Community Guidelines

Our Mission

BarkPark is a community built around the love of dogs. These guidelines exist to keep our platform safe, welcoming, and enjoyable for every dog and every human. By using BarkPark, you agree to follow these guidelines. Violations may result in content removal, warnings, or account suspension.

1. Be Kind and Respectful

Treat every member of our community — and their dogs — with kindness and respect. We are all here because we share a love for our four-legged friends.

• Be supportive and encouraging when interacting with other dog owners
• Respect differences in dog training methods, breeds, and lifestyles
• Welcome newcomers and help them feel at home in the community
• Disagree respectfully — constructive discussions are welcome, personal attacks are not
• Remember there is a real person (and a real dog) behind every account

2. No Harassment, Bullying, or Hate Speech

BarkPark has zero tolerance for harassment, bullying, or hate speech of any kind. This includes but is not limited to:

• Threats, intimidation, or targeted attacks against other users
• Hate speech based on race, ethnicity, religion, gender, sexual orientation, disability, or any other protected characteristic
• Repeated unwanted contact or following after being asked to stop
• Doxxing or sharing someone's personal information to intimidate or harass them
• Shaming or mocking other people's dogs, including breed-specific discrimination
• Coordinated harassment campaigns against any user

3. No Harmful Content

Content that promotes harm to people or animals is strictly prohibited:

• Violence: No content depicting, glorifying, or inciting violence toward people or animals
• Animal cruelty: No content showing, promoting, or encouraging animal abuse, neglect, fighting, or any form of cruelty
• Illegal activity: No content promoting illegal activities, including illegal breeding operations, animal trafficking, or controlled substances
• Explicit content: No sexually explicit, graphic, or otherwise adult content
• Self-harm: No content that promotes or glorifies self-harm or suicide

4. No Spam or Excessive Self-Promotion

Keep BarkPark genuine and free from spam:

• Do not post repetitive, irrelevant, or unsolicited commercial content
• Do not use fake accounts, bots, or automated tools to artificially boost engagement
• Limit self-promotion — occasional sharing of dog-related products or services you genuinely use is fine, but your account should not be primarily a marketing channel
• Do not post misleading links, phishing attempts, or scams
• Do not solicit money, donations, or personal information from other users

5. Dog Safety First

The wellbeing of dogs is at the heart of everything we do. We take dog safety extremely seriously:

• Do not post content showing dogs in distress, danger, or unsafe situations unless you are genuinely seeking help
• Do not share content that encourages dangerous activities with dogs (e.g., leaving dogs in hot cars, off-leash near traffic)
• Report any content where a dog appears to be in danger
• If you witness animal abuse or an emergency, contact local animal control or law enforcement first, then report it on BarkPark. A report on BarkPark is not an emergency service, and we can't promise how quickly we'll see it

6. Accurate Health Information Only

Dogs depend on their owners for their health and wellbeing. Misinformation can be dangerous:

• Do not provide veterinary medical advice. You may share your personal experiences, but always recommend consulting a licensed veterinarian
• Do not promote unproven, harmful, or pseudoscientific treatments for dogs
• Do not discourage others from seeking professional veterinary care
• Share information from reputable sources and clearly label personal opinions as such
• Health misinformation that is reported to us may be removed to protect the community

Remember: BarkPark's Medical Vault is a record-keeping tool, not a substitute for professional veterinary care. Always consult your vet for medical decisions.

7. Respect Privacy

Protect your own privacy and respect others':

• Do not share another person's personal information (name, address, phone number, email, photos) without their explicit consent
• Do not post photos or videos of other people or their dogs without permission
• Do not share screenshots of private conversations
• Be cautious about sharing your own location details — use BarkPark's built-in check-in features instead of posting exact addresses
• Report any content that exposes personal information

8. Keep It Dog-Related

BarkPark is a community for dog lovers. While we welcome a wide range of content, posts should be relevant to dogs, dog parks, pet ownership, or the BarkPark community. Off-topic content may be removed to keep the feed useful and enjoyable for everyone. Other pets are welcome in moderation — we love all animals — but dogs should remain the primary focus.

9. Reporting Violations

If you see content that violates these guidelines, please report it. Your reports help us keep BarkPark safe:

• In-app reporting: Open the menu on a post and choose "Report". Comments and profiles can't be reported in the app yet, so email us about those
• Email: barkparkhelp@gmail.com, for anything the app can't report
• Anonymous: The person you report is not told who reported them

Reports go to our small team, and we can't promise how quickly we'll see one, so if an animal is in danger, contact local animal control first. A post reported by three members for violence, sexual content, a child at risk or animal cruelty is hidden until our team looks at it; for any other reason it stays up while we look. If one of your posts is hidden, you'll get a notification, and if you think it's a mistake, email us.

10. Enforcement

We enforce these guidelines fairly and consistently. Depending on the severity and frequency of violations, consequences may include:

• Content removal: Posts, comments, or media that violate guidelines will be removed
• Warning: A formal notice explaining the violation and what to change. Most first-time violations result in a warning
• Temporary suspension: Repeated or serious violations may result in a temporary account suspension (typically 7-30 days)
• Permanent ban: Severe violations (animal cruelty, threats, illegal activity) or persistent repeat offenses will result in permanent account removal

11. Appeal Process

We understand that mistakes happen — both on our part and yours. If you believe a moderation decision was made in error, you have the right to appeal:

1. Submit an appeal: Email barkparkhelp@gmail.com with your username, the content or action in question, and an explanation of why you believe the decision should be reversed
2. Decision: We will look at it again and reply by email with the outcome and the reason

During the appeal process, any active suspension remains in effect until the review is complete.

12. Changes to These Guidelines

We may update these Community Guidelines as our community grows and evolves. When we make significant changes, we will notify you through in-app notifications and update the date at the top of this page. Continued use of BarkPark after changes are posted constitutes acceptance of the updated guidelines.

13. Contact Us

If you have questions about these guidelines or need to report an issue: