Hello, and welcome to the Daily Paws FAQ. We hope that this answers all your questions. If it doesn’t, we sure hope you will use the Contact Us form to tell us what we have left out.

1. My Account
2. Animals and Voting
3. Pet Contests
4. Adoptions
5. Slide Shows
6. Comments and Forums
7. Site Problems
8. Miscellaneous

My Account

Why should I become a registered user at Daily Paws?

All Daily Paws users can have fun, whether they register or not. Those who register can do a lot more, though. They can add their animals for others to see. They can create and join Pet Contests, and can post comments in the Daily Paws Forums.

How do I register?

Click My Account in the upper right-hand corner of any Daily Paws page and you will go to a combined Sign In/Registration form. Type in your desired user name, your email address and your postal code, then review our Terms and Conditions and check the consent box if you agree to them. Click the Create New Account button, and we will send you a confirmation email to the address you supplied.

When you get the confirmation email, click on the link it contains to go to the site, and Bingo! – you’re now signed in and ready to add your photos, create Pet Contests, and do all the other fun things Daily Paws has to offer. Please remember to change your password immediately to one you can remember.

Where did my confirmation email go? I can’t find it.

Wait a couple of minutes, in case the mail took a scenic route. Then, did you check in your email spam folder? Sometimes these emails get filtered out by mistake.

Otherwise, are you sure you entered the correct email address? Try registering again with the same email to make sure. If it does not let you register with your email address then we have your account already in our system – just request another password (see “How do I retrieve a lost password” below).

How many Daily Paws accounts can I have?

As many as you want to, but it is a lot easier to manage your animals if you have only one.

How do I retrieve a lost password?

Go to the Daily Paws Log In page and type in your email address or your user name in the boxes provided under “Lost Your Password?”. Then click Email Me a New Password. The screen message will say something grumpy. Please accept our apologies – maybe Linus had a hangover when he wrote it.

When you get your password recovery email, click the Log In link and be sure to change your password immediately (so you don’t misplace it again).

How do I retrieve a lost user name?

Go to the Daily Paws Log In page and type in your email address in the box provided under “Lost Your Password?” then click Email Me a New Password.

When you get your password recovery email, click the Log In link and be sure to change your password immediately (so you don’t misplace it again).

Can I change my user name?

Yes, but it requires opening a new account. Linus won’t let users change their user name for existing accounts, since that would get very confusing for tracking Pet Contests and Forums. He says it would be like trying to call a dog in for supper after changing its name. Just about any name that you choose is cool with us though.

How do I change my password?

Go to your My Account page, then click the green Account Info tab. You will see two text boxes under “Password”. Type your new password into both boxes and click the Submit button at the bottom of the page. If you see red borders around the password boxes it means that you wrote the password two different ways (we are trying to save our friends from typing errors).

What is a postal code, and why is it required?

In the US it is your ZIP code – just the first 5 digits will do. We called it “postal code” so that our international friends would know what we were talking about. We hope to include include them in the search functions, too.

We ask for your postal code to that people can find any animals you put up for adoption. Most people want to find adoptable animals close to where they live, and we would have no way of telling them how close your animal was if we didn’t have your ZIP code.

Also, knowing roughly where our registered members live makes the site more valuable, which lets us spend more on cool features for our community.

I want to delete my account – what happens to my photos and Pet Contests?

If you delete your account your Pet Contests will live on, but your photos will be deleted with your account.

My account disappeared. What happened?

If you have gone through the password and email recovery processes above and still can’t find your account, it is hard to say. We would only delete a user for pretty significant or repeated violations of Daily Paws policies. But we do make mistakes, and the Internet is a mysterious place, so please send us a note using the Contact Us page and we will do our best to fix things.

How many animals can I add to my account?

As many as you can stand. After the first 6 the rest of your animals will be found on subsequent pages under the My Pets tab. We did this so that your My Account pages would load quickly and not drag down your computer. Not that animals are a drag, of course.

How do I remove an animal from Daily Paws?

Go to My Account, then select the My Pets tab. Choose the pet, or pets, that you want to remove, and check the box beside “select for deletion,” then click the Delete Selected Pets button at the bottom of the page. When you are asked on the next page whether you really want to do this, double-check, and if you do want to then click the “Delete Selected Pets” there, too.

My animal disappeared – what happened?

First, check the My Pets tab on your My Account pages. If you have a lot of pets he may be on page 2 or beyond of your My Pets pages. On the other hand, if you posted a picture of a 1972 Ford Pinto, or of a naked person, it is possible that we had to remove it ourselves because of user complaints. Please forgive us – we’re trying our best to make this a fun, clean site for pets and pet lovers.

Animals and Voting

Which are cooler, dogs or cats?

After several inconclusive battles in the octagon, Maya and Lancelot decided to leave this question up to all Daily Paws members. Please check the Best in Show lists to see current prevailing opinion.

How do I vote for the animals I like?

Easy as petting a puppy - just pick the animal you like, and under that animal’s picture select the star corresponding to the rating (1-5 stars) you want to add to that animal’s pile of voting loot.

To make sure that people didn’t just click on their pet again and again to make him king of Daily Paws the site remembers your votes for 24 hours on each pet contest and your pet’s home page. You can still vote as many times as you want on the home page – just keep voting until your favorite comes around again. It’s a bit like eating potato chips – you can’t stop at just one.

What’s that little yellow triangle under the animal photos for?

It means that the photo is somehow wrong for Daily Paws, and probably that it violates our terms of use. Pictures without animals in them are problem photos. Pictures depicting sexual acts, too. Also, llamas classified as dogs may create problems for some. If it seems wrong, click on the triangle and we’ll get it fixed. Thank you in advance for helping to keep our site clean and fun.

What if deeply-held beliefs forbid me from seeing dogs competing against cats?

First, both Lancelot and Maya believe that diversity is one of Daily Paws’ key strengths, and we try hard to accommodate people and pets of all beliefs.

On the Home page, just below “Pet Tips” in the navigation bar (today’s date is located in the navigation bar), you will see the word’s “Show me” and a little box with the word “All” in it. Try clicking on “All,” then pick the kind of animals you want to see.

Now, about the alien kidnap story... unfortunately, that one is out of our jurisdiction.

How does Daily Paws rank animals?

By the average number of stars users give them. Which means that some animals will lose almost all their contests but a few devoted fans can still show their love by giving them a high score. A little weird, but perhaps not as weird as a cat and a dog forming a business together.

My pets all have 5-star rankings – why aren’t they on the Top 10 lists?

It sounds like your pets are headed for Daily Paws celebrity, and soon, but they need 15 votes before they are included on Top 10 lists. If we didn’t do this the Top 10 lists would only show the most recent photos. But there is no shortage of ways to become Famous on Daily Paws.

If you want early fame, check out the “Make Me a Star!” button on your pet’s home page – you can use this to get 15 votes in a hurry.

Or you can start or join a Pet Contest. All pets show up immediately when they are added to a Pet Contest, so anyone can start right off as Best in Show.

One more tip – try changing your pet’s default photo once in a while – some photos just get better responses than others.

My pet is the most beautiful on Daily Paws, but his scores don’t show it. Help!

The “Make me a star!” button on your pet’s home page give you 3 powerful tools to boost your pet’s scores. If Barry Bonds had known about this button he would have 900 home runs and a size 6 1/4 hat.

How do I see more information about an animal?

Click the animal’s name, and you’ll go to a page with a little more information. We hope to expand this page to let you know much more about each animal, but Linus is kind of shy and designed this page for his own preferences. One cool thing, though – if you leave your cursor over an animal’s picture you will see little tidbits of additional information about them. We won’t date ourselves by saying “neat-o”.

How do I add my animals to Daily Paws?

Easy. If you have set up a Daily Paws account and are signed in, just click the “Add Your Pet Here” button on the home page. Use the Browse button to find a photo you like on your computer, and double-click it to select it for upgrade. You can also add pets from your My Account page – just look for the “Add New Pet” box.

How do I change my animal’s photo or other information?

Sign in and go to your My Account page, then click on the green My Pets tab. Click on your animal’s photo. See that green Edit tab? Click on that, then you can change any information you like. You can upload more photos, and choose which photo will be the one people will vote on. Click Submit when you’re done, and voila!

How many photos can I have for each animal?

Nine! And when you add more photos your pet’s widget (see the “Make me a star!” button on your pet’s home page) becomes a personal slide show.

Pet Contests

How can I start a Daily Paws Pet Contest?

On the Pet Contests page, click the “Create a Contest” button and fill in the information requested on the Create a Pet Contest page, then click Submit. You can find the “Create new Pet Contest” links on your My Account page, and on the Pet Contests page. You must be signed in to create a Pet Contest.

Once you have created your Pet Contest, be sure to add an animal or two by selecting the Add Your Pet button at the top of the page. Then you’ll want to click the Invite a Friend button and to send invitations to your buddies.

Pet contests can be organized for breeds, for cities or states, for companies or schools – any reason at all to start a friendly competition.

How can I join a Daily Paws Pet Contest?

If it is an open Pet Contest, no problem. Go to the contest and click the "Join This Contest" link. If you are already logged in, bingo, you're done. If you're not logged in already you will be asked to log in.

If it is an Invite Only contest you have to contact the owner to be let in. Some people want to control their contests, to keep cats and birds separated for the happiness of all creatures.

Can I add any Daily Paws Pet Contests to my own web pages?

Yes. Go to the Pet Contest you want to add and click the “Get contest widget” button. Follow a few simple steps, and presto! – visitors to your own web pages will now be able to vote on your favorite Daily Paws pets, and see who’s winning at any time.

What is a Pet Contest widget?

It’s an easy way to take a chunk of Daily Paws with you to dress up your favorite web page. Just click the “Get contest widget” to get started…

How many Pet Contests can I start?

Zillions. Really, go to town, invite all your friends and make lots of Pet Contests. Post contest URL's on your blog or on your pet's MySpace page. We would love to see thousands of animal Pet Contests on Daily Paws.

How do I add my animals to Daily Paws Pet Contests?

First, make sure you have registered with Daily Paws, since only registered users can add pets.

Then, if it is an open Pet Contest you're on easy street. Go to the contest and click the "Join This Contest" link. If you are already logged in, bingo, you're done (or just log in when asked).

Then click the "Add Your Pet" button, use the check boxes to select which of your animals you want to add, and click "Save" the bottom of the page. You can also add a new pet at this time by selecting the Add New Pet box. Your pets should show up immediately in the contest.

If it is an Invite Only contest you have to contact the owner to be let in. We're working on a neat way connect pet-loving strangers, but we've discovered that pets have limited credit lines and our developers need more cash to do this.

If you have received an email inviting you to a Pet Contest (or if you came across the invitation links some other way – scalping invites again, Lancelot?), select the invitation link, register or sign in if you have to and click the Add Pets to a Pet Contest at the top of the Pet Contest’s page. If you already have pets in your Daily Paws account it should be pretty straightforward. If not, add a new pet, then come back to the Pet Contest and click the Add Pets to a Pet Contest link again. Yes, it’s a pain, and we plan to dock Linus a few herring for this awkwardness.

How do I control which photos are allowed in my Pet Contest?

If you want to have only your friends in, make the Pet Contest an Invite Only contest by removing the check from the "This Contest is Open" box. Log in, go to your Pet Contest and select the "Edit Contest" button to see how you have configured your contest. Then use the "Invite a Friend" button to invite only pets you want tin. Be careful who you invite. Once they’re in, it’s tough to get them out. Please tell us if you want changes to this.

But I don’t know the email addresses of my MySpace friends – how do I invite them?

Then you need to get an invitation link (the URL that comes in an invitation email) and post it to your MySpace page (or into a MySpace message). Go to your contest, click the “Invite a friend” button and invite yourself to your own contest (yes, Steve Jobs is not about to put dogs or cats, let alone penguins, in charge of Apple’s usability lab). Copy the invitation link from the mail you get, and post it where you will.

Adoption

How do I put an animal up for adoption?

With a lot of optimism, and a little sadness. Oh, you mean on Daily Paws.

On the page you fill out when you add or edit an animal’s information (let’s call it the Animal Edit page) there is a box you can check to list an animal for adoption. If this box is checked, the “Adopt Me!” link will appear next to that animal’s picture, letting people contact you to tell you they want to adopt him. Don’t worry, Daily Paws users won’t be able to see your email address unless you reply to their email inquiries.

To post an adoptable animal on Daily Paws we require that you provide all important information about your animal. By all important information, we mean any fact or piece of information that someone who is going to adopt your animal would want to know (for example, has your dog bitten anyone in the past; does your cat not always use the litter box).

One last detail: please make sure you have included an accurate Postal Code in your My Account page, since that will help people find local animals that are up for adoption.

How do I adopt a pet through Daily Paws?

First, if you have never had a pet before, please think about the commitment involved. Especially if this is your first pet, you might want to read the Humane Society’s page on “What to Consider Before Adopting a Pet” for help with your decision.

Adoptable animals are identified on Daily Paws by orange “Adopt Me!” buttons beside their pictures. Clicking on these buttons will take you to a form to put you in touch with the person who posted the animal you are interested in. Just fill in your information and click the Send button. It is then up to the animal’s owner to reply to your inquiry.

Please note that Daily Paws does not screen the people or animals in the adoption process, so be cautious and do some checking on them before handing over personal information or completing an adoption. We hope this process brings joy to all concerned.

How do I find adoptable animals at Daily Paws?

Adoptable animals can be found through the Search function. Just put in your Postal Code, and see which animals are closest.

Does Daily Paws screen adoptable animals or the people offering them?

No, we don’t. There are too many shelters, and as anyone with a non-neutered pet knows, animals aren’t the best at screening each other anyway. This means you are totally responsible for knowing the other people and animals involved. We strongly recommend checking references, getting the pet checked out at a vet, etc., before making any final decisions.

Does Daily Paws make money from pet adoptions?

No, it is a free service. Lancelot and Linus were both orphans, so they insisted that this feature be free.

Slide Shows

I clicked on the Slide Show icon, but nothing happened.

Slide Shows are shown in pop-up windows, which your browser may be trying to prevent (if you see a yellow bar just above the Daily Paws page, that’s probably your browser asking if you want to allow pop-ups from Daily Paws. Please do – the pop-ups will only be slide shows, not ads for miracle mortgages or “adult performance formulas”).

Try adjusting the settings in your web browser or your Internet security software to allow pop-ups at Daily Paws.

To change your browser settings:

• Internet Explorer - go to Tools | Internet Options, and select the Security tab. Select Custom Level and look for the Popup Blocker option.
• Firefox – go to Tools | Options, and select the Content icon. If you prefer to keep blocking most pop-ups you can select the Exceptions button to the right of the “Block pop-up windows” check box and then enter www.dailypaws.com as a site for which you would like to allow pop-ups.

Comments and Forums

What’s the difference?

Forums are old school, with all information added by Daily Paws users. We think forums are a little too old school – pets want to be able to comment right beside a site’s main information. We apologize for waxing philosophical in an otherwise useful FAQ.

What I really want to know is, how do I write something on Daily Paws?

You have to be signed in to write comments or contribute to the Forums, which means you also have to be a registered user. We do this to try and keep the site as clean and useful as possible. Fortunately, registration is free, and it only takes a minute or so.

You share congratulations, additional information and opposing opinion on any pet’s home page, on any forum topic, or at the bottom of any Pet Tips page. Start by clicking the “Post comment” button, and – absent writer’s block – the rest should be easy.

If you want to start a new forum topic, try clicking the little green link, “Post a new forum topic” which is just above the “Topic” header on main forum pages.

How do I edit or erase or change something I wrote in the Forum?

To do this you must be signed in with the same username you used when you wrote your initial posting.

Comments are easy to change – just sign in, find the comment and select the edit or erase links underneath it.

Forum contributions are more complicated. Go to that posting and you will find a green Edit tab above it. Click the Edit tab, and rewrite your posting, then click Submit again. Is this dumb? Yes. Will we get fired for it? Not as long as we animals run the show.

How do I report abusive material in the Forum?

Find the forum you find offensive and copy the URL from your browser, then click on the Contact Us link a the bottom of the page, select “Report Abuse” from the drop-down menu and paste the link into the Message box and click “Send Email”. Thank you for your help to keep the site clean and fun.

Site Problems

How do I report problems with the site?

The Contact Us page is the best way to do it. You will see a drop-down list there to help get your message to one of our legions of representatives. We would love to know if something is broken, or if you have a great idea for improving the site, and we will make every effort to respond to all who contact us.

How do I report inappropriate or abusive content?

Inappropriate photos and comments can be reported by clicking on the little yellow triangle ("problem photo" link) below them.

Bad Forum posts are a little tougher – please paste their URLs into the Message box on the Contact Us page.

In general, please use the Contact Us page for any problems other than bad photos.

How do I send you great ideas for improving Daily Paws?

Just send us a message using the Contact Us page. We are only three animals, without an opposable thumb between us, so we need all the good ideas we can get. Thank you for your help.

Miscellaneous

What’s the point of Daily Paws?

The point is having fun, enjoying great pictures and sharing useful information about pets and other animals. Daily Paws offers a few moments of instant therapy, a quick and happy distraction and something useful when you want it.

Why are the founders hiding behind their deceased pets?

First, they owed us for the times they were chasing girls and leaving us to play on our own. Second, they were scared of some Mastiff beating them up over a ranking dispute. Third, we’re much better looking. Finally, do you really want to read a story about two grade-school buddies starting a web site?

We’re not sure we believe that a Penguin named Linus built the Daily Paws site.

Well, that’s our story and we’re sticking to it.

Can we advertise on Daily Paws?

Sure. We’d be happy to talk with you about sponsoring widgets, or even parts of the site, to help launch new pet products and raise money for worthy pet-related causes.

What’s next for Daily Paws?

After we give Daily Paws on Ice a permanent facility in Las Vegas, we’re thinking of making a bid for the Mill Valley Record to launch our news platform.

Why is this FAQ so long?

Because some penguin heard that a big FAQ would improve his social life.