Frequently Asked Questions

PawShield tags have a QR code and an NFC chip embedded in them. When someone finds your pet, they scan the QR code with their phone camera or tap the NFC tag. This opens your pet's profile page showing their name, photo, and a way to contact you. You get an instant notification with the scanner's location.

No, neither you nor the person who finds your pet needs an app. Everything works through a standard web browser. You manage your pet's profile and view scan history through our website at pawshieldpet.net.

They'll see your pet's profile page with their name, photo, species, breed, any medical notes you've added, and a custom message. They can tap a button to call you directly or send you a message through a secure form. You'll receive an email (and optional SMS) notification with the scan location.

Yes. Your email and phone number are never shown directly to the person who scans the tag. They can contact you through a secure relay — we forward the message to you without exposing your contact details. All data is encrypted in transit and at rest. IP addresses from scans are hashed, never stored in raw form.

Absolutely. Each pet gets their own tag and their own profile. You can manage all your pets from a single dashboard account. There's no limit to how many tags you can activate.

The QR code is quite durable, but if the tag becomes unreadable, contact us for a replacement. We can transfer your pet's profile to a new tag so you don't have to re-enter any information.

Log into your dashboard, go to your pet's profile, and toggle the "Lost Mode" switch at the top. This adds a prominent red banner to your pet's scan page that says "THIS PET IS LOST — PLEASE HELP" and highlights the contact options. You can deactivate it the same way once your pet is found.

Your data is stored on secure cloud infrastructure powered by Supabase (built on PostgreSQL). All data is encrypted, backed up regularly, and stored in SOC 2 compliant data centers. We never sell your data to third parties.

Yes. You can delete your account at any time from your dashboard settings. This will immediately disable all your tags and schedule your data for permanent deletion after 30 days. During those 30 days, you can contact support to recover your account if you change your mind.

Nothing. There are no monthly fees, no subscriptions, and no hidden costs. You buy the tag once for $29 CAD and it works forever. All features — notifications, scan history, lost mode, dashboard — are included free of charge.

We launch in Canada. Tags are sold on Amazon.ca and ship free across all provinces and territories. (US and international shipping will follow once Canadian launch is stable.)

Yes. The scan page is just a web URL — it opens in any browser, anywhere in the world. If your pet is found while you're travelling, the finder still sees your profile and you still get the alert. Notifications via email work globally; SMS alerts are limited to Canadian and US phone numbers.

PawShield is built to comply with PIPEDA and Quebec's Law 25. We collect only what we need to deliver the service, never sell data, and let you access, export, or delete your data from your dashboard. Our full Privacy Policy details what we collect, how long we keep it, and how to exercise your rights — including filing a complaint with the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada.

Canada's Anti-Spam Legislation (CASL) requires explicit, recorded consent before any commercial SMS. When you turn on SMS alerts, we log the consent event with a timestamp. Every text we send identifies us as the sender and includes "Reply STOP to opt out (ARRÊT pour se désabonner)" as required.