Affiliate Disclosure.
Honest, audited quarterly, never hidden.
Last updated: April 2026
The short version.
Right now, nothing on this site earns a commission. The product links on Charlie Recommends go straight to the brand and pay us nothing. That may change. If we join an affiliate program, those links will start paying a small commission at no extra cost to you, and this page will say so on the day it happens. Either way, the list is the same list: the things we would choose.
The one that matters most.
Maya and Charlie are AI characters, so nothing on this site is a personal product review. Charlie has never worn a harness, eaten a meal, or made an insurance claim. Anywhere a product is recommended, it is a researched recommendation, and the page it sits on says so. We do not write first-person product experience for a character who cannot have any, and we will not start doing it because a link begins paying.
The rules we hold ourselves to.
- ↳ No invented experience. No "we tried it", no "Charlie loves it", no made-up claim histories.
- ↳ Every page carrying product links shows a disclosure block above the fold.
- ↳ We review the list quarterly. If something stops deserving its place, it goes, even if it pays well.
- ↳ We leave off products that, on the research, are not worth the money.
- ↳ Commission rates do not decide what gets recommended or how it is described.
Sponsorships and brand deals.
We are open to sponsored work: newsletter slots, dedicated reels, gifted seeding, campaign licensing. Anything sponsored is labelled as sponsored. Sponsors are told upfront that Maya is an AI character, so there is no surprise on either side, and we will not write a sponsored piece as though a character used the product. Full detail on the work with Maya page.
What we don't do.
- ↳ Hidden affiliate links
- ↳ Posts where the affiliate relationship isn't disclosed
- ↳ Invented first-person reviews, or any product experience Maya and Charlie could not have had
- ↳ Recommendations for products we would not put in front of a real dog
- ↳ Pay-to-play placements pretending to be editorial
- ↳ Multi-level marketing affiliations of any kind
Why we would accept affiliate income at all.
It funds the brand without putting more paywalls on the writing. Most journal posts will always be free. If commission on dog gear we already use can keep the work going, that is better than the brand becoming about selling.
Programs we participate in.
None, currently. The brands named on Charlie Recommends are there because they hold up when the label is read properly, and every link goes straight to the brand's own site. If we join a program, that brand will be listed here by name on the day it starts, and the link will be marked on the page.
Questions: contact form.