Keep the first conversation in the app
Forming Paws chat opens only after both owners have expressed interest. Keeping the early conversation there means there is a record if something goes wrong, and it is what our moderation team can act on if you report someone.
Moving to a personal number immediately is the single most common way a bad interaction becomes unreportable.
Meet somewhere neutral first
A first meeting does not need to be at anyone's home. A neutral, public, daylight location, such as a park you both know or a vet practice car park, lets either person leave easily.
Tell someone where you are going and when you expect to be back. This is ordinary advice for meeting any stranger from the internet, and it applies here.
Bring the paperwork
Both owners should bring their dog documentation to the first meeting, even though both profiles are verified here. Seeing the originals is normal and asking for it is not rude.
If someone is reluctant to show records they have already had verified, treat that as information.
Watch the dogs, not the plan
Dogs communicate discomfort well before they escalate. If either dog is stressed, the meeting is over. That is not a setback, it is the system working.
You are never obliged to continue because you agreed to in a chat.
Reporting
Every conversation has a report option. Reports go to a real person, and the conversation is preserved for review, including if the other owner deletes their account.