1. Create an account and finish onboarding

1. Tap Sign in, then create an account with your email or Google.
2. Answer the age question honestly.
3. Read and accept the current policies and the three safety statements. Nothing is pre-ticked.
4. Choose a display name and username (these are public), then pick an avatar.

2. Age and parent requirement

You must be 13 or older to use PawQuest on your own.

Children under 13 can only take part through a parent or legal guardian (18+, same household) who completes a verified parental-consent process. That process isn't available yet, so under-13 accounts stay paused and PawQuest collects no profile, location or photos from them.

3. Accepting policies, and when they change

You accept the Terms, Privacy Policy, Community Guidelines and Safety Disclosure during sign-up.

If we make an important change, you'll see a banner asking you to review it. Until you accept, you can still browse, read messages and use your account pages, but you can't post or send messages. Minor wording updates don't interrupt you.

4. Your profile and privacy settings

1. Open Profile to edit your name, bio and avatar. Uploaded photos are checked for safety before others can see them.
2. Use the privacy controls on Profile to choose whether you appear in people search and community leaderboards.
3. Privacy & Data shows which policy versions you accepted and lets you request account deletion.

• Never put your home address, phone number, school or daily routine in your profile.

5. PawMap basics

PawMap shows recent cat and dog sightings, missing pets and PawStops (pet-friendly places such as parks, vets and shelters). Use the filter tabs to choose what you see.

Tap a pin, or an item in the list under the map, to see its details. The map moves so the pin stays in view. Numbers in circles are groups of nearby pins — tap to zoom in.

Sightings and missing pets are shown at an approximate location on purpose, so nobody's exact home or route is revealed. Map and place details come from OpenStreetMap and may be incomplete or out of date.

6. Report a sighting

1. Tap the camera button in the bottom bar.
2. Add a clear photo of the animal (one animal, no people or house numbers if you can avoid it).
3. Confirm the approximate area and add short notes: what it looked like, which way it went, how it behaved.
4. Submit. Text and photos are safety-checked; your sighting may also be compared with missing-pet reports by PetMatch.

• Sightings are public. Don't follow, corner or try to catch an unfamiliar animal.

7. Report a missing pet

1. Go to Missing in the bottom bar and start a new report.
2. Add your pet's name, species, photos and distinguishing marks.
3. Set the last-seen area. The public map shows only an approximate area, never your exact address.
4. Add safety notes (for example "shy, don't chase") and submit.
5. People who turned on nearby alerts for that area may get one notification about your pet.

• Also contact local shelters, animal control and vets — PawQuest is one tool, not a replacement.

8. PetMatch and Reunion Radar

PetMatch uses AI to compare sighting photos and details with missing-pet reports. Reunion Radar is where an owner reviews these possible leads and the reasons behind each one.

A match is a possible lead only. It is not proof that it's the same animal or who owns it. Always check in person, safely, and verify with microchips, vets or shelters.

9. Reunion Hero

1. When your pet is home, open the missing-pet report and mark it reunited.
2. Choose the helper whose sighting led you home, if any — they get Reunion Hero credit (a badge and Paw Points), once per pet.
3. Optionally share a public reunion card. Sharing is off unless you turn it on.

10. Friends and leaderboards

Search for people (if they allow it), send friend requests and see friends' weekly and all-time leaderboards. Weekly scores reset every Monday (UTC). Community leaderboards are opt-in.

11. Paw Packs

Packs are small groups with shared goals, a weekly Pack score and a Pack chat. Join with an invite. Creating a Pack requires Pack Leader status, which you earn when friends you invite finish onboarding and earn their first Paw Point.

12. Messaging

You can message accepted friends directly, and every Pack has one group chat for its members. Blocking someone hides them and stops messages both ways.

Messages are safety-checked before they're delivered. If one is held, only you see it with a short reason, and you can ask for a review. Report a message from its menu.

13. Notifications and Web Push

The bell shows friend requests, Pack activity, matches, reunions and more. In notification settings you can turn types on or off, mute Packs or conversations, turn on browser push notifications, and set an approximate nearby-alert area for missing pets.

14. Paw Points, badges and rewards

You earn Paw Points and badges for helpful activity such as sightings, quests and reunions. They have no cash value, can't be sold or redeemed for money, and may be corrected or changed. Spend them on fun items for your Virtual Buddy, who is fictional, not a real animal.

15. Rescue Partners and adoptable animals

Browse rescues and shelters and the adoptable animals they list. Listings come from the organizations or public sources and aren't endorsements. Adoptions and fees are between you and the organization.

16. Claim or manage a rescue

Nonprofit and public animal-welfare groups can claim or create a profile for free. See Help for Rescues for the full walkthrough.

17. PetMatch consent for rescue animals

Adoptable animals are only included in PetMatch if the rescue's owner or admin turns it on. It's off until they choose.

18. Account safety, moderation and appeals

Content is checked by automated tools plus people. Minor problems get a "please fix" message with no penalty. Serious content is hidden pending review. Strikes only count after a person confirms them, and they expire after 90 days. You can always ask for a review.

19. Privacy & Data and account deletion

Request account deletion from Privacy & Data. It's a request we review, not an instant wipe, and some records may be kept where the law allows or requires (for example safety, fraud or legal reasons). If you're a rescue's only owner, transfer ownership first.

20. Help, report, block and emergencies

Use Report on any post, message or profile, and Block to stop contact. For an intimate image shared without consent, use the urgent report page.

PawQuest is not an emergency service. If a person or animal is in danger, call 911 (or your local emergency number), animal control or a vet.