Code of Conduct

1. Community Conduct

Treat other players and the BK Team with respect. Everyone should be able to enjoy the game without being harassed, insulted or pressured.

1. Be respectful. Harassment, bullying, personal attacks, name-calling, discrimination and threats are not permitted.
2. No public shaming. Do not use bios, names, messages or any other text to expose, embarrass or target another player.
3. Respect different playstyles. Players are free to breed, train, compete and manage their kennels however they like, as long as they follow the rules.
4. No discrimination. Racist, sexist, homophobic or otherwise discriminatory language, including jokes and stereotypes, is not allowed.
5. Keep disagreements civil. Discussions and disagreements are perfectly fine, but personal attacks and attempts to provoke arguments are not.
6. No impersonation. Do not pretend to be another player, a member of the BK Team or someone with special permissions, whether through usernames, profiles or messages.
7. Follow staff instructions. If a staff member asks you to stop an activity or remove content, please cooperate. If you disagree with a moderation decision, you may contact the team privately.

2. Accounts and Security

Your account is your responsibility. Please take reasonable precautions to keep it secure.

1. One account per player. Multiple accounts used to gain additional resources, advantages or benefits are not permitted, and every account involved may be banned, including your main one. Sharing a home or a computer with another player is fine, but accounts used on the same device cannot trade with each other or buy from each other in the Item Market.
2. Do not share accounts. Sharing login credentials, account access or allowing another person to play through your account is prohibited.
3. Do not buy, sell or transfer accounts. Accounts belong to their original owners and cannot be transferred to another player.
4. Keep your login information private. Never share your password with anyone. The BK Team will never ask for it.

3. Fair Play and Gameplay

Barking Kennels is designed around fair progression and an in-game economy. All players should have an equal opportunity to enjoy its features.

1. No cheating or automation. Using bots, scripts, auto-clickers or other external tools to automate gameplay or gain an unfair advantage is prohibited.
2. Do not exploit bugs or glitches. If you discover a bug that could provide an unintended advantage, report it to the BK Team instead of using it.
3. No manipulation of the economy. Exploiting game systems, abusing transactions or artificially generating currency and resources is prohibited.
4. No account farming. Creating or using additional accounts to transfer currency, dogs or items to your main account is not permitted.
5. Do not interfere with other players' gameplay. Abusing game mechanics to disrupt, sabotage or unfairly disadvantage other players is prohibited.
6. Do not encourage rule-breaking. Helping others exploit bugs, circumvent restrictions or cheat is also considered a violation.

4. Trading and Transactions

Players are free to buy, sell and trade dogs and items through the Market, the Item Market and Trades. New accounts can use the Item Market and Trades 7 days after they are created.

1. Be honest when trading. Deliberately misleading players about a dog's characteristics, genetics, pedigree or an item's properties is not permitted.
2. No scamming. Intentionally deceiving another player to obtain their dogs, currency or items is prohibited.
3. Respect completed transactions. Once a transaction has been completed, the new owner is free to manage their dog or items as they wish.
4. No begging or pressure. Do not repeatedly ask players for free dogs, currency, items or services. Respect their decisions.
5. No unsolicited advertising. Do not send unsolicited advertisements, sales offers or promotional messages to other players.
6. No real-money trading. Trading in-game currency, dogs, items or services for real-world money or assets outside Barking Kennels is prohibited. The only real-money purchases in BK are the ones made through the official shop.
7. Be careful with private agreements. Deals made outside the Market, the Item Market and Trades are not protected by the BK Team. We strongly recommend using official game features whenever possible.

5. Content and Communication

Players are responsible for everything they write in Barking Kennels.

1. Keep content appropriate. Explicit, pornographic, excessively graphic or otherwise inappropriate content is not allowed.
2. No harmful language. Avoid offensive language, slurs and profanity directed at other players or groups.
3. Respect sensitive topics. Content involving violence, self-harm, discrimination or other sensitive subjects must be handled appropriately. Graphic or promotional content is prohibited.
4. No political or religious arguments. Barking Kennels is a game community, not a place for heated political or religious debates.
5. No personal information. Do not share your own or another person's private information, including full names, addresses, phone numbers or other identifying details.
6. No spam. Avoid repetitive messages, excessive advertising, excessive capitalisation or flooding other players' inboxes.
7. Keep names appropriate. These rules also apply to usernames and to kennel, dog and affix names. The BK Team may rename anything that breaks them.
8. No malicious links. Sharing phishing links, malware or other potentially harmful content is strictly prohibited.

6. Artwork and Intellectual Property

We want Barking Kennels to be a place where creativity is encouraged and artists are respected.

1. Respect other people's work. Do not claim artwork, photographs, writing or other creations made by someone else as your own.
2. Respect BK assets. Barking Kennels artwork, designs and other game assets may not be redistributed, sold or used commercially without permission from the BK Team, and their watermarks and copyright notices may not be removed.

7. Moderation and Reports

The BK Team is responsible for maintaining a safe and enjoyable environment for everyone.

1. Report rule violations. If you encounter harassment, cheating, scamming or other inappropriate behaviour, use the Report option on the player's profile, message or trade note, or write to [email protected]. A moderator reads every report.
2. Do not engage in public confrontations. Avoid retaliating, publicly accusing players or attempting to moderate the community yourself.
3. Respect moderation decisions. If you believe a decision was unfair, write to [email protected]. Appeals against a suspension or a ban must be sent within 30 days.
4. Do not discuss other players' punishments. Account penalties are private matters and will only be discussed with the affected player.
5. Be patient. The BK Team may not always be available to respond immediately.

8. Rule Violations and Consequences

Breaking the Code of Conduct may result in moderation actions depending on the severity and circumstances of the violation.

Possible consequences include:

• A friendly reminder or warning.
• Removal, editing or renaming of inappropriate content.
• A mute, or a freeze on your trading.
• Temporary account suspension.
• Permanent account suspension or banning.

The BK Team considers several factors when determining appropriate action:

• The severity of the violation.
• Whether the behaviour was intentional.
• The circumstances surrounding the incident.
• The player's previous moderation history.

Suspensions and bans are decided by a person who has reviewed the evidence, never by an automatic signal alone.

Serious violations may result in immediate suspension or permanent banning without prior warning. These include running multiple accounts, exploiting bugs, using bots, real-money trading, scamming, harassment, content that sexualises minors, paying with a stolen payment method, and creating a new account to get around a sanction.

If your account is sanctioned for breaking the rules, what you paid for on it is not refunded, as the Terms of Service explain.

Our goal is not to punish players for making honest mistakes, but to protect the community and ensure everyone can enjoy Barking Kennels fairly.

The Barking Kennels Team reserves the right to update these rules when necessary. Any significant changes will be communicated to the community.