Privacy Policy

1. Important AI, Medical, and Emergency Disclosures

Shared Leash provides access to an artificial intelligence (“AI”) conversational system, sometimes referred to as a chatbot. Responses are generated automatically by software models and are not reviewed by licensed medical professionals, mental health professionals, veterinarians, crisis counselors, or other human professionals before being delivered to users. AI-generated responses may be inaccurate, incomplete, delayed, inappropriate, misleading, emotionally ineffective, or inconsistent.

Users should not rely on the Service for medical advice, mental health treatment, diagnosis, crisis intervention, emergency assistance, veterinary advice, or any professional services. Shared Leash does not provide medical care, mental health treatment, psychiatric services, counseling, psychotherapy, crisis intervention, suicide prevention services, veterinary treatment, or any form of healthcare or professional therapy.

No interaction with Shared Leash creates a doctor-patient relationship, therapist-client relationship, counselor-client relationship, fiduciary relationship, or any other professional relationship. Shared Leash is not monitored for emergencies or crisis situations.

If a user is experiencing thoughts of self-harm, suicide, harming others, emotional crisis, medical emergency, or believes they may be in danger, the user should not rely on the Service. Users should immediately:

• Call 911 or applicable local emergency services;
• Contact the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline;
• Contact a licensed mental health professional;
• Contact a qualified medical professional; or
• Seek assistance from trusted family members, friends, or local crisis-support resources.

Persons located outside the United States who utilize the Service should contact applicable local emergency or crisis-support services in their jurisdiction.

2. Who We Are

Shared Leash is a pet grief support platform operated as an independent service that provides AI-assisted conversational companionship and general emotional-support interaction relating to pet loss and grief experiences. The Service is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, monitor, or prevent any medical, psychological, psychiatric, or veterinary condition.

3. Eligibility

The Service is intended only for individuals who are at least 18 years old. However, users between the ages of 13 and 17 may use the Service with parental or guardian consent. For users who are at least 18 years old, the users represent and warrant that:

• They are at least 18 years old;
• They have the legal capacity to enter into binding agreements; and
• Their use of the Service complies with applicable law.

For users who are between 13 and 17 years of age, the user and the user’s consenting parent or legal guardian represent and warrant that:

• The user is between the ages of 13 and 17 years old;
• The parent or legal guardian has reviewed and agrees to this Privacy Policy and the Terms of Service, and consents to the minor user’s access to and use of the Service;
• The parent or legal guardian understands that the Service utilizes artificial intelligence, is not monitored in real time, and does not provide therapy, counseling, crisis intervention, suicide prevention services, veterinary care, or medical treatment of any kind;
• The parent or legal guardian accepts responsibility for the minor user’s use of the Service and consents to the collection, processing, storage, and use of the minor user’s information as described in this Privacy Policy; and
• The parent or legal guardian is responsible for supervising the minor user’s interactions with the Service.

Shared Leash does not knowingly permit children under the age of 13 to use the Service or knowingly collect personal information from children under 13 years of age. If you believe a child under 13 has registered, please contact us immediately. If Shared Leash becomes aware that personal information has been provided by a minor, under the age of 13 or without necessary parental or guardian consent, Shared Leash will delete the information and may terminate any associated accounts.

4. Information We Collect

Information Provided by Users

Shared Leash may collect information voluntarily provided by users, including:

• Name;
• Email address;
• City, state, and country;
• Account credentials;
• Communications with Shared Leash;
• Conversation content;
• Uploaded memorial information; and
• Information submitted through forms or support requests.

Conversation Data

When users interact with the Service, Shared Leash may collect and store:

• User messages;
• AI-generated responses;
• Session timestamps;
• Session identifiers;
• Usage metadata; and
• Technical interaction logs.

Automatically Collected Information

Like most online services, Shared Leash automatically collects certain technical and usage information when users access the Service, including:

• IP address;
• Device identifiers;
• Browser type;
• Operating system;
• Access times;
• Pages visited;
• Referral URLs;
• Cookie identifiers; and
• Diagnostic and analytics information.

This information is used for purposes such as platform functionality, security, abuse prevention, analytics, troubleshooting, and service improvement.

Cookies and Similar Technologies

Shared Leash may use cookies, analytics technologies, and similar tools to:

• Maintain session functionality;
• Authenticate users;
• Improve platform performance;
• Understand general usage patterns;
• Detect abuse or fraud; and
• Support security and operational functionality.

Users may modify browser settings to limit cookies, although portions of the Service may not function properly as a result.

5. Sensitive Information Warning

Users should not submit highly sensitive personal information through the Service including, but not limited to, the following:

• Social Security numbers;
• Financial account information;
• Government-issued identification numbers;
• Insurance information;
• Passwords;
• Detailed medical records;
• Biometric data;
• Protected Health Information (“PHI”);
• Information regarding your pet beyond what you choose to share; or
• Other highly sensitive confidential information.

Shared Leash is not a healthcare provider, health plan, healthcare clearinghouse, licensed counseling service, or covered entity under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (“HIPAA”). The Service is not designed for the storage or processing of Protected Health Information (“PHI”).

6. How We Use Information

Shared Leash may use collected information for purposes including:

• Providing and operating the Service;
• Maintaining user accounts and authentication;
• Generating AI responses;
• Maintaining conversation history;
• Improving platform functionality and user experience;
• Detecting fraud, abuse, spam, or harmful activity;
• Protecting users and platform security;
• Conducting analytics and performance monitoring;
• Enforcing applicable terms and policies;
• Complying with legal obligations;
• Communicating with users regarding the Service; and
• To comply with applicable laws and regulations.

Shared Leash may use de-identified and aggregated information for analytics, operational insights, system improvement, abuse detection, safety-related purposes, and general business operations.

Shared Leash does not use collected information for any of the following purposes:

• Shared Leash does not sell personal information to third-party advertisers or data brokers.
• Shared Leash does not use user conversation content to train proprietary AI models unless a user affirmatively opts in through a separate and explicit consent process.
• Shared Leash does not share user conversation content with advertisers, data brokers, or marketing companies.
• Shared Leash does not use user information for targeted advertising.
• Shared Leash does not share your information with employers, insurers, or government agencies, except as required by law.

Shared Leash may also review limited conversation data for debugging, quality assurance, abuse detection, safety-related review, and maintenance of the Service. Additionally, users consent to receiving electronic communications from Shared Leash relating to the Service, including notices, disclosures, updates, and account-related communications.

7. AI Processing and Third-Party Providers

User messages and content may be processed by third-party AI providers to generate responses and operate platform functionality. Third-party providers may process information pursuant to their own privacy policies, security procedures, and legal obligations. Shared Leash currently utilizes third-party infrastructure and AI providers, which may include Anthropic, cloud-hosting providers, analytics providers, email-delivery providers, and related technology vendors. By using the Service, users understand and consent to the processing of information by such third-party providers as reasonably necessary to operate the Service. These third-party providers may have their own privacy policies that may be applicable to users.

Shared Leash’s conversational AI is powered by Anthropic’s Claude API. Messages you send are processed by Anthropic’s systems to generate responses. Anthropic’s API usage policies prohibit the use of API data for model training by default. You can review Anthropic’s privacy policy at anthropic.com/privacy.

8. Safety Monitoring and Content Review

Although Shared Leash does not routinely monitor conversations in real time and does not guarantee human review, intervention, escalation, or response to any user content or communications. Nevertheless, Shared Leash reserves the right to review, monitor, preserve, flag, disclose, or remove content when reasonably necessary to:

• Maintain platform safety;
• Investigate abuse, fraud, harassment, unlawful activity, or threats;
• Protect users or third parties;
• Enforce applicable policies and agreements;
• Respond to subpoenas, court orders, or lawful governmental requests;
• Comply with applicable law; or
• Address credible threats of self-harm, violence, or harm to others.

Shared Leash makes no guarantee that harmful, dangerous, suicidal, abusive, unlawful, or otherwise objectionable content will be detected, reviewed, escalated, or acted upon. The Service is not monitored continuously and should not be relied upon for emergency response, crisis intervention, or user safety monitoring.

9. Disclosure of Information

Shared Leash may disclose information:

• To service providers, contractors, and technology vendors;
• To AI processing and infrastructure providers;
• To analytics, hosting, and email-delivery providers;
• To comply with applicable law, regulations, subpoenas, court orders, or governmental requests;
• To protect the rights, safety, property, or security of Shared Leash, users, or third parties;
• In connection with mergers, acquisitions, financing transactions, reorganizations, bankruptcy, or the transfer of asset, stock, or memberships; or
• With user consent or at user direction.

Shared Leash does not share conversation content with advertisers, data brokers, or marketing companies for advertising purposes.

10. Data Retention

Shared Leash retains information for as long as reasonably necessary to:

• Provide and maintain the Service;
• Maintain user accounts;
• Investigate potential violations;
• Comply with legal obligations;
• Resolve disputes;
• Enforce agreements and policies;
• Detect abuse, fraud, or security incidents;
• Protect rights, safety, and security; and
• Maintain backup and disaster-recovery systems.

Users may request deletion of their accounts and associated information by contacting Shared Leash using the contact information below. Although Shared Leash will make commercially reasonable efforts to honor deletion requests, certain information may be retained for reasonable periods where necessary to:

• Comply with legal obligations;
• Resolve disputes;
• Enforce agreements;
• Detect abuse or fraud;
• Maintain security backups; or
• Protect the integrity and security of the Service.

Deletion from backup systems and archived storage may not occur immediately.

11. Security

Shared Leash implements commercially reasonable administrative, technical, and organizational safeguards designed to protect user information. Such safeguards may include encryption, access controls, authentication measures, logging systems, monitoring tools, and other security practices designed to reduce unauthorized access, disclosure, misuse, or loss of information. Although Shared Leash implements commercially reasonable safeguards designed to protect information, no method of electronic transmission or storage is completely secure, and Shared Leash cannot guarantee absolute security. Users transmit information to the Service at their own risk.

THE SERVICE AND ALL RELATED DATA PROCESSING ARE PROVIDED “AS IS” AND “AS AVAILABLE.”

12. International Users

The Service is operated in the United States. Users may not access or use the Service in violation of U.S. export-control or sanctions laws. By accessing or using the Service, users understand and consent to the transfer, processing, storage, and use of information in the United States and other jurisdictions where Shared Leash or its service providers operate. Such jurisdictions may have privacy and data protection laws that differ from those in a user’s location. Where applicable, Shared Leash may rely on legal bases for processing information that include:

• User consent;
• Legitimate business interests;
• Performance of contractual obligations; and
• Compliance with legal obligations.

13. Privacy Rights

Depending on applicable law and jurisdiction, users may have rights regarding their personal information, including rights to:

• Access personal information;
• Request a copy of the personal data we hold on you;
• Correct inaccurate information;
• Request deletion of personal information;
• Obtain portability of certain information;
• Object to or restrict certain processing activities; and
• Withdraw consent where processing is based on consent.

Certain jurisdictions may provide additional privacy rights under applicable law, including rights relating to access, correction, deletion, portability, and opt-out rights. Users may exercise applicable rights by contacting Shared Leash using the contact information below. Shared Leash will not discriminate against users for exercising applicable privacy rights under law.

14. Third-Party Links and Services

The Service may contain links to third-party websites, services, applications, or resources that are not controlled by Shared Leash. Shared Leash is not responsible for the privacy practices, security measures, content, or policies of third-party services. Users should review the applicable privacy policies and terms of any third-party services they access.

15. Changes to This Policy

Shared Leash may update or modify this Privacy Policy from time to time. Updated versions will be posted on the Shared Leash website with a revised “Last Updated” date. Continued use of the Service following the effective date of any updated Privacy Policy constitutes acceptance of the revised Policy. Where required by applicable law, Shared Leash may provide additional notice regarding material changes.

16. Terms of Service

Use of the Service is also governed by the Shared Leash Terms of Service, including applicable waivers, disclaimers, limitations of liability, dispute-resolution procedures, and jurisdiction and venue provisions. To the extent any dispute relating to this Privacy Policy or the Service is permitted to proceed in court, such dispute shall be governed, to the maximum extent possible, by the laws of the State of Ohio, and applicable federal laws of the United States, and the exclusive jurisdiction and venue shall lie in the state and federal courts located in Cleveland, Ohio. Users acknowledge and agree that they are subject to the exclusive jurisdiction and venue of such courts and waive any challenges the same. In the event of a conflict between this Privacy Policy and the Terms of Service, the Terms of Service shall control to the maximum extent permitted by law. Like this Privacy Policy, Shared Leash may update or modify its Terms of Service from time to time. Shared Leash will post such updated version on its website with a revised “Last Updated” date. Continued use of the Service following the effective date of any updated Terms of Service constitutes acceptance of the revised version. Where required by applicable law, Shared Leash may provide additional notice regarding material changes.

17. Contact Information

If you have questions about this Privacy Policy, want to exercise your rights, or have concerns about how your data is being used, stored, or handled, please contact us:

Shared Leash built this platform because pet loss is real grief and deserves real support. Your trust is the foundation of everything we do here. We take that seriously.