GENERAL:

By registering for this site and accepting these terms, you expressly agree, that throughout your use of this forum, you will not post ANY material which is false, defamatory, inaccurate, abusive, vulgar, hateful, mean, harassing, obscene, profane, sexually oriented, threatening, invasive of a person's privacy, or any material that may otherwise be in violation of any International or United States Federal law. You also agree not to post any copyrighted material that does not belong to unless you have express written consent from the owner of the copyrighted material. Spam, flooding, advertisements, chain letters, pyramid schemes, and solicitations NOT related to animal rescue are also strictly forbidden on this forum. If you are unsure whether or not something is inappropriate, it is animal rescue related and you deem it important, contact the Admin or a moderator and ask.

MODERATION:

Note that it is literally impossible for the staff and/or the owners of this forum to confirm the validity of posts. Please remember that although we do try to actively monitor the posted messages, we are not responsible for the content contained within, and as such, we cannot and do not warrant the accuracy, completeness, or usefulness of any information presented. More importantly, the posted messages ALWAYS express the views of the original author, NOT the views of the other forum members, the forum's owner, its staff, its parent company, or its subsidiaries. Therefore, anyone who feels that a posted message is definitely objectionable is highly encouraged to report it and notify the Administrator or any moderator of this forum immediately. Upon review of the report, the staff and/or the owner of this forum reserve the right to remove the objectionable content within twenty-four hours of the receipt of the report if they determine that removal is necessary. Obviously, this is a manual process. Consequently, please realize that we may not be able to remove or edit the messages immediately. Therefore, please give us at least twenty-four hours before contacting us again. PLEASE NOTE: This policy applies to member profile information as well as posts.

CONTENT:

You ARE solely responsible for the content of your posted messages from your very first message, and you remain SOLELY responsible until your last message and the deletion of your account.  Until that time, you agree to indemnify and hold the owners of this forum, any related websites, its staff, it's parent company and its subsidiaries completely and absolutely harmless from claims arising from your content or violations of these rules. In addition, the owners of this forum, its parent company and its subsidiaries reserve the right to publicly reveal your identity (or any other related information collected on this service) in the event that a formal complaint or legal action should arise from and/or by your use of this forum.

License you grant us: By posting, you grant TBRB a non-exclusive, worldwide, royalty-free license to host, store, display, reproduce, and distribute your forum content (including avatars and attachments) for the purpose of operating, moderating, backing up, and improving the community.

USERNAME AND PASSWORD:

When you register, you choose your username. We advise that you consider that name wisely and that you keep the name appropriate. In addition you agree to NEVER give your password out to another person except an Administrator, for your protection and for validity reasons. You also agree to NEVER use another person's account for any reason. We also HIGHLY recommend that you use a complex and unique password for your account to prevent account theft.

PROFILE AND ACCOUNT:

Once you register and login to this forum, you will be able to fill out a detailed profile. It is YOUR responsibility to present clean and accurate information. Any information the forum owner or staff determines to be inaccurate or IN VIOLATION OF THESE TERMS will be removed, with OR WITHOUT prior notice, depending on the severity of the offense. Appropriate sanctions may be applicable depending on the violation, and any and all litigation shall take place in the owner's state of address..

Please note that with each post your IP address is recorded in the event that we need to ban you from this forum or contact your ISP. This will only happen in the event of a major violation of this agreement, and in all but the most severe cases, we will most likely opt to suspend your account for a certain amount of time first, depending on the offense, and will follow the rule of "three strikes your out".

CODE OF CONDUCT:

This forum was created for the express purpose of fostering communication, education, mutual support and friendship. In keeping with that, we ask that you follow this CODE OF CONDUCT to the very best of your ability so as to ensure a useful, pleasant experience for EVERYONE.

NO BULLYING OF ANY KIND: We have a ZERO TOLERANCE policy in regards to bullying here at TBRB Forum. We will NOT TOLERATE bullying in ANY way, shape or form!  That should be self explanatory, but for those of you who would prefer some clarification, some examples are: Shaming, judging, nitpicking, HATE speech and no talking behind another member's back. If you MUST VENT about a GENUINE experience you've had with another person or colleague, NAMES SHALL BE EXCLUDED! The time for naming names is when you are making a report, leaving a review or filing a DO NOT ADOPT REPORT. When venting on the forum, keep the names to yourselves. Other forms and examples of bullying should be self explanatory. You are expected to honor and uphold this policy to the very best of your ability. Anyone who shows blatant disregard for this policy shall receive NO CHANCES AND NO WARNING. You will simply be banned.

S.H.A.R.E.:  Just as you would do on any other social network. You're here to share! Your thoughts, your ideas, your insight and ingenuity, your problems and solutions. Yet there's something else we ALL share on a daily basis, even in the most casual of conversations, and that's our OPINIONS!  And, more often than not, it's our DIFFERING opinions that get us into trouble. So, while sharing your opinions here on TBRB FORUM, we ask that you remember OUR version of share, our MOTTO, if you will. That's S.H.A.R.E., and it stands for SUPPORT, HELP AND RESPECT EVERYONE!  Everyone is entitled to their own opinion, and EVERYBODY has one!  It's inevitable, your going to have a difference of opinion eventually with someone, and that's when you need to remember our MOTTO the most. Have your difference of opinion, but remember to S.H.A.R.E. SUPPORT the other person's opinion, even though you may not agree with it.  HELP them understand your opinion and in return, ask them to help you understand theirs. AND most importantly, RESPECT their opinion, so that they may respect yours. EVERYONE wants respect, but respect is a TWO WAY street!  If you remember this motto and do your best to implement it in ALL of your interactions here on TBRB forum, you and everyone around you will enjoy the best experience here on TBRB Forum.  

POST CLEAN UP:

Please NOTE that many of our boards here at TBRB are programmed to DELETE posts every 30 to 90 days, depending on the Topic, and once they're gone, they're GONE! Consequently, if there are posts you may want to hold on to for whatever reason, please SAVE THEM TO YOUR COMPUTER asap, so that you have them for future reference. When accounts are deleted, public posts may remain to preserve thread history and may be attributed to an anonymized label. We apologize if this causes you any inconvenience, but we simply do not have the space to save EVERY POST for a prolonged period of time. In order to keep our sever running fast and smooth, we must keep it as clean as possible. Thank you for your understanding.

AVATARS & ARTWORK

Our custom forum avatars and artwork are COPYRIGHT OF TBRB and/or their respective artists. They are licensed for use on this forum ONLY and may not be reused elsewhere without permission.

VETERINARY/MEDICAL OR LEGAL ADVICE

Content on this forum is community opinion for general information only, as it NOT to be construed as REAL  veterinary, medical, behavioral, or legal advice unless posted by a VERIFIED, LICENSED EXPERT in any one of these fields. Consequently, in emergencies, contact a licensed veterinarian or the appropriate, licensed authorities immediately.

COPYRIGHT COMPLAINTS (DMCA / NOTICE & TAKEDOWN)

If you believe something here infringes upon your copyrights, please email admin@thebetterrescuebureau.com immediately with: (1) Your contact information; (2) Identification of copyrighted work; (3) The URLS of the allegedly infringing material; (4) A good faith statement under penalty of perjury that the current use of the work is unauthorized; (5) A statement that your notice is accurate and that you are the rightful copyright holder or authorized agent of the work; and (6) Your physical or electronic signature. Each member will be allowed one forgivable strike. We reserve the right to disable access to or terminate repeat offender's accounts.

LIMITATION OF LIABILITY & DISCLAIMER

The forum is provided "as is" and "as available." To the fullest extent permitted by law, TBRB disclaims all warranties and will not be liable for indirect, incidental, or consequential damages arising from use of the forum or reliance on user content.

CHANGES TO THESE RULES

We may update these Rules from time to time. We'll post the new version and update the date. Continued use of the forum means you accept the updated Rules.

GOVERNING LAW

These Rules/Terms are governed by the laws of the State of Wisconsin, U.S.A., without regard to its conflict-of-laws principles.

Dispute Resolution & Arbitration; No Class Actions

Please read this section carefully. It affects your legal rights.

1.  Agreement to Arbitrate. Except for the exceptions below, you and TBRB agree that any dispute, claim, or controversy arising out of or relating to the Forum or these Rules/Terms will be resolved by binding arbitration on an individual basis under the AAA Consumer Arbitration Rules ("AAA Rules"). The AAA Rules and filing info are at adr.org.

2.  Where & How. Arbitration may be conducted by video/phone or on documents. If an in-person hearing is required, it will take place in Wisconsin, U.S.A., or another location we both agree on. (You won't be required to travel outside Wisconsin unless you choose to.)

3.  Arbitrator & Rules. The arbitration will be administered by the American Arbitration Association (AAA) using the Consumer Arbitration Rules. The arbitrator can award the same relief a court could (injunctions, damages, attorneys' fees where allowed by law). The arbitrator has exclusive authority to resolve disputes about the scope and enforceability of this arbitration agreement (except the class-action waiver below).

4.  Small-Claims & IP Carve-Out. Either of us may bring individual claims in small-claims court with proper jurisdiction. Either of us may also seek temporary or injunctive relief in court to protect intellectual property or platform security (e.g., stopping scraping, malware, or misuse of TBRB artwork/avatars).

5.  No Class or Representative Actions. Arbitration is only between you and TBRB. You may not bring a claim as a class plaintiff or class member, or on a private attorney general or representative basis. The arbitrator may not consolidate claims of multiple users. If this paragraph is found unenforceable as to a particular claim, that claim must be heard in court (not arbitration), and the remainder of this section will still apply.

6.  Costs & Fees. AAA fee rules apply. Where required by the AAA Consumer Rules or applicable law, TBRB will pay or reimburse filing, administration, and arbitrator fees for claims totaling $10,000 or less, unless the arbitrator finds the claim frivolous or improper.

7.  Opt-Out. You may opt out of arbitration within 30 days of first agreeing to these Rules/Terms by emailing
admin@thebetterrescuebureau.com

8.  Severability & Survival. Except as stated in §5 above, if any part of this section is found unenforceable, the remaining parts will still apply. This section survives account closure or termination.

COOKIES:

The software places a cookie, (a text file containing bits of information such as your username and password), in your browser's cache. This is ONLY used to keep you logged in/out. The software does not collect or send any other form of information to your computer.

THANK YOU!

PRIVACY POLICY— TBRB Community Forum (SMF)

Effective date: [Month Day, Year]
Who we are: The Better Rescue Bureau ("TBRB", "we", "us")
Forum covered: communities.thebetterrescuebureau.com (the "Forum").
Contact: admin@thebetterrescuebureau.com

This policy explains what we collect on our SMF forum, how we use it, and your choices. If local law requires something different, we'll follow the law.

1) INFORMATION WE COLLECT

Account & profile:
Username, display name, email address, password (hashed & salted), group/role, and profile fields you choose to add (e.g., bio, location).
Avatars & attachments you upload (including any metadata embedded in image files).
Content & interactions
Topics, posts, polls, likes/reactions, edits, and report/flag data.
Personal Messages (PMs) if enabled. PMs are not public; admins/mods may access them only to investigate abuse, safety, or legal issues.
Technical & security logs (from SMF)
IP addresses with each post/login, user agent, timestamps, referrer, login successes/failures, ban/mute/warn history, error logs, and moderation actions.

Cookies: Essential SMF cookies (e.g., session/login, language/theme, topic read tracking).
Examples: session ID, login token, last visit time. Blocking essential cookies prevents login.
Email & notifications: Your preferences for topic/digest notifications and basic delivery info (sent/bounced/open if supported by our mailer).
Payments/Donations (if used on the forum) Processed by third parties (e.g., Stripe/PayPal). We don't store full card numbers.

2) HOW WE USE INFORMATION:

Operate the Forum: create accounts, authenticate, display posts, run searches, and deliver notifications. (Contract; Legitimate Interests.)
Safety & moderation: prevent spam/abuse, enforce rules, and secure the platform. (Legitimate Interests; Legal Obligations.)
Improve performance: troubleshoot errors and measure load/performance. (Legitimate Interests; Consent where required for analytics.)
Communicate: service messages (password reset, security), and—if you opt in—announcements/digests. (Contract; Consent.)
Comply with law: respond to lawful requests and keep required records. (Legal Obligations.)
We do not sell or "share" your personal information for cross-context behavioral advertising.

3) PUBLIC VS. PRIVATE:

Posts and public profiles are visible to others and may be indexed by search engines. Share only what you're comfortable making public.
PMs are intended to be private, but may be reviewed by authorized staff only when needed to enforce rules, prevent harm, or comply with law.

4) AVATARS, IMAGES AND YOUR RIGHTS IN CONTENT:

Your uploads: You must have rights to anything you upload (avatars, images, attachments).
License you grant us: A non-exclusive, worldwide license to host, display, and preserve your forum content and avatars for community operation and backups.

TBRB artwork: Our custom forum avatars/artwork are © TBRB or their respective artists; do not reuse outside the Forum without permission.

5) WHO WE SHARE DATA WITH:

We use service providers to run the Forum—only what they need, under contracts that limit use:
Hosting & infrastructure, backups, security tools.
Email/SMTP for forum mail.
Spam/abuse protection (e.g., CAPTCHA/anti-spam, if enabled).
CDN/performance (e.g., QUIC.cloud/LiteSpeed) if enabled; we may whitelist the Forum so images and fonts load correctly.
Analytics (only if enabled and, where required, with consent).
We may disclose data if required by law or to protect the community and the animals we serve.

6) COOKIES AND ANALYTICS:

SMF uses essential cookies for login/session, preferences, and read-tracking.
Optional analytics cookies (if enabled) will be disclosed and, where required, used only with consent.
You can clear or block cookies; core features may stop working.

7) RETENTION:

Accounts & posts: kept while your account is active. If you delete your account, your public posts may remain to preserve conversation history (attributed to an anonymized label where feasible).
Security logs: typically retained [90] days unless needed longer for safety/legal reasons.
Backups: encrypted and rotated; deletion from live systems isn't immediate in backups.

YOUR CHOICES AND RIGHTS:

Update your profile, email preferences, and notifications in your account settings.
Request a copy of your data or ask us to delete/anonymize your account (subject to lawful limits and community context).
EEA/UK/Swiss users (GDPR): rights to access, rectify, erase, restrict, portability, and object; withdraw consent without affecting prior processing.
California users (CCPA/CPRA): rights to know, correct, delete, and limit use of sensitive data. We do not sell/share your personal information as defined by CPRA.

To exercise your rights, email admin@thebetterrescuebureau.com

9) CHILDRENS' PRIVACY

The Forum is for ADULTS involved in rescue work and is not directed to children under 18. If you believe a child under 18 has posted or provided personal information, contact us and we'll delete it.

10) SECURITY:

We use reasonable safeguards (encryption in transit, hardened hosting, role-based admin access, regular updates, anti-spam/abuse controls). No system is perfect—please use a strong, unique password.

11) INTERNATIONAL TRANSFERS:

Our servers/providers may be in the United States and other countries. Where required, we rely on appropriate safeguards (e.g., SCCs) with our providers.

12) THIRD PARTY LINKS AND EMBEDS:

Links or embedded media in posts lead to third-party sites with their own privacy practices.

13) CHANGES:

We'll post updates here and revise the "Effective date." Material changes may also be announced on the Forum.

14) CONTACT:

Email: admin@thebetterrescuebureau.com