Terms of Service

1. Acceptance of Terms

These Terms of Service (“Terms”) govern your access to and use of the Canine Konnect website, mobile applications, and services (collectively, the “Service”). By creating an account, accessing, or using the Service, you agree to be bound by these Terms. If you do not agree, do not use the Service.

2. Eligibility

You must be at least 16 years old (or the age of digital consent in your jurisdiction) to use the Service. By using the Service you represent that you meet this requirement and that you are not barred from using the Service under any applicable law.

3. Accounts & Registration

• You are responsible for safeguarding your login credentials and for any activity under your account.
• You agree to provide accurate, current, and complete information and to keep it updated.
• You may not impersonate anyone, misrepresent your qualifications, or create multiple accounts to abuse the platform.
• We may suspend or terminate accounts that violate these Terms.

4. Not Veterinary Advice

Canine Konnect is a community platform. Content posted by users — including verified professionals — is informational only and does not constitute veterinary, medical, or behavioural advice. Always consult a licensed veterinarian in person for any medical concern regarding your dog. In an emergency, contact a local veterinary emergency service immediately. We disclaim all liability for decisions you make based on information received through the Service.

5. AI Features (Breed Detection & Assistant)

The Service offers AI-powered features including dog breed identification from photos and an AI chat assistant. These features use third-party large language models and image models. Output is generated automatically and may be inaccurate, incomplete, or misleading. Do not rely on AI output for health, legal, or financial decisions. Images you upload for breed detection are transmitted to our AI provider (currently OpenAI, via the Emergent LLM infrastructure) for inference and may be retained for a short period for abuse prevention.

6. Professional Verification

Users identified as “Verified Vet,” “Verified Trainer,” or “Verified Behaviourist” have submitted credentials we have reviewed in good faith. However, verification is not a warranty of ongoing licensure or clinical competence. Always confirm credentials independently before relying on them for real-world care. Verified users agree to keep their qualifications current and to notify us if they are no longer licensed or authorised to practise.

7. Credits, Paid Features & Subscriptions

• Credits and subscriptions are billed through Stripe. You authorise us and Stripe to charge your payment method for any purchased credits and recurring subscription fees.
• Credits expire in accordance with the expiry period displayed at purchase.
• Subscriptions renew automatically at the end of each billing cycle until cancelled from the Billing Portal.
• All prices are displayed in GBP unless stated otherwise and include applicable taxes where required.

8. Refund Policy

Subscription fees are non-refundable except where required by law (for example, UK/EU consumer rights). Unused credits are non-refundable once purchased. If you believe you were charged in error, contact support@konnect-canine.com within 14 days of the charge.

8a. Right of Withdrawal (UK / EU Consumers)

If you are a UK or EU consumer, you have a statutory right to cancel a paid subscription within 14 days of purchase under the UK Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013 / the EU Consumer Rights Directive (the "cooling-off period").

Important: by purchasing credits or starting a Pro subscription you expressly agree that the digital service begins immediately and you acknowledge that:

• Your right to withdraw is lost once you start using the digital content (e.g., spending credits, posting paid bookings, or actively using a Pro feature) within the cooling-off period, in accordance with reg. 36 of the UK Consumer Contracts Regulations.
• If you have not yet used any paid feature, you can request a full refund within 14 days by emailing support@konnect-canine.com with your account email and order reference.
• For monthly subscriptions, cancellation takes effect at the end of the current billing period; you retain access until that date and are not refunded for unused days, except where the cooling-off right above applies.

9. User Content

You retain ownership of content you post (questions, answers, comments, images, event listings, messages). By posting, you grant Canine Konnect a worldwide, royalty-free, non-exclusive licence to host, display, reproduce, and distribute that content as reasonably necessary to operate and promote the Service.

You agree not to post content that:

• Is unlawful, defamatory, harassing, or infringes another person's rights.
• Promotes animal cruelty, illegal breeding, unlicensed veterinary practice, or unsafe medical advice.
• Contains spam, malware, phishing, or unauthorised commercial solicitation.
• Discloses another person's private information without consent.

We may remove content and suspend accounts that violate these rules at our sole discretion.

10. Events & Bookings

Event organisers are solely responsible for the events they list, including safety, insurance, and compliance with local laws. Vet bookings made through the Service are agreements between you and the listed professional; Canine Konnect is not a party to those agreements and is not responsible for the outcome of any booking or consultation.

11. Third-Party Services

The Service integrates with third parties including Google (sign-in), Stripe (payments), Resend (email), Expo Notifications, Google AdMob (mobile ads), and OpenAI (via Emergent LLM infrastructure). Your use of those services may be subject to the third party's own terms and privacy policies.

12. Advertising (Mobile)

Our free mobile tier displays advertisements via Google AdMob. Ads may use your device advertising identifier (IDFA/GAID). You can opt out of personalised advertising in your device settings. Subscribing to a Pro plan removes ads.

13. Intellectual Property

The Service, its logos, design, and software are owned by Canine Konnect or its licensors and are protected by intellectual property laws. You may not copy, modify, reverse-engineer, or create derivative works without our prior written consent, except as permitted by applicable law.

14. Termination

You may delete your account at any time via Settings. We may suspend or terminate your access if you breach these Terms or if required by law. Upon termination, your right to use the Service ceases immediately, though obligations accrued before termination (e.g., outstanding payment) survive.

15. Disclaimers

The Service is provided “as is” and “as available” without warranties of any kind, express or implied, including fitness for a particular purpose, non-infringement, or uninterrupted availability. To the maximum extent permitted by law, Canine Konnect disclaims all implied warranties.

16. Limitation of Liability

To the maximum extent permitted by law, Canine Konnect and its affiliates shall not be liable for any indirect, incidental, special, consequential, or punitive damages, or any loss of profits or revenues, whether incurred directly or indirectly. Our total aggregate liability for any claim arising from or related to the Service is limited to the amount you paid us in the twelve (12) months preceding the claim, or £50, whichever is greater.

17. Governing Law

These Terms are governed by the laws of England and Wales. Disputes shall be subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of England and Wales, except where you have mandatory consumer rights under your local law.

18. Changes to These Terms

We may update these Terms from time to time. If the changes are material we will notify you (for example by email or in-app notice). Continued use after the effective date of the revised Terms constitutes acceptance.

19. Contact

Questions about these Terms? Email support@konnect-canine.com.