This is never a situation anyone wants to be in. While it’s impossible to control the actions of others, you can control and help prevent escalation to keep yourself safe with new people. Here are a few things to keep in mind during a DoggyDay interaction:
In General:
- Exercise caution when meeting someone new.
- ALWAYS safety first, and use your best judgment.
- You are empowered to SAY NO
Online Safety:
- Sharing is not always caring so protect your personal information, and never share it. This includes but, is not limited to your home/work address, social security number, identifying information about your family members (i.e. If you’re a parent, where your children go to school, age, gender etc.), and your daily routine (i.e. you go to a particular coffee shop at 9am before work every day.)
- Financial information and money exchange should NEVER happen. We know you’re probably a good person and someone might be saying it’s an emergency, but keep your wits about you, and don’t send them money or share your financial info! Remember that every money transfer (PayPal, Venmo, Zelle etc.) is not reversible and hard to trace.
- Safeguard your profile, its personal property. Make sure your password is a strong one that only you know, and exercise caution when logging in on a shared/ public computer (i.e. log out after every session, clear history, cookies, and cache). Heads up, DoggyDay will never send you a request for your username and password. Please report it if this happens.
Meeting in Person:
- Follow the old saying- There is safety in numbers. The first few meet-ups should be in populated, public spaces, and never at private locations.
- If you’re catching bad vibes, tell them bye. Do not stay in a situation that makes you feel uncomfortable, it is ok to make an excuse and leave earlier than planned.
- Communication is key. Make sure your phone has enough battery and is close by during each interaction. Additionally, let someone you trust (i.e. family/friend) know your plans and who you’re going to be with.