How to use animaLinked

Your profile

Your profile is where people find you: your photo, bio, location, and everything you own or post. Edit it anytime from Edit profile on your own profile page. Your username (the @handle) is how people search for and tag you, so it's worth picking one that's recognizable.

Light and dark mode

animaLinked follows your device's light/dark setting by default. To override it, use the sun/moon icon in the top nav — your choice is remembered on that device.

Adding an animal

Go to your profile and click Add animal (or use the Add link next to Animals in the sidebar on the Home feed). Fill in the basics — name, species, breed, birth date, and a photo — plus optional details like sire/dam (parents), color, an ID tag, and where they came from (breeder, rescue, shelter, or friend/family). You can also assign the animal to a group you've created, to keep related animals organized.

Posting

Click New post from the Home feed. You can post as yourself, as one of your animals, or as a business page you own, add up to a few photos, and optionally tag people, animals, or businesses the post is about — search by name or @username, and tagged posts show a "With: …" line linking to everyone tagged. Click any photo afterward to see it full-size. Anyone can like a post — click the number next to the heart to see who liked it. If you manage a business page, you can also post as it directly from that page's own + New post button instead of going through the Home feed.

Connecting with people

Click Connect on someone's profile to send a connection request. If they own animals, you'll be offered the choice to just connect, or connect and follow all of their animals at once. Your profile shows a running connection count and a preview of who you're connected to — click it to see the full list. Can't find someone you want to add? Wherever you search for a person, a business, or an animal's owner, there's an option to invite them by email — enter their first name and email and we'll send them a personal invitation to join animaLinked.

Following animals and businesses

Animal and business profiles have a Follow button — following doesn't require approval, and lets you keep up with their posts. If you follow an animal whose owner you're not already connected to, you'll be offered the option to also send that owner a connection request.

Linking an animal to a person or business

Every animal profile has a Connections section for the people and businesses in that animal's life — Owner, Breeder, Trainer, Vet, Farrier, Groomer, Rescue, Facility, Boarder (for a boarding facility listing the animals it boards), or Other. As the animal's owner (or a co-owner), search for a profile or business and choose their role to send a request; once they accept, they show up on the animal's page with that label, and the animal shows up as a connection on theirs.

Adding a co-owner

If more than one person actually owns or cares for an animal, add them as a co-owner from the animal's page. Once they accept, they can fully edit the animal's profile and post as that animal, and the animal shows up under their own profile too — separate from the Connections/roles above, which are labels rather than shared ownership.

Care Log

Every animal has a Care Log — its living history. The owner, any co-owner, and anyone with an accepted role connection to the animal (its vet, groomer, farrier, and so on) can add entries. The available types adjust to the animal's species — a dog's list includes grooming and nail trims, a horse's includes farrier visits, a reptile's includes shedding and temperature checks — alongside general ones like Vet Visit, Feeding, and Purchase.

Give an entry a due date instead of leaving it blank to flag something upcoming — a farrier visit, a vaccine renewal — rather than logging something that already happened. It'll show in the Upcoming list and on the Care Log calendar below it. Click any day on the calendar to see what's logged for it, or to add a new entry dated for that exact day.

Choosing Farrier Visit opens a form that mirrors a farrier's paper log: the visit date, whether the front and hind hooves were shod or trimmed, the shoe type, and notes. Anything that doesn't apply can be marked N/A, or skip the whole form to write a plain note. Set Next due (quick buttons for 4, 6, or 8 weeks) and the next visit is added to the Upcoming list and the calendar automatically.

If you're a farrier, your profile shows a Farrier schedule card once an owner has linked you (or your business) to an animal. It lists every animal you shoe — when each was last done, front and hind, shoe type, and when it's next due — with the overdue ones at the top, filters for what's due soon, and a Log visit button that opens the farrier form for that animal.

Business pages

If you're a vet, breeder, trainer, or other animal-related business, create a business page from the Businesses tab. Fill in your description, hours, services offered, and payment methods so people know what to expect, alongside a phone number, email, and website. People can follow your page, leave reviews, message you directly, and see who you're linked to (owner, clients) in your Connections list — and once linked to an animal via the Connections/roles described above, your page can add to that animal's Care Log the same as any other connection.

A Verified Business badge can show on your page and in the Businesses list — this is granted from our side rather than automatic, so don't worry if you don't see it right away.

Owners can add a team from the button next to the owner's name at the top of the page: Owners and Admins can manage everything (posts, events, clients, edits), while Employees and Students are listed on the team with view-only access. Anyone you add has to accept first — they'll see the invitation on their own profile — and only the original owner can delete the page.

Business events, specials, and announcements

Every business page has an Events & Specials calendar for things like a vaccine clinic, a seasonal sale, or a closure — give it a date, optionally a start and end time (or leave it as an all-day event), and check "Also share this to the feed" to post it too. Click any day on the calendar to see what's scheduled, or to add something for that exact day. Event types include Event, Special, Promotion, Closure, Open Ride, Training Session, Farrier Session, and Show.

If you've linked clients to your page, you can tag the ones attending when you add an event — they show up as "Attending" on the event so everyone can see who's there.

You can also pin one of your posts to feature it in the Announcements section above your regular posts — useful for whatever you want a visitor to see first.

Student Profiles

If you're training or studying — a vet tech program, an apprenticeship, any kind of hands-on schooling — you can create a Student Profile from your own profile page. It's a portfolio separate from your personal profile: a headline and bio, an Achievements list (certifications, milestones, completed tasks, skills, awards), and a Gallery of your work.

Link your Student Profile to the schools or facilities you train with by searching for their business page — they'll need to confirm it, the same way animal role connections work. When you log an achievement, you can name the school or business that issued it; if you do, that business's owner will see it under Achievements to verify on their own page and can mark it ✓ Verified — a credential confirmed by the actual institution, not just self-reported.

Schools and facilities can also add a student directly from their own business page (under Students) — the student still has to confirm it before it shows up on their profile.

Groups

Groups let you organize your own animals — a litter, a herd, a household of pets, and so on. Create one from your profile and assign animals to it when adding or editing them.

Messages and notifications

Message anyone from their profile, or start a new conversation from the New message button on the Messages page and search for who you want to reach. Notifications tell you about connection requests, role connection requests, and follows — check the number next to Notifications in the top nav. Both update live as things happen, no need to refresh.

Keeping things civil

Any post or business review can be reported using the small Report link beneath it if something's wrong. If someone's bothering you directly, you can Block them from their profile — it stops them from messaging you, connecting with you, or liking or commenting on your posts, and hides your posts from each other. You can review and undo blocks anytime from Edit profile. See our Terms of Service for more on what's not allowed.

Managing your account

You can change your password or delete your account anytime from Edit profile. Deleting your account permanently removes your posts and account, and can't be undone — you'll need to remove or hand off any animals or business pages you solely own first.