Visit petguru.co.za and click "Register" in the top navigation. You'll need a valid email address and a password to sign up. Alternatively, you can register instantly using your Google account for a faster sign-up experience. After registering, you'll receive a verification email. Click the link to activate your account.

PetGuru supports a wide range of account types to cater for every corner of the South African pet community:

• Pet Owner: browse, adopt, buy, and build a social profile for your pet
• Breeder: list puppies and kittens for sale, showcase your breeding programme
• Shelter / Rescue: list pets for adoption completely free of charge
• Veterinarian: appear in our professional directory and reach pet owners in your area
• Emergency Vet: be listed as an after-hours emergency clinic
• Groomer: promote your grooming services to local pet owners
• Trainer: offer dog training and behavioural services
• Pet Sitter: advertise pet-sitting availability
• Dog Walker: list your dog walking services
• Pet Store: feature your shop in the Pet Stores directory
• Dog-Friendly Restaurant: let pet owners know they're welcome
• Dog Hotel: list your boarding and accommodation services
• eCommerce Store: sell pet products through our online shop

You can add additional services to your account at any time. For example, a vet can also offer grooming by adding the Groomer service.

After registration, you'll go through a short onboarding process where you:

1. Choose your account type (Pet Owner, Breeder, Shelter, etc.)
2. Fill in your profile details (name, location, bio, profile photo)
3. Verify your phone number via SMS
4. Upload verification documents if you're a professional

Onboarding ensures every user on PetGuru is genuine, which keeps our community safe and trustworthy. You won't be able to access your dashboard, create listings, or interact with the community until onboarding is complete.

During onboarding, you'll be asked to verify your South African mobile number. We send a one-time PIN via SMS. Enter the code on the verification screen and you're done. Phone verification adds an extra layer of trust and helps prevent fake accounts. The SMS is delivered within seconds, but if you don't receive it, you can request a new code after a short cooldown.

Yes! Click the "Sign in with Google" button on the login or registration page. If it's your first time, a PetGuru account will be created automatically using your Google profile details. If you already have a PetGuru account linked to that email, you'll be logged in directly.

Yes. Email verification is required to access most features on PetGuru. After registering, check your inbox (and spam folder) for the verification email and click the link inside. If you registered via Google, your email is verified automatically.

Head to our Listings page to browse all available pets. You can search by keyword and filter by:

• Listing type: for sale or for adoption
• Species: dogs, cats, birds, reptiles, small animals, and more
• Breed: search for a specific breed
• Location & Province: find pets near you
• Price range: set your budget

You can also check the Featured Pets section on the homepage for handpicked highlights.

On any listing page, click "Enquire" to send the seller a message directly through PetGuru. You can also click "Show Phone Number" to reveal their contact details. You must be logged in to make an enquiry.

When you enquire about a pet, you'll be asked to complete a short questionnaire so the seller can assess whether you'd be a good match. This includes questions about:

• Your property type and whether you have a garden
• Your household composition (kids, other pets)
• Your experience with pets
• Your work schedule and how long the pet would be alone
• Your exercise and care plans
• Whether you have a veterinary reference
• Agreement to home checks and return policies

This process protects both the buyer and the pet, ensuring responsible rehoming.

Breeders can complete our Trust Engine verification. We validate their SA ID number and store only a one-way hash of it (no photo of an ID needed), check breeding registrations (KUSA, SABBS, CFSA) and business addresses, confirm they control the business they claim, and can verify their animals through their own vet, who can confirm a microchip in one click, backed by collision detection that flags the same chip number appearing on more than one account or listing. Each badge names the specific thing we confirmed, so tap it on a profile or listing to see exactly what was checked. A badge is a point-in-time check, not a guarantee of any sale.

Verification is a ladder of five levels, climbed at your own pace from your dashboard's Verification Centre:

1. 1. Contact confirmed
2. 2. ID number on file
3. 3. Credentials confirmed
4. 4. Independently corroborated
5. 5. Photo ID confirmed

Every level beyond your trade's own paperwork is optional. Your current level and the badges naming each passed check are shown to buyers on your profile and listings — see How Verification Works for what each check proves.

Absolutely. Click the heart icon on any listing to add it to your Favourites. You can view all your saved listings from the "Favourites" page in your dashboard. Favourites are private; only you can see them.

There are three listing types, and who may post each one is different:

• For Sale: puppies, kittens and other animals with a listed price, posted only by verified breeders.
• Adoption: animals from verified shelters and rescues, either free or with a small adoption fee.
• Rehoming: a pet whose owner can no longer keep them, posted by private individuals. These have their own Pets for Rehoming page, and every rehomer is identity-verified before their listing goes live.

All three go through the same moderation and quality checks.

PetGuru uses multiple layers of protection:

• AI Content Moderation: every listing is automatically scanned for misleading claims and policy violations
• Trust Engine Verification: breeders and professionals are identity-verified
• Scam Detection: our AI monitors pricing patterns, duplicate accounts, and suspicious behaviour daily
• Image Analysis: AWS Rekognition checks listing photos for authenticity

Look for the verified badge on a seller's profile for extra confidence.

Every listing card surfaces the seller's declared health status as a row of small pill badges, so you can see at a glance whether basic care has been done before you click in.

• Green pills: declared as Vaccinated, Chipped, Dewormed, or Sterilised. Each pill represents an explicit "yes" the seller marked when listing.
• Single red pill ("No Health Info Provided"): the seller hasn't declared any of the four. That doesn't automatically mean the pet is unvaccinated; it means the seller hasn't said either way. Treat it as a prompt to ask before you commit.

The badges are seller-declared and not audited; they're a screening signal, not a guarantee. Always ask for vet records, vaccination certificates and proof of microchip registration before paying.

Yes. Click the Compare chip on any listing card to add it to your compare tray, then keep browsing. A floating bar at the bottom of the page tracks what you've added and lets you open the side-by-side Compare page: same-row comparison of price, breed, age, location, health status and seller. Helpful when you're deciding between two breeders, or weighing a rescue against a private rehoming.

Go to "My Listings" in your dashboard and click "Create Listing". Which listing types you can choose depends on your account: verified breeders can post For Sale, verified shelters can post Adoption, and any individual can post a Rehoming listing for their own pet.

Fill in the required details:

• Title and description
• Species, breed, gender, age, and colour
• Price (or mark as free for adoption)
• Health information (vaccinations, deworming, sterilisation)
• Location and contact details
• Upload clear, high-quality photos

Your listing goes live immediately and is AI-moderated in the background to ensure it meets our standards.

A published listing needs at least 3 photos and can carry up to 10. Save as a draft if you aren't ready to add them all yet. Show your pet from different angles, and keep the images well lit and in focus: good photos significantly increase buyer interest and enquiry rates.

Yes, for rehoming. Any individual can list a pet they can no longer keep, and it appears on our Pets for Rehoming page. Two things apply:

• Identity verification: we ask for your South African ID number the first time you publish a rehoming listing, and validate it. We store only a one-way hash of it, and you're never asked again.
• A cap of 3 open rehoming listings at a time. This keeps the section for genuine owners rather than informal resellers.

Selling animals at a price as a business is different: For Sale listings are only available to verified breeders. If you breed, see Become a Breeder.

No! Rescue shelters and adoption organisations list for free on PetGuru, always. We believe every rescue pet deserves visibility, and we're proud to support South Africa's shelters and rescues at absolutely no cost.

Listings remain active until you mark them as sold or remove them yourself. We recommend keeping your listings up to date so buyers always see accurate information. If a pet has been sold or rehomed, please mark the listing accordingly so other buyers aren't disappointed.

All enquiries appear in your "My Listing Inquiries" dashboard section. You can view each buyer's questionnaire responses, mark enquiries as read, and contact buyers directly. Responding promptly to enquiries increases your chances of a successful sale.

Yes. Go to "My Listings", find the listing you want to update, and click Edit to change any details, or Delete to remove it permanently. Edits take effect immediately.

All listings must comply with our Community Guidelines and South African breeding regulations. Listings must include honest descriptions, genuine photos, and accurate pricing. Misleading claims, prohibited species, and inappropriate content will be flagged and removed by our moderation system.

PetGuru offers four boost tiers, each pricier than the last but stacking everything below it:

• Bump Up: an instant one-time push to the top of search results. No visual change to your card, just reordering. From R19 for cats & small pets, R29 for cats, R39 for dogs.
• Highlight (7 days): soft gold gradient border on your card so it stands out in the grid, plus sort priority above regular listings. From R49 / R59 / R99.
• Urgent (7 days): magenta gradient border + a fire-icon "URGENT" badge + the highest non-Sponsored sort priority. Built for time-sensitive listings: rehoming, last puppy in a litter, an animal that needs to find a home this week. From R69 / R79 / R129.
• Top Ad (7 / 14 / 30 days): the full premium treatment: rich gold border, sponsored carousels across the homepage, listings index, magazine articles, pet profiles and success stories, plus smart audience targeting. The 30-day run adds an email + push blast to active users when it activates. From R99 / R149 / R249.

Dogs are the highest-volume search on PetGuru and the highest average sale price, so a Top Ad on a dog listing reaches the most buyers and produces the most enquiries. Cat and "other" tiers stay at the lower floor so price-sensitive segments aren't pushed out. The same boost does the same job everywhere; the price reflects competitive pressure in each species category.

A bump bundle is a pre-purchased pack of Bump Up credits you can apply to any of your listings whenever you want to refresh visibility, great for breeders rotating multiple listings or shelters working through a steady stream of intakes. Bundles come in 5-packs and 10-packs per species group (Dogs / Cats / Other) and are priced below the per-bump rate so stocking up saves you money. Credits never expire.

A Litter Pack is the all-in-one bundle for breeders who've just had a whole litter to announce. You get 8 Bump Up credits + 1 Top Ad credit (7 days) in a single purchase, priced for breeders who'd otherwise buy each piece separately. Apply the Top Ad to your hero pup and drip the bumps as the rest of the litter goes live over the following weeks. Available in Dogs / Cats / Other variants.

Top-Ad Slot Packs are for breeders who sell all year. You bank a pack of 7-day Top-Ad slots (3, 5 or 10 at a bulk discount) and spend them on whatever you're currently listing. The credits never expire and apply to any of your listings, so your promotion follows each new litter instead of being wasted when a pet sells. Redeem them from Your Boost Credits whenever a new pup goes live. Available in Dogs / Cats / Other variants.

A recurring monthly subscription that bundles the whole toolkit at a discount versus buying à la carte. Each cycle deposits a bundle of credits — Top-Ad slots, Bump credits and AI Polish (plus a newsletter feature on Kennel Pro and Business Pro) — that you spend on whatever you're currently selling; the credits never go to waste when a pet sells, and you keep any already granted if you cancel. Members also get a Pro badge and dashboard analytics. Breeder Pro, Breeder Plus and Kennel Pro are for breeders (a smooth ladder as your volume grows); Business Pro additionally keeps your directory profile in the featured carousel while subscribed. Prefer pay-as-you-go? Top-Ad Slot Packs bank Top-Ad runs without a subscription.

Stuck on what to write? AI Listing Polish lets PetGuru's AI rewrite your listing's title and description for clarity, search-friendliness and tone. You review the suggestion before it goes live, so nothing changes without your sign-off. R29 per polish, one-time. Often pays for itself the first time a clearer title pulls in an extra enquiry.

Two ways to get PetGuru's audience to hear from you directly:

• Sponsored Editorial (R1499): an evergreen branded article in the PetGuru magazine, written by our editorial team, with a "Sponsored by …" disclosure and a link-out to your business. Lives forever in our search index.
• Sponsored Newsletter Slot (R499): a single-send branded slot in the next outgoing PetGuru newsletter digest. Image + headline + link-out, reaching every opted-in subscriber.

Both are slot products; admin schedules the actual run window with you after purchase.

Top Ad placements show up in 10+ high-traffic locations across PetGuru, depending on your species:

• Featured carousel on the homepage
• Featured carousel on the listings index page
• Top of default search results
• Full-width sponsored showcase on every listing detail page
• Sponsored carousel on magazine articles, pet profiles, and success stories
• Push and in-app notifications to active users (30-day run)
• Email blast to opted-in newsletter subscribers (30-day run)

Smart targeting filters who actually sees your card: a Labrador listing surfaces on dog-related pages, to users who browse, like, or enquire about dogs, prioritised to nearby viewers when location data is available. Less wasted impressions, more qualified leads.

From your dashboard, open the Sponsorship tab to see all available plans, or click "Boost" on any individual listing card to jump straight into the per-listing boost selector. Payments go through our secure card gateway. Pay once and the boost activates immediately (or, for subscriptions, on the next renewal cycle).

The Buyer-Lead Board is the reverse of the listings page: it's where buyers post a brief describing the pet they're looking for, and verified breeders & shelters browse and unlock those briefs to make contact. If you're hunting for a specific breed, age range, location or budget, posting a brief means breeders come to you rather than you scrolling listings.

From your dashboard, open the Buyer Leads tab and click "Post a Brief". Fill in the species, breed, age range, sex preference, region, budget and any specific health/lineage requirements. Your brief stays open until you mark it as matched (you found a pet) or close it (changed your mind). Posting is free; only breeders pay to unlock contact details.

Verified breeders & shelters see your brief on a board filtered by species and region. They can view the public details (what you're looking for, your area, your budget range) without unlocking. To see your full contact info and reach out, they spend one credit from a Buyer-Lead Pack. You'll only ever be contacted by breeders who've actually spent a credit on your brief, so no random spam.

Lead Packs are pre-purchased credit bundles breeders & shelters use to unlock buyer contact info on the board. Currently three sizes:

• 10-pack: R299 (R30 per lead)
• 25-pack: R649 (R26 per lead)
• 50-pack: R1199 (R24 per lead)

Credits never expire and apply across species. The bigger the pack, the lower the per-lead cost, encouraging active breeders to stock up and keep responding to fresh briefs.

Yes. Until a breeder unlocks your brief with a credit, your name and contact details are masked. After unlock, your details are visible only to that breeder, not to other unlockers, not to scrapers, not on a public list. We log every unlock and you'll see in your dashboard which breeders have unlocked your brief, in case you want to reach out the other way too.

Pet Social is PetGuru's built-in social network for pets. Create a profile for your pet, share photos and updates on the social feed, follow other pets, like and comment on posts, and connect with a community of pet lovers across South Africa. Think of it as social media, but for your furry, feathered, or scaly friend.

Go to "My Pets" in your dashboard and click "Add Pet". Fill in your pet's details:

• Name, species, and breed
• Age and a short description or bio
• Hobbies and personality traits
• Location
• Profile photo and gallery images

Once created, your pet gets their own public profile page that anyone can visit and like.

The social feed shows posts from pets you follow, as well as popular content from the wider community. You can create posts with text and multiple photos or videos. Other users can like and comment on your posts, and you can do the same on theirs. Visit "My Wall" to see all your own posts in one place.

Yes! Visit any pet's profile and click "Follow" to see their posts in your social feed. You can unfollow at any time. The more pets you follow, the more interesting your feed becomes.

Every pet profile has a Pet Health & Vaccination Calendar built in. Track rabies, DHPP/FVRCP, kennel cough, FeLV, deworming, sterilisation, microchip and routine vet checkups in one place. Overdue events show at the top automatically, you can upload certificates and receipts to each event, and the records can be exported as a PDF Pet Health Card if you ever sell or rehome the pet. Free for every PetGuru owner. Read the full guide »

Yes. Each social post supports multiple media files, both images and videos. Upload as many as you like to tell your pet's story. Media files are displayed in a gallery format on the post.

The Hall of Fame showcases the most popular pets on PetGuru, ranked by the number of likes they've received. It's a fun way to see which pets the community loves the most. Get your pet up there by building an active, engaging profile!

PetGuru's Professional Directory is a searchable database of verified pet service providers across South Africa. It includes:

• Veterinarians and Emergency Clinics
• Groomers, Trainers, and Behaviourists
• Pet Sitters and Dog Walkers
• Pet Stores
• Dog-Friendly Restaurants
• Dog Hotels & Boarding

Search by professional type, name, or location to find the right service near you.

Go to the Directory and filter by "Emergency Vet". Emergency clinics are listed with their after-hours contact details, addresses, and operating hours so you can get help when you need it most.

Register a PetGuru account and select the relevant professional type during onboarding (Vet, Groomer, Trainer, etc.). Complete your business profile with your practice name, address, operating hours, services offered, and specialisations. Once your profile is complete and verified, you'll appear in the directory automatically.

Yes! Visit the "Services" page from your dashboard to browse all available professional services. Click "Set Up" on any service to add it to your account. For example, a vet could also offer grooming, boarding, or training services. Each additional service may require its own verification.

Your directory profile displays:

• Business name, description, and profile photo
• Address and operating hours
• Phone number and email (if set to public)
• Services offered and specialisations
• Years of experience and licence numbers
• Breeds you work with (for breeders)
• Verification badge (if verified)

Yes! In addition to the main directory, PetGuru has dedicated pages for Pet Stores, Dog-Friendly Restaurants, and Dog Hotels & Accommodation. These pages make it easy for pet owners to find exactly what they need.

Our Shop features a wide range of pet products including food, treats, supplements, grooming supplies, accessories, toys, beds, carriers, and more. Products are organised by brand and category, and you can filter by pet type (dog, cat, bird, etc.), size, and age group.

The Shop is launching soon. When it is live, you'll browse products, see full details (description, specifications, ingredients, expert opinions), and add items to your cart. At checkout you'll be able to pay by credit/debit card or SnapScan, and your order will be shipped by the merchant directly.

Yes. After purchasing a product, you can submit a star rating (1 to 5 stars) along with a written review. Reviews are moderated by our admin team before being published to ensure quality and authenticity. Your honest feedback helps other pet owners make informed decisions.

Yes! Certain products earn you Loyalty Points when purchased. The number of points per product is displayed on the product page. Visit our Loyalty Points page for full details on how the programme works and how to redeem your points.

Shipping is handled by individual merchants. Each product displays its shipping fee (or free shipping if applicable). Some merchants also offer on-demand same-day delivery powered by Uber Direct: a driver is dispatched to the merchant's location as soon as your order is placed, and you can track delivery in real time. See our Shipping Information page for more details.

When the Shop launches, it will carry products from a growing number of South African and international pet brands, browsable by brand. If you'd like to see a specific brand on PetGuru, let us know at hello@petguru.co.za.

The Merchant Programme will allow pet product businesses to sell through the PetGuru Shop. It will provide a complete e-commerce platform including product listings, stock management, checkout, split payments, order fulfilment, and marketing, all for a flat 10% commission on every sale with no monthly fees or setup costs.

When the Store is live and a customer purchases your product, the payment will be processed with the commission split at the payment gateway: 90% to you (the merchant) and 10% to PetGuru. Payouts will settle in weekly batches directly to your bank account, and you'll see all pending, settled and paid payouts in your merchant dashboard. There are no hidden fees, monthly subscriptions, or setup charges.

Merchants get access to a full suite of e-commerce tools:

• Warehouse Management System (WMS): add products, manage stock levels, track inventory, receive low-stock alerts, and bulk upload via CSV
• Secure Online Checkout: seamless checkout with credit and debit card payments via our PCI-compliant gateway
• Payout Tracking: automated 90/10 split with per-order payout records, weekly settlement batches, and full transaction history
• Order Management: track orders, update fulfilment status per item, add tracking numbers and courier details, manage returns
• Customer Reviews: view ratings and reviews on your products, post public merchant responses to build trust
• Promotions Engine: create percentage or fixed-amount discount codes with date ranges, minimum purchase thresholds, and usage limits
• Invoices & Exports: automatic PDF invoices for customers, CSV export for orders, products, and sales data
• Analytics Dashboard: total revenue, order counts, monthly trends, top-selling products, and low-stock overview
• Smart Notifications: email alerts for new orders, low-stock warnings, and in-app notification centre
• Refund Management: admin-processed refunds with automatic customer notifications and commission adjustments
• Uber Direct Delivery: on-demand same-day delivery for your customers

When a customer places an order, the merchant receives a push notification and email instantly. The delivery flow is:

1. Customer places order on PetGuru
2. Merchant receives notification to pack the order
3. An Uber Direct driver is dispatched to the merchant's location
4. Driver collects the packaged order
5. Customer receives their delivery with real-time tracking

The entire process is designed to be same-day, with no need for the merchant to handle logistics. The delivery fee will be charged to the customer at checkout.

Yes! PetGuru provides comprehensive marketing services for all merchants:

• SEO optimisation for every product listing
• Google Ads targeting campaigns (PetGuru runs and funds these)
• Featured product placements on the homepage and category pages
• Social media promotion across PetGuru's channels
• Inclusion in PetGuru's email newsletters
• Professional product photography guidelines

1. Register on PetGuru and select "eCommerce Store" during onboarding
2. Complete your business profile and upload required documents
3. PetGuru reviews and approves your application
4. Add your products using the WMS tools
5. Go live and start selling!

Pet stores, pet food brands, accessory manufacturers, grooming supply companies, pet supplement brands, and any business selling quality pet products. You'll need a valid South African business registration, quality products, and the ability to fulfil orders.

The Trust Engine is our multi-layered AI verification system that protects both buyers and sellers. It performs:

• Identity Verification: validates the SA ID number mathematically, stores it only as a one-way hash, and checks it for reuse across accounts; ID documents come in only for vets or on an optional step-up
• Document Validation: checks breeding registrations (KUSA, SABBS, CFSA), licences, and permits
• Address Verification: confirms business or breeding facility addresses
• Image Analysis: uses AWS Rekognition to analyse uploaded photos for authenticity
• Behaviour Analysis: detects scam patterns, pricing anomalies, and suspicious activity
• Risk Scoring: generates an overall risk score reviewed by our admin team

1. Create your account and complete onboarding
2. Complete your professional profile with full business details
3. Add your evidence: type your ID number, confirm your registrations, and prove control of your domain or social page — most sellers finish without uploading a single document. Certificates are needed only where your trade requires them
4. AI assessment runs: our system scans everything within minutes
5. Risk score generated: the AI assigns a trust score based on all checks
6. Admin review: our team reviews the AI findings and awards your verified badge

Fewer than most people expect. We validate your SA ID number rather than asking for a photo of it, so the required uploads are only these:

• Breeders: your KUSA, SABBS or CFSA registration certificate. If you aren't registered with a kennel body, you send our live litter-proof set instead: photos of the parent dogs and the litter carrying a code we issue, a short kennel walkthrough video, and proof of address.
• Vets & Emergency Clinics: SAVC registration certificate plus an ID document. Vets are the one trade we still ask for an ID from, because the practice is legally regulated.
• Shelters & Rescues: your NPO registration letter.
• Pet Stores, Dog Hotels & Online Stores: CIPC business registration. Not CIPC-registered? Choose the sole proprietor path instead and verify with a bureau-checked SA ID number and a proof of address.
• Dog-Friendly Restaurants: CIPC business registration plus your health or food-safety certificate. On the sole proprietor path, the CIPC registration is replaced by a bureau-checked SA ID number and a proof of address, but the health certificate is still required.
• Groomers & Trainers: nothing is required. A qualification is optional and raises your verification level if you have one.
• Pet Sitters & Dog Walkers: no documents at all.

Separately, any professional may opt in to the top rung by sending an ID document and a selfie for a face match. This is offered, never demanded, and nobody is blocked for declining.

The AI assessment runs within minutes of your submission. Admin review typically completes within 1 to 3 business days, after which your verified badge will be awarded if everything checks out.

You'll receive a detailed explanation of why your verification was not approved, along with specific notes from our admin team. You can address the identified issues, upload corrected documents, and resubmit for another review at any time.

Each badge names the specific check that passed — "Registered with SAVC", "Website confirmed", "Confirmed by their vet", "Microchip confirmed by their vet" — and tapping it shows exactly what was confirmed and when. Badges describe checks we ran at a point in time, not a guarantee of any sale, animal, or ongoing conduct, so still ask questions and view the animal in person or on a video call before paying anything.

The web investigation. An AI agent searches open public sources about a seller's business — its website, business listings, and public trading history. Every finding is recorded with the web address it came from, results are always reviewed by a human, adverse findings are never published automatically, and the seller can see and contest anything we relied on. This runs under our legitimate interest in fraud prevention (POPIA Section 11(1)(f)).

Social-page codes. A seller whose public presence lives on a social page rather than a website can prove they control it by briefly publishing a one-time code we issue on that page — the same idea as our DNS proof of control.

Microchip numbers. South African chip registries offer no public lookup and keeper data is POPIA-protected, so we never check a chip against a registry. What a chip number on PetGuru actually does: if it appears on another account or listing, both are flagged for human review (the same dog being sold twice), the seller's vet can confirm the chip in one click while vouching for them, and our AI traces the number across the open web as a stolen- or cloned-listing signal.

Visit the Found a Pet page (linked from our Lost & Found resources) and enter the microchip number along with your contact details and where you found the animal. If the chip number matches a pet registered on PetGuru, the owner is notified immediately with your details so they can reach out. If there's no match, we still file the report so it can be cross-checked against future registrations and lost-pet posts. Posting a found-pet report is free and doesn't require an account.

Two parallel founding pools welcome our earliest partners: the first 100 verified breeders & shelters who post a listing, and the first 50 verified service businesses (vets, groomers, dog hotels, pet stores, restaurants, trainers, sitters, walkers) who register a business profile. Each pool numbers separately. The slot is auto-claimed once you've completed verification AND engaged, with no application, no payment, no expiry.

• Two lifetime sponsorship slots. Pick your two most important listings; they stay in the featured carousels forever, surfacing on the homepage, listings pages, magazine articles and pet profiles. Swap them out as your inventory changes, and never pay a sponsorship fee on those slots again.
• Lifetime directory boost. Your business profile is permanently promoted at the top of directory search and on the matching category landing pages. New visitors looking for someone like you find your name first, every single time.
• Permanent founding badge. A numbered badge on your profile ("Founding Breeder #042", "Founding Vet #017", numbered separately within each pool) so the community knows you helped build PetGuru from day one. Travels with you across listings, reviews and PetSocial posts.
• Direct line to the team. Early access to new features, a real say in roadmap decisions, and priority support for as long as you're with us.

Open to verified partners only: that means breeders, shelters, vets, emergency vets, groomers, trainers, pet sitters, dog walkers, pet stores, dog hotels, and pet-friendly restaurants. Browsers, pet owners and pure e-commerce stores aren't eligible (the perks are visibility-focused and don't translate cleanly to a checkout-only shop).

To qualify you must:

1. Complete account onboarding and pick a professional role.
2. Pass PetGuru verification (identity + business documents).
3. Either register a business profile (directory pros) or post your first listing (breeders & shelters).

Once those three are done, your founding spot is auto-claimed in the order it was finalised: first-completed, first-served within your pool. Breeder/shelter spots fill independently of business spots, so a full breeder pool doesn't block a business slot, and vice versa.

Live counts are shown on the homepage Founding Member callout, split per pool ("X of 100 breeder spots left", "Y of 50 business spots left"). Once a pool fills, that pool closes permanently and the badge becomes a true historical marker. We don't open new spots after the cap, even if existing members leave the platform.

Only if your account is suspended or deleted for a serious community-guidelines violation. Inactive accounts keep their badge; the programme is a thank-you, not an attendance check. Failing to use your two sponsorship slots doesn't lose them either; they're available whenever you decide to apply them.

Check your dashboard's "Founding Member" indicator (or look for the numbered badge on your public profile). If your spot was auto-claimed, you'll see your number there. If you've verified but haven't posted a listing or business profile yet, completing that step claims your spot, assuming there are still spots left when you do.

Go to "My Profile" from the navigation menu. From there you can update your name, bio, profile photo, website, location, business details, and contact information. Changes are saved immediately.

Go to "My Profile" and scroll to the password section. Enter your current password followed by your new password, then confirm it. The change takes effect immediately. If you've forgotten your password, use the "Forgot Password" link on the login page to reset it via email.

On your profile page, click on your current avatar or the upload area to select a new photo from your device. Your profile photo appears across the platform, on your listings, directory profile, social posts, and comments.

Yes. In your profile settings, you can toggle your phone number between public and private. If set to public, visitors can click "Show Phone Number" on your profile or listings to view it. If private, your phone number is hidden from other users.

In your profile settings, you can customise which notifications you receive:

• Marketing emails: promotions, newsletters, and updates
• Inquiry notifications: when someone enquires about your listing
• Social activity: likes, comments, and follows on your pet's profile
• Push notifications: real-time alerts in your browser

Toggle each preference on or off to control exactly what you receive.

Visit the "Services" page from your dashboard to browse all available professional services. Click "Set Up" on any service to add it. Each new service may require its own verification and profile information before it goes live in the directory.

Yes. Go to "My Profile" and scroll to the bottom of the page. Click "Delete Account" to permanently remove your account, including all your listings, pet profiles, posts, and personal data. Please note this action cannot be undone.

You can send friend requests to other PetGuru users. Once they accept, you're connected as friends. Visit the "Friends" page in your dashboard to see your friends list, pending requests, and manage your connections. You can remove a friend at any time.

Success Stories are real stories from PetGuru users about their adoption, rescue, or pet ownership journeys. You can browse published stories for inspiration, or submit your own from the Success Stories page. All submissions are reviewed by our admin team before publishing to ensure quality and authenticity.

Go to Success Stories and click "Share Your Story". Fill in:

• A title and the full story
• Your pet's name and species
• Your location
• The type of story (adoption, rescue, etc.)
• A photo of your pet

You need to be logged in with a verified account and completed onboarding to submit. Our team reviews every submission and will publish it once approved.

The Community page is your hub for everything social on PetGuru: discover the pet social feed, browse community pets, find success stories, and connect with fellow pet lovers across South Africa.

If you've had a great experience with PetGuru, you may receive an invitation to submit a testimonial. These are featured on our homepage to help new visitors understand the value of our platform. Testimonials include your name, location, pet's name, a star rating, and your feedback.

Our Magazine publishes expert articles on pet care, health, nutrition, training, breed guides, and more. Articles are written by the PetGuru team and industry professionals. Browse by category or search for specific topics to find helpful information for your pet.

Yes. Scroll to the bottom of any article to leave a comment. You need to be logged in to comment. Comments are a great way to share your experience, ask questions, and engage with other readers.

PetGuru offers a range of free informational resources:

• Adoption Guide: everything you need to know about adopting a pet in South Africa
• Adopting from a Breeder: how to adopt a pet safely from a breeder
• Vaccination Schedule: recommended vaccinations for puppies, kittens, and adult pets
• Pet Insurance Guide: understanding pet insurance options in SA
• Emergency Fostering: what to do in an emergency pet situation
• Lost & Found: resources for finding lost pets or reporting found animals
• Events & Meetups: upcoming pet events in South Africa

Look for the newsletter signup form in the website footer. Enter your email address and click subscribe. You'll receive our latest articles, product recommendations, platform updates, and exclusive offers directly in your inbox. You can unsubscribe at any time via the link in any newsletter email.

PetGuru uses AI extensively to keep the platform safe and provide a better experience:

• Trust Engine: AI-powered verification of breeders and professionals
• Content Moderation: automatic scanning of all listings, posts, and profile content
• Scam Detection: daily platform-wide sweeps for suspicious activity and pricing anomalies
• Image Analysis: photo authenticity checks using AWS Rekognition
• AI Chatbot: intelligent chat assistant for pet-related questions

Look for the chat widget on the website. You can ask questions about pet care, breeds, health, nutrition, training, and more. The chatbot is powered by advanced AI and provides helpful, conversational responses. Your chat history is saved so you can continue conversations across sessions.

When you create a listing, post content, or update your profile, our AI Content Moderation agent automatically reviews it in the background for inappropriate content, misleading claims, policy violations, and prohibited items. This happens instantly without slowing you down. If there's an issue, you'll be notified.

Our Scam Detection agent runs daily platform-wide sweeps analysing pricing patterns, duplicate accounts, suspicious behaviour, and known scam indicators. Combined with breeder verification and content moderation, this creates multiple layers of protection. If a listing is flagged, our admin team investigates immediately.

PetGuru rewards active users with Loyalty Points. You earn points through purchases and engagement on the platform. Points can be redeemed for discounts and rewards. Visit our Loyalty Points page for full programme details.

You earn Loyalty Points primarily through purchases in the PetGuru Shop, and each product displays how many points it earns. Additional engagement activities may also earn points as the programme evolves.

Your current points balance is visible in your account dashboard. You can also view your points history to see how and when points were earned.

We use a multi-layered approach to prevent fraud:

• AI Content Moderation: every listing and post is scanned automatically
• Trust Engine Verification: breeders and professionals are identity-checked
• Scam Detection Agent: daily AI sweeps for suspicious patterns
• Image Analysis: photo authenticity via AWS Rekognition
• Phone Verification: all users verify their mobile number via SMS
• Buyer Verification: listing enquiry questionnaires screen potential buyers
• Admin Moderation: our team investigates all flagged content

Yes. PetGuru complies fully with the Protection of Personal Information Act (POPIA). We only collect data that is necessary for the platform to function, we never sell your data to third parties, and we use industry-standard encryption to protect your information. Read our Privacy Policy and POPIA Notice for full details.

If you encounter a suspicious listing, user, or message, contact us immediately at hello@petguru.co.za with details of what you've found. Our team investigates every report and takes swift action against policy violations, including removing listings and suspending or banning accounts.

Users who violate our Community Guidelines or terms of use may have their content removed, their listings flagged, their account suspended, or in serious cases, permanently banned. We take platform integrity seriously and act on every report.

Under POPIA, you have the right to access your personal information, request corrections, object to processing, and request deletion of your data. PetGuru has a designated Information Officer who handles all POPIA-related requests. Full details are available on our POPIA Notice page.

When you first visit PetGuru, you'll see a cookie consent banner. You can accept or decline non-essential cookies. To change your preferences later, visit our Cookie Settings page. We use cookies for essential functionality, analytics, and marketing, and you control which non-essential cookies are active.

Our full Terms & Conditions are available in the footer of every page. They cover user responsibilities, prohibited conduct, intellectual property, liability limitations, and dispute resolution. By using PetGuru, you agree to abide by these terms.

If you encounter a technical issue, you can submit a bug report from your dashboard. Include:

• A clear title describing the issue
• Steps to reproduce the problem
• The page URL where it occurred
• The severity level (minor, major, critical)
• A description of what you expected to happen vs. what actually happened

Our development team reviews all bug reports and will update the status as they investigate and resolve the issue.

You can reach us through several channels:

• Email: hello@petguru.co.za
• Contact Form: Visit our Contact page
• AI Chatbot: Use the chat widget on the website for instant answers

We aim to respond to all email enquiries within 24 hours during business days.

PetGuru works on all modern browsers including Chrome, Firefox, Safari, and Edge. The site is fully responsive and optimised for desktop, tablet, and mobile devices. For the best experience, we recommend using the latest version of your preferred browser.

PetGuru is currently a web-based platform optimised for mobile browsers, so you can access all features from your phone's browser just as you would on desktop. A dedicated mobile app may be developed in the future. Bookmark petguru.co.za on your phone's home screen for quick access.