Booking Terms

The Pup — fed by PupEats · PupEats LLC, Doral, FL · v1.0 · Effective August 2026

These are the terms for booking a grooming or pet-care appointment through The Pup. They're short on purpose. You agree to them when you confirm a booking, and they sit alongside our Terms of Service, Cancellation Policy and Privacy Policy.

1. Who you're hiring

1.1 The Pup is a marketplace. The business you book ("the Provider") is an independent local business — not our employee and not owned by us. The appointment is a contract between you and them. We verify them, we handle the booking and the payment, and we stand behind the experience through the Pup Guarantee — but they perform the service and they carry the professional responsibility for it.

1.2 What "verified" means here. Before any business can take a booking on The Pup we check their business licence, we require and verify $1,000,000 of liability insurance that specifically covers animals in their care (most policies quietly exclude this — we don't list businesses whose policies do), we visit them in person, and we review their public reputation. Their listing comes off automatically the day their insurance expires. We re-check every year.

2. What you're telling us when you book

Grooming is hands-on work on a live animal, and the person doing it is usually within biting distance. Almost every bad outcome in this industry traces back to something the groomer didn't know. So when you confirm a booking, you're confirming that:

You're the pet's owner, or you're authorised by the owner to book and to pay.
Everything you've told us about your dog is accurate — especially any history of biting, snapping, or aggression toward people or other animals, and any medical condition, allergy, injury, or medication.
Your dog hasn't seriously injured a person or another animal, and hasn't been declared dangerous or vicious by any authority. (If either is true, tell us — some Providers will still take the appointment with the right handling. Hiding it is what causes harm.)
Your dog's rabies vaccination is current, and any vaccine was given at least 48 hours before the appointment.
Your dog hasn't had, or been knowingly exposed to, a contagious illness (kennel cough, parvo, canine influenza, distemper) in the past 30 days.
You haven't misdescribed your dog's breed or weight. Pricing and handling depend on it.

2.1 If something changes between booking and the appointment, update it in the app or tell the Provider at drop-off. Nobody is annoyed by a disclosure; everybody is hurt by a surprise.

2.2 If a condition wasn't disclosed and it causes an injury or a bad outcome, that's on you rather than the Provider — including any harm your dog causes to a person, another animal, or property.

3. Who we can't safely groom

Providers may decline or stop a service for safety. Common reasons, so there are no surprises at the door:

Under 8 weeks old, or rabies not current (puppies 8–16 weeks excepted).
Contagious illness now or in the past 30 days.
Sedated dogs. We don't groom under sedation, and Providers can't administer medication.
Open wounds, stitches, staples, or a cone. Come back when they're healed.
Pregnant dogs, and dogs that can't stand on their own for the groom.
A history of unprovoked aggression that injured a person or animal.
In heat — a shorter express groom only.
Seniors and dogs with heart, respiratory, or other serious conditions — usually fine, but groomed for comfort and cleanliness rather than looks, and often as an express groom.

3.1 Muzzles and stopping early. A Provider may use a muzzle if it's needed to finish safely, and may stop a service at any point if continuing isn't safe for your dog or for them. A muzzle isn't a punishment or a judgement about your dog. If a service is stopped early for safety, you're charged only for what was done.

3.2 Fleas and ticks. If fleas turn up during the appointment, the Provider will treat your dog and there's a fee for it — leaving an infestation untreated isn't an option for the other dogs there. If ticks turn up, we'll tell you and recommend you see your vet.

4. Matted coats and shave-downs — read this one

This is the single most common source of upset in grooming, so here's the honest version.

4.1 Matted fur tightens over time. It pulls on the skin, traps moisture and urine against it, and blocks air, which causes sores, infection, and real pain. Under a heavy mat the skin is usually already red, thin, and sometimes broken before anyone touches it.

4.2 Severe matting often can't be brushed out without hurting the dog. The humane option is to shave it. That means the haircut may end up much shorter than you wanted — and that during or after the shave there can be nicks, grazes, redness, itching, hot spots, or existing sores that were hidden by the coat and only become visible once it's off. Ears that were tightly matted can develop hematomas from restricted blood flow. Shaved dogs can sunburn, and double-coated breeds may grow back a different texture.

4.3 How we handle it — this is the part other people don't do. If your Provider finds significant matting or another condition that changes the plan, they stop and send you a note in the app describing what they found and what they recommend, and they wait for you to tap approve before continuing. You'll see it before the clippers do anything. If you'd rather come pick your dog up instead, that's a fine answer — you're charged only for what was done.

4.4 Where you've approved a shave-down or mat removal that way, you accept the risks in 4.2, which come from the condition of the coat rather than from the Provider's work. That approval isn't a blank cheque: it doesn't cover careless work, and it doesn't limit your rights if the Provider was negligent.

5. If your dog needs a vet

5.1 If your dog has a medical emergency during an appointment, you authorise the Provider to get them immediate veterinary care. They'll try to reach you first and will keep trying — but if there isn't time, getting your dog treated comes before reaching you. Care goes to the nearest available vet unless you've named one in your dog's profile, which is why naming one is worth the thirty seconds.

5.2 Vet costs are yours where the emergency arose from your dog's own condition, and the Provider's (or their insurer's) where it arose from their work. When that's genuinely unclear, the Pup Guarantee is designed to keep you from being stuck in the middle while it's sorted out.

5.3 Tell us about any bite or injury involving your dog within 24 hours. Some incidents carry reporting obligations under Florida law, and everyone is better off with an accurate record made the same day.

6. If you're not happy with the groom

Before you leave, say something. Small adjustments are normal and nobody is offended — that's the easiest possible fix, and it's free.
Within 24 hours, request a re-groom in the app. The same Provider will put it right at no charge. This is the standard remedy for a groom that didn't match what you asked for.
After 24 hours, a re-groom may carry a fee — coats and dogs change quickly.
Money back applies where a service wasn't delivered: a Provider no-show, a cancellation under the Cancellation Policy, or a charge that shouldn't have happened. For work that was done but done badly, the remedy is the re-groom above.
If your dog was hurt, that's not a re-groom conversation. Contact us straight away — the Provider's insurance and the Pup Guarantee both exist for exactly that, and neither is affected by this section.

7. Timing, no-shows, and pickup

7.1 Running late. Appointments are scheduled slots. More than 15 minutes late and the Provider may not be able to fit the full service in, or may need to reschedule you. Arrive no more than 10 minutes early.

7.2 Cancellations and no-shows follow the Cancellation Policy: free until 24 hours before, 50% inside 24 hours, 100% for a no-show. We waive your first no-show fee — life happens. After that, future bookings are charged when you book rather than on the day.

7.3 Pickup. Grooming salons aren't boarding kennels and usually can't keep your dog after closing. Pick up at the time agreed. If you're going to be late, call them — a late-pickup fee may apply, and repeatedly leaving a dog past closing may end in the Provider declining future bookings.

8. Paying

8.1 Prices are set by the Provider, and the final price can change with your dog's size, coat condition, and any add-ons you approve at the appointment. Anything that changes the price gets your approval first.

8.2 Your card is saved securely when you book and charged on the day of the appointment. Biscuits can cover up to 50% of an invoice at Providers who accept them.

8.3 A handling fee may apply where a dog needs substantially more time or a second person for safe handling. The Provider will tell you before doing the work, not after.

9. Photos

9.1 Providers often photograph their work, and we love seeing it. You give The Pup and your Provider permission to use photos of your dog from the appointment to show their work and promote the platform. We don't claim to own your photos, and you can turn this off in the app under Account, or by telling your Provider at drop-off. Turn it off and it applies going forward.

9.2 We never use your name, your dog's medical information, or your address in marketing.

10. Odds and ends

10.1 Custody. We treat the person who books and brings the dog as the owner or their agent. If we're made aware of an ownership dispute, we may hold the appointment and ask for proof of ownership before releasing a dog.

10.2 Records. Sharing your dog's vaccination and health records with a Provider is your choice, and they may use them only for your appointment.

10.3 Changes. We may update these terms; the version you accepted at booking governs that booking. Florida law applies, and the dispute-resolution terms in our Terms of Service apply here too.

Accepted when you confirm a booking; your acceptance is recorded with a timestamp, a version, and the booking reference.

Questions: [email protected] · PupEats LLC, Doral, Florida.