Last Updated: January 1, 2026

Terms of Service

Welcome, and thank you for your interest in Happy Tails Pet Sanctuary (“Happy Tails,” “we,” “us,” or “our“) and our website at www.happytails.org (the “Site“). These Terms of Service are a legally binding contract between you and Happy Tails Pet Sanctuary regarding your use of this Site.

PLEASE READ THE FOLLOWING TERMS CAREFULLY. BY USING OUR SITE, YOU ACKNOWLEDGE THAT YOU HAVE READ, UNDERSTOOD, AND AGREE TO BE BOUND BY THE FOLLOWING TERMS AND CONDITIONS, INCLUDING THE HAPPY TAILS PRIVACY POLICY (TOGETHER, THE “TERMS“). If you are not eligible, or do not agree to the Terms, then you do not have our permission to use our Site.

About Us. Happy Tails Pet Sanctuary is an independent, privately funded 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that provides safe harbor for animals in need and promotes an active humane community through adoption, advocacy, and education. Our Site contains information regarding pets available for adoption, giving opportunities, volunteer and educational programs, event information, community programs, behavior, training, and other pet-related resources. Through the Site, you may access certain services we may offer from time to time, such as signing up for programs, donating to our organization, and subscribing to receive emails or other communications from us.
Eligibility. You must be at least 16 years of age to use the Site. If you are under 16, you may only use the Site with the involvement and consent of a parent or legal guardian. By agreeing to these Terms, you represent and warrant to us that: (a) you are at least 16 years of age, or you are using the Site with the involvement and consent of a parent or legal guardian; (b) you have not previously been suspended or removed from the Site; and (c) your registration and your use of the Site is in compliance with all applicable laws and regulations. If you are using the Site on behalf of an entity, organization, or company, you represent and warrant that you have the authority to bind that organization to these Terms and you agree to be bound by these Terms on behalf of that organization.
Accounts and Registration. To access certain features of the Site, you may be asked to provide personal information. For example, you may need to provide information when you make donations, sign up for educational programs, register as a volunteer, or subscribe to our email communications. When you register, you may be required to provide us with certain information about yourself, such as your name, email address, mailing address, or other contact information. You agree that the information you provide to us is accurate, current, and complete, and that you will keep it accurate and up-to-date at all times. If you create an account with login credentials, you are responsible for safeguarding your password and for all activity under your account.
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3.1 Account Deletion. You may request deletion of your account and associated personal data at any time by contacting us at purrball@happytails.org. Upon receiving your request, we will delete or anonymize your personal information in accordance with our Privacy Policy and applicable law, except where we are required to retain certain information for legal, financial, or regulatory purposes (e.g., donation records for tax compliance).
Donations. You may donate to Happy Tails Pet Sanctuary by using the “Donate” link on the Site. ALL DONATIONS ARE FINAL AND NONREFUNDABLE UNLESS THE HAPPY TAILS PET SANCTUARY DETERMINES, AT ITS SOLE DISCRETION, THAT A REFUND IS APPROPRIATE.

4.1 Use of Third-Party Payment Processors. When making a donation via the Site, your payment may be processed by a third-party payment processor. All donation payment transactions are handled directly by such third-party payment processors and not by the Happy Tails Pet Sanctuary. These third-party processors may have their own terms of service and privacy policies, which you will be subject to when using their services. We encourage you to review those terms prior to making any donation.

4.2 Recurring Donations. If you set up recurring donations, you authorize us to continue to charge your designated payment method on a recurring basis (e.g., monthly). YOU MAY CANCEL RECURRING DONATIONS AT ANY TIME BY CONTACTING US AT purrball@happytails.org. Upon receiving your cancellation request, the Happy Tails Pet Sanctuary will use reasonable efforts to update your donation preferences promptly. If you provide notice to cancel recurring donations less than 10 days prior to a scheduled charge, we may not be able to cancel that charge until the next billing cycle.

4.3 Charitable Solicitation Disclosures. The Happy Tails Pet Sanctuary is a tax-exempt 501(c)(3) organization (Tax ID: 68-0317260). Donations may be tax-deductible to the extent permitted by law. Certain states require registration prior to soliciting donations from residents of those states. The Happy Tails Pet Sanctuary complies with all applicable charitable solicitation registration requirements.
Communications

5.1 Telephone Calls. You consent to receive calls from us and our service providers, on our behalf, at any telephone number that you have provided to us to: (i) notify you regarding your account; (ii) contact you about previous or future donations; (iii) resolve a dispute; or (iv) otherwise provide our services or enforce these Terms. You are not required to provide your consent to these calls as a condition of making a donation. Standard telephone charges may apply. We may, without further notice, monitor or record telephone conversations for quality control and training purposes or to protect our rights.

5.2 Text Messages (SMS/MMS). If you opt in to receive text messages from us, you consent to receive recurring automated or pre-recorded text messages at the phone number you provide. Message frequency may vary. Message and data rates may apply. You may opt out of text messages at any time by replying “STOP” to any message or by contacting us at purrball@happytails.org. Your consent to receive text messages is not a condition of any purchase or donation.

5.3 Email Communications. By providing your email address, you may receive communications from us, including newsletters, event information, donation receipts, and organizational updates. You may unsubscribe from marketing emails at any time by clicking the “unsubscribe” link in any email or by contacting us at purrball@happytails.org. Please note that even after unsubscribing from marketing emails, we may still send you transactional or administrative communications (such as donation receipts).
User Content and Social Media

6.1 User-Submitted Content. Certain features of the Site or our social media channels may allow you to submit, post, or share content, such as photos, stories, comments, or reviews (collectively, “User Content“). By submitting User Content to or through the Happy Tails Pet Sanctuary, you grant us a non-exclusive, worldwide, royalty-free, perpetual, irrevocable license to use, reproduce, modify, display, distribute, and create derivative works of your User Content in connection with our mission, programs, and promotional activities across any media.

6.2 Social Media. The Happy Tails Pet Sanctuary may maintain a presence on third-party social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, and others. Your interactions on those platforms are governed by the respective platform’s terms of service and privacy policies. We are not responsible for the practices of third-party social media platforms.
Prohibited Conduct. BY USING THE SITE YOU AGREE NOT TO:
• use the Site for any illegal purpose or in violation of any local, state, national, or international law
• violate, or encourage others to violate, any right of a third party, including by infringing or misappropriating any third-party intellectual property right
• interfere with security-related features of the Site, including by: (a) disabling or circumventing features that prevent or limit use or copying of any content; or (b) reverse engineering or otherwise attempting to discover the source code of any portion of the Site except to the extent that the activity is expressly permitted by applicable law
• interfere with the operation of the Site or any user’s enjoyment of the Site, including by: (a) uploading or otherwise disseminating any virus, adware, spyware, worm, or other malicious code; (b) making any unsolicited offer or advertisement to another user of the Site; (c) attempting to collect personal information about another user or third party without consent; or (d) interfering with or disrupting any network, equipment, or server connected to or used to provide the Site
• use any automated system, including bots, scrapers, or crawlers, to access the Site for any purpose without our express written permission;
• perform any fraudulent activity, including impersonating any person or entity, claiming a false affiliation, or falsifying your age or date of birth; or
• sell or otherwise transfer the access granted under these Terms or any Materials or any right or ability to view, access, or use any Materials.
Third-Party Services and Linked Websites. The Happy Tails Pet Sanctuary may provide tools through the Site that enable you to export information to third-party services, including through features that allow you to link information from the Site with an account on a third-party service (such as Facebook, Instagram, or similar platforms), or through our implementation of third-party buttons (such as “like” or “share” buttons). The Happy Tails Pet Sanctuary may also engage third-party service providers to support certain aspects of the Site, including processing donations, managing communications, and hosting data. By using one of these tools, you agree that we may transfer information to the applicable third-party service. Third-party services are not under our control, and we are not responsible for any third-party service’s use of your information. The Site may also contain links to third-party websites. Linked websites are not under our control, and we are not responsible for their content.
Cookies and Tracking Technologies. The Site may use cookies, web beacons, pixels, and similar tracking technologies to improve your experience, analyze Site usage, and support our outreach efforts. Some cookies are essential for the Site to function properly, while others help us understand how visitors interact with the Site. You may manage your cookie preferences through your browser settings. For more information, please refer to our Privacy Policy.
Privacy Policy; Additional Terms
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10.1 Privacy Policy. Please read the Happy Tails Privacy Policy carefully for information relating to our collection, use, storage, and disclosure of your personal information. The Happy Tails Pet Sanctuary Privacy Policy is incorporated by this reference into, and made a part of, these Terms.

10.2 Your Privacy Rights. Depending on your jurisdiction, you may have certain rights regarding your personal information, including the right to access, correct, delete, or port your data, and the right to opt out of certain data processing activities. California residents may have additional rights under the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) and the California Privacy Rights Act (CPRA). For more information on exercising your rights, please refer to our Privacy Policy or contact us at purrball@happytails.org.

10.3 Additional Terms. Your use of the Site is subject to all additional terms, policies, rules, or guidelines applicable to the Site or certain features of the Site that we may post on or link to from the Site (the “Additional Terms“). All Additional Terms are incorporated by this reference into, and made a part of, these Terms.
Digital Millennium Copyright Act. We comply with the provisions of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act applicable to Internet service providers (17 U.S.C. §512, as amended). If you have an intellectual property rights-related complaint about material posted on the Site, you may contact our designated DMCA agent at: Happy Tails Pet Sanctuary

Attn: DMCA Agent
6001 Folsom Blvd
Sacramento CA 95819
Email: purrball@happytails.org

Any notice alleging that materials hosted by or distributed through the Site infringe intellectual property rights must include: (a) a physical or electronic signature of the copyright owner or a person authorized to act on their behalf; (b) a description of the copyrighted work claimed to have been infringed; (c) identification of the material that is claimed to be infringing and its location on the Site; (d) your contact information, including address, telephone number, and email; (e) a statement that you have a good faith belief that the use of the material is not authorized by the copyright owner; and (f) a statement, under penalty of perjury, that the information in your notice is accurate and that you are the copyright owner or authorized to act on the copyright owner’s behalf.
Modification of These Terms. We reserve the right, at our discretion, to change these Terms at any time. If we make material changes to these Terms, we will provide notice through the Site or by other reasonable means. Your continued use of the Site after the effective date of any changes constitutes your acceptance of the revised Terms. Please check these Terms periodically for changes. Disputes arising under these Terms will be resolved in accordance with the version of these Terms that was in effect at the time the dispute arose.
Ownership; Proprietary Rights. The Site is owned and operated by the Happy Tails Pet Sanctuary. The visual interfaces, graphics, design, compilation, information, data, computer code (including source code or object code), products, software, services, and all other elements of the Site (“Materials“) provided by the Happy Tails Pet Sanctuary are protected by intellectual property and other laws. All Materials included in the Site are the property of the Happy Tails Pet Sanctuary or our third-party licensors. Except as expressly authorized by the Happy Tails Pet Sanctuary, you may not make use of the Materials. The Happy Tails Pet Sanctuary reserves all rights to the Materials not granted expressly in these Terms. Nothing contained in these Terms shall grant or shall be deemed to grant to you any right, title, or interest in or to Happy Tails Pet Sanctuary’s trademarks, trade names, or service marks (“Happy Tails Marks“), all of which are retained exclusively by the Happy Tails Pet Sanctuary.
No Implied Endorsements. In no event shall any reference on this Site to any third party or third-party product or service be construed as an approval or endorsement by the Happy Tails Pet Sanctuary of that third party or of any product or service provided by a third party. Likewise, a link to any non- Happy Tails Pet Sanctuary website does not imply that we endorse or accept any responsibility for the content or use of such a website.
Feedback. If you choose to provide input and suggestions regarding problems with or proposed modifications or improvements to the Site (“Feedback“), then you hereby grant the Happy Tails Pet Sanctuary an unrestricted, perpetual, irrevocable, non-exclusive, fully-paid, royalty-free right to use the Feedback in any manner and for any purpose, including to improve the Site and create other products and services.
Indemnity. You are responsible for your use of the Site, and you will defend and indemnify the Happy Tails Pet Sanctuary and its officers, directors, employees, consultants, affiliates, subsidiaries, and agents (together, the “Happy Tails Entities“) from and against every claim, liability, damage, loss, and expense, including reasonable attorneys’ fees and costs, arising out of or in any way connected with: (a) your access to, use of, or alleged use of, the Site; (b) your violation of any portion of these Terms, any representation, warranty, or agreement referenced in these Terms, or any applicable law or regulation; (c) your violation of any third-party right, including any intellectual property right or publicity, confidentiality, other property, or privacy right; or (d) any dispute or issue between you and any third party. We reserve the right, at our own expense, to assume the exclusive defense and control of any matter otherwise subject to indemnification by you, and in that case, you agree to cooperate with our defense of that claim.
Disclaimers; No Warranties. THE SITE AND ALL MATERIALS AND CONTENT AVAILABLE THROUGH THE SITE ARE PROVIDED “AS IS” AND ON AN “AS AVAILABLE” BASIS, WITHOUT WARRANTY OR CONDITION OF ANY KIND, EITHER EXPRESS OR IMPLIED. THE HAPPY TAILS PET SANCTUARY ENTITIES DISCLAIM ALL WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, WHETHER EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, RELATING TO THE SITE AND ALL MATERIALS AND CONTENT AVAILABLE THROUGH THE SITE, INCLUDING: (A) ANY IMPLIED WARRANTY OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, TITLE, QUIET ENJOYMENT, OR NON-INFRINGEMENT; AND (B) ANY WARRANTY ARISING OUT OF COURSE OF DEALING, USAGE, OR TRADE. THE HAPPY TAILS PET SANCTUARY ENTITIES DO NOT WARRANT THAT THE SITE OR ANY PORTION OF THE SITE, OR ANY MATERIALS OR CONTENT OFFERED THROUGH THE SITE, WILL BE UNINTERRUPTED, SECURE, OR FREE OF ERRORS, VIRUSES, OR OTHER HARMFUL COMPONENTS, AND DO NOT WARRANT THAT ANY OF THOSE ISSUES WILL BE CORRECTED.

NO ADVICE OR INFORMATION, WHETHER ORAL OR WRITTEN, OBTAINED BY YOU FROM THE SITE OR ANY MATERIALS OR CONTENT AVAILABLE THROUGH THE SITE WILL CREATE ANY WARRANTY REGARDING ANY OF THE HAPPY TAILS PET SANCTUARY ENTITIES OR THE SITE THAT IS NOT EXPRESSLY STATED IN THESE TERMS. THE CONTENT ON THE SITE IS PROVIDED FOR INFORMATIONAL PURPOSES AND DOES NOT CONSTITUTE LEGAL, TAX, VETERINARY, OR MEDICAL ADVICE. YOU ASSUME ALL RISK FOR ANY DAMAGE THAT MAY RESULT FROM YOUR USE OF OR ACCESS TO THE SITE, YOUR DEALING WITH ANY OTHER SITE USER, AND ANY MATERIALS OR CONTENT AVAILABLE THROUGH THE SITE. YOU UNDERSTAND AND AGREE THAT YOU USE THE SITE AT YOUR OWN DISCRETION AND RISK, AND THAT YOU ARE SOLELY RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY DAMAGE TO YOUR PROPERTY (INCLUDING YOUR COMPUTER SYSTEM OR MOBILE DEVICE USED IN CONNECTION WITH THE SITE), OR THE LOSS OF DATA THAT RESULTS FROM THE USE OF THE SITE OR THE DOWNLOAD OR USE OF THAT MATERIAL OR CONTENT. SOME JURISDICTIONS MAY PROHIBIT A DISCLAIMER OF WARRANTIES AND YOU MAY HAVE OTHER RIGHTS THAT VARY FROM JURISDICTION TO JURISDICTION.
Limitation of Liability.  IN NO EVENT WILL THE HAPPY TAILS PET SANCTUARY ENTITIES BE LIABLE TO YOU FOR ANY INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, CONSEQUENTIAL, OR PUNITIVE DAMAGES (INCLUDING DAMAGES FOR LOSS OF PROFITS, GOODWILL, OR ANY OTHER INTANGIBLE LOSS) ARISING OUT OF OR RELATING TO YOUR ACCESS TO OR USE OF, OR YOUR INABILITY TO ACCESS OR USE, THE SITE OR ANY MATERIALS OR CONTENT ON THE SITE, WHETHER BASED ON WARRANTY, CONTRACT, TORT (INCLUDING NEGLIGENCE), STATUTE, OR ANY OTHER LEGAL THEORY, AND WHETHER OR NOT ANY HAPPY TAILS PET SANCTUARY ENTITY HAS BEEN INFORMED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF DAMAGE.

THE AGGREGATE LIABILITY OF THE HAPPY TAILS PET SANCTUARY ENTITIES TO YOU FOR ALL CLAIMS ARISING OUT OF OR RELATING TO THE USE OF OR ANY INABILITY TO USE ANY PORTION OF THE SITE OR OTHERWISE UNDER THESE TERMS, WHETHER IN CONTRACT, TORT, OR OTHERWISE, IS LIMITED TO $100.

SOME JURISDICTIONS DO NOT ALLOW THE EXCLUSION OR LIMITATION OF LIABILITY FOR CONSEQUENTIAL OR INCIDENTAL DAMAGES. ACCORDINGLY, THE ABOVE LIMITATION MAY NOT APPLY TO YOU.

EACH PROVISION OF THESE TERMS THAT PROVIDES FOR A LIMITATION OF LIABILITY, DISCLAIMER OF WARRANTIES, OR EXCLUSION OF DAMAGES IS INTENDED TO AND DOES ALLOCATE THE RISKS BETWEEN YOU AND THE HAPPY TAILS PET SANCTUARY UNDER THESE TERMS. THIS ALLOCATION IS AN ESSENTIAL ELEMENT OF THE BASIS OF THE BARGAIN BETWEEN YOU AND THE HAPPY TAILS PET SANCTUARY. EACH OF THESE PROVISIONS IS SEVERABLE AND INDEPENDENT OF ALL OTHER PROVISIONS OF THESE TERMS. THE LIMITATIONS IN THIS SECTION 18 WILL APPLY EVEN IF ANY LIMITED REMEDY FAILS OF ITS ESSENTIAL PURPOSE.
Governing Law. These Terms are governed by the laws of the State of California without regard to conflict of law principles. If a lawsuit or court proceeding is permitted under these Terms, then you and the Happy Tails Pet Sanctuary agree to submit to the personal and exclusive jurisdiction of the state courts and federal courts located within Sacramento County, California for the purpose of litigating any dispute. We operate the Site from our offices in California, and we make no representation that Materials included in the Site are appropriate or available for use in other locations.
Dispute Resolution. With respect to any and all disputes arising out of or in connection with this Site or these Terms (including our Privacy Policy), the Happy Tails Pet Sanctuary and you agree to negotiate in good faith and undertake reasonable efforts to cooperate with one another in order to achieve a mutually satisfactory resolution. If a dispute cannot be resolved through good faith negotiation within thirty (30) days, either party may pursue resolution through binding arbitration in Sacramento, California, conducted in the English language before a single arbitrator in accordance with the Commercial Dispute Resolution Procedures and the Supplementary Procedures for Consumer Related Disputes (collectively, “AAA Rules“) of the American Arbitration Association (“AAA“), as modified by these Terms. The Federal Arbitration Act shall govern the interpretation and enforcement of this arbitration provision. The AAA Rules and filing forms are available online at www.adr.org or by calling the AAA at 1-800-778-7879.

20.1 No Class Actions. YOU AND THE HAPPY TAILS PET SANCTUARY AGREE THAT EACH MAY BRING CLAIMS AGAINST THE OTHER ONLY IN YOUR OR ITS INDIVIDUAL CAPACITY AND NOT AS A PLAINTIFF OR CLASS MEMBER IN ANY PURPORTED CLASS OR REPRESENTATIVE PROCEEDING. Further, unless both you and the Happy Tails Pet Sanctuary agree otherwise, the arbitrator may not consolidate more than one person’s claims, and may not otherwise preside over any form of a representative or class proceeding.

20.2 Enforceability. If the class action waiver in Section 20.1 is found to be unenforceable, or if the entirety of this Section 20 is found to be unenforceable, then the entirety of this Section 20 will be null and void and, in that case, you and the Happy Tails Pet Sanctuary agree that the exclusive jurisdiction and venue described in Section 19 will govern any action arising out of or related to these Terms.

20.3 Injunctive Relief. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Happy Tails Pet Sanctuary is entitled to seek preliminary injunctive relief to the extent allowed by law to enforce any of the terms of these Terms.
Accessibility. The Happy Tails Pet Sanctuary is committed to ensuring that our Site is accessible to all visitors, including those with disabilities. We strive to conform to Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1, Level AA. If you experience any difficulty accessing any part of our Site, please contact us at purrball@happytails.org and we will work to provide you with the information or service you need through an alternative communication method.
Service Availability. The Happy Tails Pet Sanctuary does not guarantee that the Site will be available at all times or without interruption. The Site may be temporarily unavailable due to maintenance, updates, technical difficulties, or circumstances beyond our control. We will make reasonable efforts to minimize any disruption but shall not be liable for any unavailability of the Site.
General. These Terms, together with the Privacy Policy and any other agreements expressly incorporated by reference into these Terms, are the entire and exclusive understanding and agreement between you and the Happy Tails Pet Sanctuary regarding your use of the Site. Except as expressly permitted above, these Terms may be amended only by a written agreement signed by authorized representatives of all parties to these Terms. You may not assign or transfer these Terms or your rights under these Terms, in whole or in part, by operation of law or otherwise, without our prior written consent. We may assign these Terms at any time without notice or consent. The failure to require performance of any provision will not affect our right to require performance at any other time after that, nor will a waiver by us of any breach or default of these Terms, or any provision of these Terms, be a waiver of any subsequent breach or default or a waiver of the provision itself. Use of section headers in these Terms is for convenience only and will not have any impact on the interpretation of any provision. If any part of these Terms is held to be invalid or unenforceable, the unenforceable part will be given effect to the greatest extent possible, and the remaining parts will remain in full force and effect. Upon termination of these Terms, Sections 4, 6, and 7 through 23, along with the Privacy Policy and any other accompanying agreements, will survive.
Consent to Electronic Communications. By using the Site, you consent to receiving certain electronic communications from us as further described in our Privacy Policy. Please read our Privacy Policy to learn more about our electronic communications practices. You agree that any notices, agreements, disclosures, or other communications that we send to you electronically will satisfy any legal communication requirements, including that those communications be in writing.
Contact Information. The Site is offered by the Happy Tails Pet Sanctuary located at 6001 Folsom Blvd, Sacramento, CA 95819. You may contact us by sending correspondence to that address or by emailing us at purrball@happytails.org. You may also reach us by phone at (916)497-8989.