Terms of Service

Effective Date: September 15, 2025
Last Updated: September 18, 2025

Welcome

The Next Kahu is a grief-informed, virtual rehoming service that helps people across Florida facing terminal illness find loving, permanent homes for their beloved pets. We also work with community partners to place terminally ill animals in homes where they can live out their final chapter with care and dignity.

By using this website or our services, you're agreeing to the terms below.

What We Do

The Next Kahu exists to make rehoming thoughtful, ethical, and rooted in care for both people and pets. We don’t operate a shelter, we don’t charge adoption fees, and we don’t take animals in. Instead, we work alongside current pet Kahus to help them keep their animals as long as possible, then match them with a new, loving Kahu when the time comes.

Our services are completely free. The only thing we charge for is the subscription to our community, where we share resources, hold grief support groups, and use the money to continue providing this support to those who need it. You do not need to be paid subscriber to use the service, but you do need to be a paid subscriber to adopt.

Who This Is For

Our rehoming service is designed for people in Florida who are facing a terminal illness and can no longer care for their animal long-term. You must either be the legal guardian of the animal, or have legal authority to make decisions on their behalf. The animal must be spayed or neutered, have up-to-date vet records (or receive a vet check before rehoming), and remain safely housed with you until a match is made. Rehoming must be based on a terminal diagnosis—not financial or behavioral issues—and no adoption fees may be charged by the current Kahu when using this service.

Who Can Adopt

To adopt through The Next Kahu, you must be 21 or older and live in Florida. You’ll need to provide a safe, stable, and loving home, and be open to a screening process. This includes phone or video interview, sharing photos of your home, and speaking with the current Kahu or their care circle directly. If chosen, you’ll be responsible for any transportation and basic handoff expenses—but you will never be charged an adoption fee. All we ask is that you're truthful, communicative, and respectful throughout the process.

How Matching Works

We help current Kahus create a thoughtful profile of their animal, and then we search for people who feel like a good match. We vet initial applicants and share promising matches with the current Kahu, who makes the final decision. This may include an extensive process of emails, phone calls, Zoom calls, and in-person meetings. Our role is to make the introduction and offer support, but the decision—and any resulting adoption agreement—is entirely between the two parties and does not involve The Next Kahu.

Animal Care & Transport

While in your care as the current Kahu, the animal remains your responsibility. Once a match is made, the new Kahu is responsible for working with you in coordinating meetings and adoption details, and covering the cost of transportation. We do our best to provide clear, honest information about every animal’s needs, but we rely on what is shared with us; we cannot guarantee the accuracy of any health or behavioral disclosures.

Supporting Our Work

The Next Kahu is a community-supported project. We rely on donations and paid subscriptions to keep this service free for terminally ill clients. Subscriber funds help us stay up and running, offer grief-informed content and care, and support every thoughtful match we make. We're not a nonprofit and can't issue tax receipts, and we don't offer refunds for past donations or subscription payments.

Respect, Kindness, and Boundaries

We reserve the right to refuse service for any reason, or remove users from the platform if we witness dishonesty, harassment, threats, or behavior that puts people or animals at risk. We also reserve the right to pause or stop support if we’re at capacity or unable to safely provide help.

This is sacred work, and we ask everyone involved to treat it—and each other—with care.

Privacy

Any personal information you share with us stays with us. It’s used only to support the rehoming process, communicate with you, or track the impact of our work. We will never sell or share your data.

Limitations

While we work to create a safe and loving process, we can't be held responsible for what happens once a match is made. We don’t oversee or finalize adoption agreements, nor do we control the actions of individuals after rehoming.

Questions?

We’re always here to help. Email us at hello@thenextkahu.com