept an amendment, the Seller's remedy is to terminate under Article 11 before the amendment takes effect.
13.2 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 Seller 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 Seller shall keep the email address in the Account current.
13.3 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. The sale and transport of a live animal under this Policy are additionally governed by the law of the state of origin and the law of the state of destination, as Article 1.2 states.
13.4 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.
13.5 Entire agreement. This Policy, together with the documents it incorporates by reference, is the entire agreement between the Company and the Seller for the subject it governs and supersedes every prior or contemporaneous statement, communication, or agreement on that subject, whether written or oral.
13.6 Assignment. The Seller 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. 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 Seller.
13.7 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.
13.8 Interpretation. Headings are for convenience only. "Including" means "including without limitation." This Policy shall not be construed against a party as its drafter. The English-language text controls over any translation.
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