Community guidelines

MuffinBiter works because people show up honestly and treat each other decently. These guidelines are part of the Terms — breaking them can cost you your account.

Be honest about your dog

This is the one that matters most. Size, energy, play style, reactivity, guarding, a history of scuffles, a healing injury, kennel cough — say it. Nobody thinks less of you. The people who know their dogs well are the people everyone wants at the gate.

Overstating how friendly your dog is puts other dogs at risk, and it's the fastest way to lose your account here.

Show up, or say you're not coming

If you posted a beacon and plans changed, cancel it. Someone drove across LA for it. Cancelling is one tap and carries no penalty; ghosting a beacon you hosted is the one etiquette failure the community actually notices.

Keep chat about the playdate

Beacon chat exists to coordinate — where you're parking, that you're running ten minutes late, that your dog's had enough. It isn't a place to pitch a business, ask someone out, or argue.

MuffinBiter is not a dating app. Using it to approach people romantically is a violation, not a grey area.

Not allowed, anywhere

Harassment, threats, intimidation or stalking.
Hate speech or slurs targeting anyone's race, ethnicity, religion, disability, gender, gender identity or sexual orientation.
Sexual content or unwanted romantic advances.
Impersonating another person, or creating an account to evade a block or suspension.
Spam, promotions, recruiting, or scraping other members' information.
Posting anyone else's photo, contact details or location without their permission.
Bringing a dog with a history of aggression toward people or dogs to a group meetup.
Using MuffinBiter to arrange anything illegal, or to sell or rehome animals.

At the park

Follow the posted park rules and your city's leash laws. The sign at the gate is the authority.
Supervise your dog directly. You are the supervision — not us, and not the other owners.
Clean up. Every time.
Leave if it isn't working. No explanation owed, to anyone.
If a dog gets hurt, exchange contact details and get veterinary care. Puncture wounds need a vet even when they look minor.

Reporting and enforcement

Report any member or beacon from the app. Reports come to us and are never shown to the person reported. Depending on severity we may warn, remove content, suspend, or permanently remove an account — and we look at patterns, not just single incidents. Serious safety issues get acted on immediately.

If you think we got a decision wrong, email hello@muffinbiter.com. A real person will look again.

The spirit of it

Every rule here comes from one idea: the dogs are why we're here, and the humans are responsible for them. Be the person other people are glad to see walking up to the gate.

Plain-language note. These documents are written to be readable rather than impressive. If anything here is unclear, email hello@muffinbiter.com and we'll explain it — and probably rewrite it.

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