-

Know Your Pet DNA Terms and Conditions

Effective Date: 1 October 2024

Welcome to Know Your Pet DNA by Ancestry®. Please read the following information carefully before using any of the websites, products, or services provided in association with the Know Your Pet DNA brand (collectively the “Pet DNA Services”) as it sets forth the terms of a legally binding agreement between you and Ancestry when you use the Pet DNA Services. If you do not agree to these terms, you should not use the Pet DNA Services.

1. Introduction 

By using the Pet DNA Services, you agree to these Know Your Pet DNA Terms and Conditions (“Pet DNA Terms”). Any new features included in the Pet DNA Services in the future will also be subject to the Pet DNA Terms.

You are entering into these Pet DNA Terms with a specific Ancestry entity depending on where you are, and all references to “Ancestry”, “us”, “we”, or “our” in these Pet DNA Terms refer to the relevant Ancestry entity. If you are in the United States, the Ancestry entity party to these Pet DNA Terms is Ancestry.com DNA, LLC. If you are outside the United States, the Ancestry entity party to these Pet DNA Terms is Ancestry International DNA, LLC. We reserve the right to change the Ancestry entity party to these Pet DNA Terms at any time.

Know Your Pet DNA is an Ancestry® Service and is part of the "Services" as defined by the Ancestry Terms and Conditions. These Pet DNA Terms incorporate by reference and supplement the Ancestry Terms and Conditions and certain Ancestry policies and guidelines, including the Community Rules, Cookie Policy, Copyright Policy, and Trademark Usage Guidelines (collectively, the “Ancestry Terms”), as well as the Know Your Pet DNA Privacy Statement, which explains how we collect and use your Personal Information. Please read all of these documents carefully to understand your rights and responsibilities when using the Pet DNA Services. If there is any conflict between the Ancestry Terms and the Pet DNA Terms, the Pet DNA Terms will prevail.

Additional terms may apply when you sign up for a new Pet DNA Service or take advantage of a promotion or special offer. Any such additional terms will be disclosed to you in advance and become part of your agreement with us. If any additional terms conflict with these Pet DNA Terms, those additional terms will prevail.

2. Pet DNA Services

The Pet DNA Services encompass the collection and registration of your pet’s sample using a Know Your Pet DNA test kit, laboratory processing of your pet’s sample, and providing results to you through your User account. Everyone who uses the Pet DNA Services, whether an unregistered guest, or a purchaser or registrant of a Know Your Pet DNA kit, is a “User.” Users will need to register an Ancestry account to use certain Pet DNA Services, and you agree to provide accurate, complete, and current information when registering. The Pet DNA Services are intended for those who have reached the age of consent where the Services are being offered. Children under the age of 13 are not permitted to create accounts. 

2.1 Purpose. The purpose of the Pet DNA Services is to provide you with genetic results and related reports about your pet, such as your pet’s breed mix and traits. The Pet DNA Services are intended for your personal, recreational use and are not a substitute for professional veterinary care. Any information you obtain from the Pet DNA Services is not designed to prove the pedigree or purebred status of your pet or to diagnose, treat, or prevent any animal disease, condition, or state of health. If you have questions related to your pet’s health, we encourage you to speak with a veterinarian. 

2.2 Results. When using the Pet DNA Services you may receive unexpected results. Your pet is a product of its unique genetics, the environment, and its handling. The results you receive through the Pet DNA Services are based on your pet’s DNA and may not reflect the effects your pet’s environment or handling may have had on the expression of its DNA. As a result, your pet’s characteristics and behaviors may not align with its reported traits or with the breed descriptions we provide; these breed descriptions are general in nature and are not intended to be conclusive or comprehensive. While you may have a reaction to your pet’s results or other discoveries from use of the Pet DNA Services, you expressly agree to assume all risks associated with your use of the Pet DNA Services and not to hold Ancestry liable for any consequences of such discoveries or encounters. For more information about Ancestry’s Limited Liability, please review Section 8 of the Ancestry Terms and Conditions.

The Know Your Pet DNA health test screens for more than 200 genetic variants and provides information about your pet's genetic predisposition to certain health-related conditions. Although this test covers a wide range of health-related conditions, it may not screen for every genetic variant associated with a reported trait or condition and cannot identify all potential genetically-linked health-related conditions that could affect your pet. The information provided by the Know Your Pet DNA health test is intended for informational purposes only and should not be considered predictive of a medical outcome. It is not a substitute for regular and professional veterinary care and should not be relied upon as a definitive diagnosis. Always consult with your veterinarian about any specific concerns you may have about your pet and to receive personalized recommendations regarding the treatment and diagnostic testing of your pet.

2.3 Your Use of the Pet DNA Services. In exchange for access to the Pet DNA Services, you agree:

  • To comply with these Pet DNA Terms and with all applicable laws;

  • To be responsible for all use and activity of the Pet DNA Services associated with your account or login information;

  • To contact us if you suspect your account has been used without your authorization or you believe your login information has been stolen;

  • Not to resell the Pet DNA Services or resell, reproduce, or publish any content or information found on the Pet DNA Services, except as explicitly described in these Terms;

  • Not to circumvent, disable, or otherwise interfere with security-related features of the Pet DNA Services; and

  • Not to access or collect data from any Pet DNA Services in bulk or attempt to access data without permission—whether manually or by automated means. This includes, but is not limited to, use of any artificial intelligence, bots, crawlers, spiders, data-miners, or scrapers.

  • Not to resell Know Your Pet DNA test kits;

  • The sample you return to us is from your pet and not from any other animal;

  • Not to send us a sample in violation of any export ban or other law;

  • Not to rely on Pet DNA Services for a medical diagnosis or as definitive evidence of a health condition without further consultation with a veterinarian;

  • Ancestry may use any portion of your pet’s sample, genetic information, results, or other pet information for research and development purposes, including to support or improve the Pet DNA Services, for commercial purposes, for statistical purposes, or for any other purpose permitted by applicable law, and you acquire no rights in any research or commercial products developed by us or our collaborators/partners and will receive no compensation related to any such products or transactions; and

  • Not to use information obtained from the Pet DNA Services, whether in whole, in part, or in combination with any other database or service, to prove the pedigree, breed type, or purebred status of your pet, for any veterinary or diagnostic purpose, in any judicial proceeding, or for any discriminatory purpose or illegal activity.

  • Ancestry does not voluntarily provide data of any kind to governmental or judicial bodies or to law enforcement agencies unless compelled pursuant to valid legal process.

2.4 Ancestry’s Provision of the Pet DNA Services. You agree that in order to facilitate your use of Pet DNA Services, we may directly or through other companies who help us provide Pet DNA Services:

  • Provide your pet’s sample to other companies that help us provide the Pet DNA Services, such as to our laboratory partner;

  • Store your pet’s data and results, and you acknowledge that the Pet DNA Services are not intended to provide a permanent record of test results; you are solely responsible for saving or printing copies of test results if you wish to maintain a record of them;

  • Store your pet’s sample and any extracted DNA in a biobank located in the United States or, at our option, destroy them after laboratory processing; once submitted to us, your pet’s sample, including any extracted DNA, cannot be returned to you. In certain cases we may destroy samples and/or extracted DNA to maintain biobank quality levels;

  • Allow certain of our laboratory partners to use a portion of registered or unregistered samples to calibrate or validate instruments, equipment, or laboratory methods used in providing Pet DNA Services; and

  • Use your Personal Information as described in these Know Your Pet DNA Terms and the Know Your Pet DNA Privacy Statement.

3. Ancestry Content

The Pet DNA Services may contain photos, videos, documents, records, indexes of content, and other content provided to you by Ancestry (“Ancestry Content”). When accessing Ancestry Content, you agree:

  • To use Ancestry Content only in connection with your personal use of the Pet DNA Services;

  • To download Ancestry Content only where expressly permitted by Ancestry;

  • Not to remove any copyright or other proprietary notices on any Ancestry Content; and

  • Not to use significant portions of Ancestry Content outside the Pet DNA Services.

Some of the Ancestry Content provided through the Pet DNA Services was generated with the assistance of AI-based tools. Despite our efforts to provide reliable and accurate information, we cannot guarantee the accuracy, completeness, or usefulness of such content provided through the Pet DNA Services. Ancestry does not make any representations with respect to ownership of such content or fitness for any particular use or purpose.

3.1 Intellectual Property Rights to Ancestry Content. All elements of the Pet DNA Services that are created by us or under our direction, or where the copyright has been assigned or licensed to us, are subject to country-specific copyright protections around the world and international conventions. For additional information about our Copyright Policy, click here. The Pet DNA Services include trademarks that are owned by us and protected under country- and region-specific trademark laws and treaties. All uses of our trademarks and any goodwill resulting therefrom will inure to our benefit. For additional information about our trademarks, click here. The Pet DNA Services and products associated with our Pet DNA Services may also be protected by patents in the United States and other countries around the world. For more information about our patents, click here. We and our licensors retain ownership and all rights in the exploitation of the Pet DNA Services and its component parts. 

4. Your Content

The Pet DNA Services may allow you to contribute content, including but not limited to, photos, audio/video recordings, stories, comments, messages, and feedback provided to Ancestry about the Pet DNA Services (“Your Content”). Your Content that contains Personal Information will be treated in accordance with the Know Your Pet DNA Privacy Statement.

4.1 You Control Your Content. Ancestry does not claim any ownership rights to Your Content, control how you choose to share Your Content within the Pet DNA Services, or limit how you share Your Content outside of the Pet DNA Services. You can delete Your Content either by following instructions provided within the Pet DNA Services or by logging into your Ancestry Account Settings and deleting your Account. If you request deletion of information about your pet, we will, at our option, either delete it or de-identify it by dissociating it from your Ancestry account. However, if you submit feedback or suggestions about the Pet DNA Services, you acknowledge that it is deemed to be non-confidential and non-proprietary and we may use your feedback or suggestions for any purpose without any obligation or compensation to you.

4.2 Use of Your Content. By submitting Your Content, you grant Ancestry a non-exclusive, sub-licensable, worldwide, royalty-free license to host, store, index, copy, publish, distribute, provide access to, create derivative works of, and otherwise use Your Content to provide, promote, or improve the Pet DNA Services, consistent with your privacy and User settings. You can terminate Ancestry’s license by deleting Your Content, except to the extent you shared Your Content with others and they have used Your Content. You also agree that Ancestry owns any indexes and compilations that include Your Content and may use them after Your Content is deleted.

4.3 Your Responsibilities for Your Content. You are responsible for the decision to create, upload, post, or share Your Content. By contributing or accessing Your Content you agree:

  • You have all the necessary legal rights to upload, post, or share Your Content;

  • Your Content does not violate any applicable laws;

  • Your Content will not include a living person without their consent. In the case of living minors, you will get consent from their parent or guardian;

  • All Your Content will comply with the Community Rules;

  • If you share Your Content publicly, other users may access and use Your Content as part of, or in conjunction with, the Pet DNA Services; we are not required to remove any of Your Content once it has been publicly shared;

  • You will use other Users’ content only within Pet DNA Services and in compliance with these Pet DNA Terms and the other policies incorporated by reference; 

  • Ancestry reserves the right to monitor Your Content and to screen for illegal content or other violations of these Pet DNA Terms, including the Community Rules, and to remove or disable access to Your Content; and

  • Serious or repeat violations or offenses will subject the responsible User to account suspension or termination. 

4.4 Reporting Violations of these Pet DNA Terms. If you have concerns that any content violates the Community Rules, infringes your rights, contains illegal material, or violates these Pet DNA Terms, please contact us or file a report online. We respect the intellectual property rights of others. For complaints regarding copyright infringement or to submit a copyright infringement notice and takedown request, including those made pursuant to the U.S. Digital Millennium Copyright Act, click here.

5. Refunds and Replacements

5.1 Refund Eligibility—United States. Know Your Pet DNA kit purchased directly from Ancestry are eligible for a refund if you request a refund and return the kit within 60 days of placing your kit order, minus a $15 processing fee. You must return the kit to receive a refund. Ancestry does not refund shipping and processing charges or any applicable taxes paid on the non-refundable portion for kits purchased in the United States. All refunds will be credited to the billing method associated with the original order.

To request a refund of your Know Your Pet DNA kit, you must (1) provide the same information you provided to us when you placed your kit order, and (2) return your Know Your Pet DNA kit to us. Please contact us for more information.

If you purchased your Know Your Pet DNA kit at Amazon or another of our authorized retailers, you should contact those sellers directly to request a refund.

5.2 Refund Eligibility—Outside the United States. You have the right to withdraw and change your mind and cancel your order for a Know Your Pet DNA test and receive a full refund, including shipping costs, at any time within 14 days of receiving your order. Please contact us to cancel your order and request a refund. When contacting us, you will need to provide your order number, which can be found in the order confirmation email you received after placing your order. Your right to cancel will lapse 14 days following the date you receive your order. If you cancel your Know Your Pet DNA DNA test after you have submitted your pet’s sample, you will not be able to access any Know Your Pet DNA results. Your refund will only be provided via the credit card you used to purchase the Know Your Pet DNA kit. Please allow a reasonable time for the credit to reach you.

5.3 Replacement Testing Kits. Should you require a replacement Know Your Pet DNA testing kit, you may contact us. Please provide the same information that you provided when you ordered your Know Your Pet DNA test kit. Depending on the reason for a replacement kit, we may charge a fee of $25 per kit (plus applicable shipping and handling), in the United States. There is no additional charge for replacement kits outside of the United States.

5.4 Bundles. From time to time, where offered, Ancestry may offer multiple products (such as an AncestryDNA® kit and a Know Your Pet DNA kit) in combined packages, or “Bundles.” You may return a Bundle for a refund within 60 days from the date of purchase. Bundles may only be returned as a complete package. We do not accept returns of any product(s) that were sold as part of a Bundle, unless the Bundle is returned complete. You must return all DNA kits in your Bundle to be eligible for a refund, and a $15 processing fee (per DNA kit) will be deducted from your refund amount. For users in the European Union, no processing fees will be deducted from the refund amount.

6. Termination or Suspension of Your Account

We reserve the right to limit, suspend, or terminate your access to the Pet DNA Services if you breach these Pet DNA Terms, including the Community Rules. If applicable laws where you live require additional notice or process, we will provide such notice and process to you. Unless otherwise required by applicable law, we will not refund the purchase price of a Know Your Pet DNA test kit where you lose access to the Pet DNA Services because of your breach of the Pet DNA Terms, including the Community Rules.

7. Miscellaneous

7.1 Modifications. We may modify these Pet DNA Terms at any time and agree to notify you of any material changes by posting information through the Pet DNA Services or sending you an email. Material changes become effective thirty days after they are posted, except for changes addressing new Pet DNA Services or legal requirements, which will be effective immediately. Your continued use of the Pet DNA Services means you accept the modified Pet DNA Terms. If you do not agree to the changes, you should stop using the Pet DNA Services.

7.2 Entire Agreement. These Pet DNA Terms and other documents incorporated by reference are the entire agreement between you and Ancestry regarding your use of the Pet DNA Services and supersede any prior agreements.

7.3 Transfer of Rights and Obligations. We reserve the right to assign or transfer our rights and obligations under this agreement. If Ancestry or any Pet DNA Service provider is acquired or transferred to another entity (in whole or part, and including in connection with bankruptcy or similar proceedings), you agree that Ancestry may share your Personal Information and Your Content with that entity. You may not assign or transfer any of your rights and obligations under these Pet DNA Terms without Ancestry’s written consent. There are no third-party beneficiaries to these Pet DNA Terms.

7.4 Severability. Except as explicitly provided herein, the unenforceability of any section or clause in these Pet DNA Terms will not affect the enforceability of the remaining Pet DNA Terms.

7.5 No Waiver. Our failure to enforce any provision of these Pet DNA Terms is not a waiver of our rights under that provision, and we reserve all rights not expressly provided to you herein.

7.6 Minors Thirteen and Under. Ancestry does not knowingly seek or collect any Personal Information directly from anyone under the age of 13 and will take commercially reasonable efforts to delete such data from our systems.