Terms of Service
Organization: Pennsylvania Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (PSPCA)
Welcome to the website of the Pennsylvania Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (“PSPCA,” “we,” “our,” or “us”). By accessing or using our website, you agree to comply with and be bound by the following Terms of Service (“Terms”). If you do not agree to these Terms, please do not use our website. Your use of this site is also governed by our Privacy Policy, which describes how we collect and handle information submitted through our website.
1. Intellectual Property Rights
All content displayed on this website, including but not limited to text, graphics, logos, photographs of animals, software, and marketing materials, is the property of the PSPCA or its content suppliers and is protected by United States and international copyright, trademark, and intellectual property laws. You may view and print portions of this site solely for personal, non-commercial informational use. Any other use, including reproduction, modification, distribution, or scraping of content without prior written permission from the PSPCA, is strictly prohibited.
2. User Conduct and Acceptable Use
By using our website and any of its interactive forms — including but not limited to contact, volunteer, career, adoption, foster, surrender, appointment scheduling, and cruelty reporting forms — you agree that you will not:
- Post or transmit any fraudulent, false, defamatory, or intentionally misleading information, including on adoption, foster, or surrender applications.
- Use our “Report Animal Cruelty” form to submit malicious, prank, or knowingly fabricated accusations against individuals or entities.
- Attempt to bypass website security frameworks, flood our database with automated spam (via bots), or introduce viruses or harmful code to our hosting infrastructure.
- Use any automated data collection or harvesting tools on our domain.
The PSPCA reserves the right to restrict or terminate your access to the website or block your IP address if you violate these acceptable use rules.
3. Online Donations and Financial Transactions
All online financial transactions and donations initiated on our website are securely handled by our third-party processing partner, Blackbaud Merchant Services.
By submitting a donation, you warrant that you are authorized to use the designated payment method.
All charitable donations made to the PSPCA are final and non-refundable unless a clear technical error occurred during processing, in which case you must contact our development department immediately.
Donations are tax-deductible to the fullest extent permitted by United States law. Please consult your tax professional regarding your individual financial situation.
4. Animal Adoption, Foster, and Appointment Information Disclaimer
While we strive to keep our website updated with accurate records regarding animals available for adoption or foster, events, and location hours, all website information is provided on an “as-is” and “as-available” basis. The PSPCA does not guarantee that a specific animal featured on the website will be available for adoption or foster at the time of your visit. Visual representations, age estimations, and behavioral notes of animals are informational guidelines and do not constitute binding warranties.
Similarly, appointment scheduling tools on our website — including those for veterinary or spay/neuter services — reflect availability at the time of submission. Requested appointment times are not guaranteed until confirmed by PSPCA staff, and availability is subject to change.
5. Third-Party Links and Integrations
Our website features embedded features and links to third-party tools (such as Blackbaud systems and Weglot translation services) for user convenience. The PSPCA does not control, endorse, or assume responsibility for the content, privacy policies, or operational practices of any third-party websites or services. Your interactions with these tools are subject to their respective terms and conditions.
6. Limitation of Liability
To the maximum extent permitted by applicable law, the PSPCA, its directors, officers, employees, and web hosting providers (including Kinsta) shall not be liable for any direct, indirect, incidental, consequential, or punitive damages arising out of your access to, use of, or inability to use this website. This includes, but is not limited to, system downtimes, server errors, data loss, or damages caused by computer viruses or malware acquired through the site.
7. Indemnification
You agree to indemnify, defend, and hold harmless the PSPCA, its directors, officers, employees, and agents from and against any claims, liabilities, damages, losses, and expenses, including reasonable attorneys’ fees, arising out of or in any way connected with your misuse of the website, your violation of these Terms, or your submission of false or fraudulent information through any of our website forms.
8. Governing Law and Jurisdiction
These Terms of Service are governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, without regard to its conflict of law principles. Any legal action or proceeding arising out of or relating to these Terms must be brought exclusively in a state or federal court located in Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania.
9. Severability
If any provision of these Terms is found to be unenforceable or invalid under applicable law, that provision will be limited or eliminated to the minimum extent necessary so that the remaining provisions of these Terms will otherwise remain in full force and effect.
10. Changes to These Terms
The PSPCA reserves the right to modify or update these Terms of Service at any time without prior notice. Any changes will become effective immediately upon posting to this page. Your continued use of the site following the posting of modifications indicates your acceptance of the updated Terms.
