Terms of Service

Last updated: June 2026 · Salt Lake City pilot

Plain English first. These are the rules for using Houndtrust during our Salt Lake City pilot. We've kept them short and readable. By submitting an intake form, booking a stay, or applying as a sitter, you agree to them.

1. Who we are

Houndtrust is a small, founder-operated dog sitting and pet care service piloting in Salt Lake City, Utah. We match pet owners with hand-vetted local sitters and back every booking with a real insurance policy.

2. Who can use Houndtrust

You must be 18 or older. You must live in or be visiting our active service area to book a sitter. You must be the legal owner or authorized caretaker of any pet you book care for.

3. The relationship between you and us

Houndtrust is the platform. Sitters on our network are independent contractors, not employees. We vet sitters carefully and we stand behind every stay through our Guarantee, but we are not the legal owners of the homes where stays occur and we are not the pet's veterinarian.

4. Pet owner responsibilities

Provide accurate, honest information on the intake form, including vaccinations, medical history, and behavior — including any history of bites, escapes, or reactivity.
Attend the in-person meet & greet. No stays without one.
Make sure your dog's vaccinations are current and provide proof.
Pay for the booking at the time it is confirmed.
Pick up your dog at the agreed time, or arrange an extension in advance.
Tell us on the intake form whether you authorize emergency veterinary care, and set a spending limit if you do. If you don't authorize it, we will always try to reach you before care decisions are made — which can delay treatment in an emergency.

5. Sitter responsibilities

Provide accurate information during application and consent to a background check.
Follow the care instructions on each dog's intake form.
Communicate proactively with the owner and Houndtrust about anything unusual.
Notify Houndtrust immediately of any incident — injury, escape, property damage, behavioral concern.
Not subcontract care to anyone we have not vetted.

6. Payment, cancellation, and refunds

Payment

Booking fees are charged when the meet & greet succeeds and the stay is confirmed. Sitters are paid after the stay completes, minus our small platform fee.

Cancellation

More than 72 hours before the stay: full refund.
24–72 hours before: 50% refund.
Less than 24 hours: no refund, but the sitter is paid.
If the sitter cancels for any reason, you receive a full refund and we'll try to match you with a backup sitter.

7. The Guarantee

Every booking is backed by a real, named insurance policy, as described on The Guarantee page. The Guarantee page is part of these terms. The full policy document is shared before your first booking.

8. Prohibited conduct

Misrepresenting your dog's health or behavior history.
Booking or sitting off-platform after meeting through Houndtrust. Doing so voids the Guarantee and forfeits our service.
Harassment of sitters, owners, or staff.
Any illegal activity.

9. Suspension and termination

We can suspend or stop providing service to anyone who breaks these terms, harms a dog or person, falsifies information, or otherwise undermines the trust the platform depends on.

10. Disclaimers and limitation of liability

Please read. Houndtrust does its best to vet sitters and back stays with real insurance — but no platform can eliminate every risk. To the maximum extent allowed by law:

Houndtrust provides the service "as is" without warranties of any kind beyond those given in these Terms and the Guarantee.
Houndtrust is not liable for losses that exceed the limits of our insurance policy in effect at the time of the booking.
Houndtrust is not liable for issues caused by inaccurate information you provided, by you skipping the meet & greet, or by off-platform bookings.
Nothing in these Terms limits liability for fraud, gross negligence, or anything else that can't legally be limited.

11. Governing law

These Terms are governed by the laws of the State of Utah, USA. Any dispute will be resolved in the courts of Salt Lake County, Utah.

12. Changes to these terms

If we change these Terms in a material way, we'll post the new version here with an updated date and notify anyone with an active booking or application.

13. Contact

Questions about these Terms? Reach us via our contact page.

A note on these terms. This is the working pilot version, written in plain English. Before we open to bookings at scale, we'll have them reviewed by counsel and expand them as needed.