Inclusion Policy

  • The Sniffspot community is committed to making the world a more dog-friendly place for everyone. This commitment rests on two foundational principles that apply both to Sniffspot’s hosts and guests: inclusion and respect. Our shared commitment to these principles enables all community members to feel welcome on the Sniffspot platform no matter their breed of dog, who they are, where they come from, how they worship, or whom they love. We can't achieve our mission without inclusion and respect. 

    We are all committed to doing everything we can to help eliminate all forms of discrimination and intolerance from our community. We want to promote a culture within the Sniffspot community—hosts, guests, and people just considering whether to use our platform—that goes above and beyond mere compliance. To that end, all of us, Sniffspot employees, hosts, and guests alike, agree to read and act per the following policy to strengthen our community and realize our mission of making the world a more dog-friendly place for everyone.

    • Inclusion – Joining Sniffspot as a host or guest means becoming part of a community of inclusion. Bias, prejudice, racism, and hatred have no place on our platform or in our community. While hosts are required to follow all applicable laws that prohibit discrimination based on such factors as race, religion, national origin, and others listed below, we commit to doing more than comply with the minimum requirements established by law.

    • Respect – We are respectful of each other in our interactions and encounters. Sniffspot’s members bring to our community an incredible diversity of background experiences, beliefs, and customs. By connecting people from different backgrounds, Sniffspot fosters greater understanding and appreciation for the common characteristics shared by all human beings and undermines prejudice rooted in misconception, misinformation, or misunderstanding.

      We have a zero-tolerance policy against discrimination. 

      We are committed to removing any discriminatory content that violates this policy. This includes the content found within listing descriptions, trip reviews, photos, Sniffspot messages, and more. Similarly, we are committed to addressing any behavior that violates this policy. Hosts or guests engaging in this behavior will be subject to temporary or permanent removal from Sniffspot (see below for more details). 

      Language, symbolism, behavior, and other acts we consider discriminatory include but is not limited to: 

    • Discriminating against, threatening, or insulting individuals or groups based on race, gender identity, sexual orientation, ability, political views, religion, national origin, or culture
    • Using derogatory terms, racial slurs, or code words, including but not limited to “the n-word,” “thug,” “whore,” “libtard,” “f*g,” “junkie,” “slut,” and “tweaker.” These words are unacceptable, no matter the context. Other words can be considered derogatory when used in a certain context.
    • Displaying hate symbols including flags, codes, phrases, emblems, and others (e.g., Confederate battle flag, Swastika, ACAB, “≠” etc.) that are used for hateful purposes or could be considered hateful or discriminatory to certain groups. 
    • Showing or eliciting support for hate groups or people promoting hateful activities
    • Suggesting, showing, threatening, or glorifying the use of violence — even jokingly — against an individual or a group of individuals 
    • Committing microaggressions: verbal, behavioral, and environmental indignities that communicate hostile, derogatory, or negative racial slights or insults to a person or group

    • Displaying ornamentation, decoration, or memorabilia that are generally considered racist or discriminatory or elicit feelings of discrimination (e.g., lawn jockeys)

      Hosts are NOT allowed to do any of the following:

    • Dog breed
      • Decline a booking based on dog breed. A host may provide factually accurate information about the spot’s features (or lack thereof) that may make the spot unsafe or unsuitable for certain breeds.
      • Impose any different terms or conditions based on dog breed
      • The only exception to this policy is when breed-specific laws require discrimination
    • Race, Color, Ethnicity, National Origin, Religion, Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity, or Marital Status
      • Decline a booking based on race, color, ethnicity, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, or marital status.
      • Impose any different terms or conditions based on race, color, ethnicity, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, or marital status.
      • Post any listing or make any statement that discourages or indicates a preference for or against any guest on account of race, color, ethnicity, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, or marital status.
    • Age and Familial Status
      • Impose any different terms or conditions or decline a reservation based on the guest’s age or familial status. The host may provide factual information about a spot's features (or lack thereof) that could make a spot unsafe or unsuitable for certain ages or families. The exception for this is minors - hosts may set rules that do not allow minors.
    • Disability
      • Decline a guest based on any actual or perceived disability. A host may provide factually accurate information about the spot’s accessibility features (or lack of them), allowing for guests with disabilities to assess for themselves whether the spot is appropriate to their individual needs.
      • Impose any different terms or conditions based on the fact that the guest has a disability.
      • Substitute their own judgment about whether a spot meets a guest's needs with a disability for that of the prospective guest.
      • Inquire about the existence or severity of a guest’s disability or the means used to accommodate any disability. If a potential guest raises their disability, a host may, and should, discuss with the potential guest whether the listing meets the potential guest’s needs.

      • Post any listing or make any statement that discourages or indicates a preference for or against any guest because the guest has a disability.

        What happens when a Host or Guest does not uphold this agreement

        We leverage a combination of technology, the judgment of our Hosts and Guests, and our operations teams to report and remove content, address hateful behavior, and discipline Hosts or Guests who discriminate or generally make others feel unsafe or disrespected. We follow the following process when instances of potential discrimination are discovered:

    • First, we debrief with the reporting person to fully understand the situation and assign a point of contact to manage the investigation. This point of contact will be available throughout this process.
    • We then investigate the reported person in line with our internal processes. We may schedule a call with them to ask follow-up questions to ensure we fully understand their perspective. We then share the impact that their behavior or words had on the person who raised this concern, regardless of their intent. We listen and discern whether the reported party understands and reflects on their impact and whether they are committed to doing better in the future. We direct them to additional resources so they can learn from this experience as needed.
    • Measuring against Sniffspot’s mission, our inclusion policy, and Guest’s review of the Host’s inclusivity (when applicable), we determine if the Host or Guest's behavior, language, or actions violate our agreement to foster a hate-free environment. Alongside the severity of the situation, we consider the reported person’s understanding of the impact of their actions and their commitment to doing better in the future. We then provide clear, actionable feedback about meeting our expectations for a hate-free environment, temporarily suspending them from participating on Sniffspot or permanently removing them from Sniffspot.
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