Our Privacy Policy

1. Information We Collect

When you visit Paws Source, use our services, or interact with our platform, we may collect the following types of information:

1.1 Information You Provide Directly

• Personal identifiers: Name, email address, phone number, mailing address, and billing information when you create an account, make a purchase, or contact support.
• Pet information: Breed, age, weight, medical history, dietary restrictions, and behavioral notes that you share for personalized care recommendations.
• Payment details: Credit card numbers, billing addresses, and transaction history processed securely through our payment partners.
• Communications: Content of messages, emails, chat transcripts, and survey responses you send to our team.
• Account preferences: Dietary plans, grooming schedules, notification settings, and pet profiles.

1.2 Information Collected Automatically

• Usage data: Pages visited, time spent, features used, click patterns, and referral URLs.
• Device information: IP address, browser type, operating system, device type, screen resolution, and mobile carrier.
• Location data: General geographic location derived from IP address; precise location only if you grant permission for delivery or nearby service discovery.
• Logs & analytics: Server logs, crash reports, performance metrics, and diagnostic information.

2. How We Use Your Data

We use the information we collect for the following purposes:

• Service delivery: Processing orders, managing subscriptions, delivering pet care plans, and scheduling grooming or boarding appointments.
• Personalization: Recommending products, creating individualized pet health profiles, and customizing content to your pet's breed, age, and needs.
• Communication: Sending order confirmations, service updates, care tips, promotional offers, and responding to your support inquiries.
• Platform improvement: Analyzing usage patterns, conducting A/B tests, debugging issues, and enhancing our website, app, and service offerings.
• Safety & security: Detecting fraud, preventing abuse, verifying identities, and protecting against unauthorized access.
• Legal compliance: Meeting regulatory requirements, enforcing our Terms of Service, and responding to lawful requests from authorities.
• Research & development: Anonymized data analysis to improve veterinary guidance algorithms and develop new pet care features.

3. Information Sharing & Disclosure

We do not sell, trade, or rent your personal information. We may share data only in the following circumstances:

3.1 Service Providers

We share information with trusted third-party partners who assist us in operating our platform, including:

• Payment processors (e.g., Stripe, PayPal) for billing transactions.
• Shipping and delivery partners for product fulfillment.
• Cloud hosting providers for data storage and infrastructure.
• Analytics providers (e.g., Google Analytics) for site performance insights.
• Customer support platforms for ticket management.

3.2 Legal Requirements

We may disclose your information if required by law, regulation, legal process, or governmental request. We will also share data to protect the rights, property, or safety of Paws Source, our users, or the public.

3.3 Business Transfers

In the event of a merger, acquisition, or sale of assets, your personal data may be transferred as part of that transaction. We will notify you via email and prominent notice on our website of any such change in ownership or use of your data.

4. Cookies & Tracking Technologies

Paws Source uses cookies and similar technologies to enhance your experience. These include:

• Essential cookies: Required for core functionality such as login authentication, session management, and security.
• Functional cookies: Remember your preferences, pet profiles, and personalization settings.
• Analytics cookies: Help us understand how visitors interact with our platform to improve usability.
• Marketing cookies: Used to deliver relevant promotional content and measure campaign effectiveness (with your consent).

You can manage your cookie preferences through your browser settings or our cookie consent banner. Please note that disabling certain cookies may affect platform functionality.

5. Data Security

We implement industry-standard security measures to protect your personal information:

• Encryption: All data in transit is encrypted using TLS 1.3; data at rest is encrypted using AES-256.
• Access controls: Strict role-based access policies; only authorized personnel can access personal data on a need-to-know basis.
• Regular audits: Independent security audits and penetration testing conducted annually.
• Incident response: A dedicated security incident response team monitors for threats 24/7.
• Data minimization: We collect only the data necessary for our stated purposes and avoid over-collection.

6. Your Rights & Choices

Depending on your jurisdiction, you may have the following rights regarding your personal data:

• Access: Request a copy of the personal data we hold about you.
• Correction: Update or correct inaccurate or incomplete information in your profile.
• Deletion: Request deletion of your personal data, subject to legal retention requirements.
• Portability: Export your data in a machine-readable format.
• Restriction: Limit how we process your data in certain circumstances.
• Objection: Opt out of direct marketing communications at any time.
• Non-discrimination: We will not discriminate against you for exercising your privacy rights.

To exercise any of these rights, please contact us at privacy@paws-source.com. We will respond within 30 days.

7. Children's Privacy

Paws Source is not directed to children under the age of 13. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children. If we become aware that we have inadvertently collected data from a child under 13, we will take immediate steps to delete that information.

If you are a parent or guardian and believe your child has provided us with personal data, please contact us immediately at support@paws-source.com and we will promptly remove it.

8. Data Retention

We retain your personal information only as long as necessary to fulfill the purposes outlined in this policy:

• Account data: Retained while your account is active, and for a reasonable period thereafter for legal and operational purposes.
• Transaction records: Retained for 7 years for tax, accounting, and legal compliance.
• Pet health records: Retained for the lifetime of your pet's profile plus 3 years after inactivity.
• Communication logs: Retained for up to 2 years for customer service quality monitoring.
• Deleted accounts: Personal data is anonymized or permanently deleted within 90 days of account closure.

9. Third-Party Links

Our platform may contain links to third-party websites, partner clinics, or external resources. We are not responsible for the privacy practices of these external sites. We encourage you to review the privacy policies of any third-party sites you visit. This policy applies solely to information collected through Paws Source's platforms.

10. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, technology, legal requirements, or industry standards. When we make significant changes, we will:

• Post the updated policy on our website with a revised "Last Updated" date.
• Notify active users via email and/or a prominent notice on our platform.
• Provide an opportunity to review and acknowledge changes for material updates.

We encourage you to review this policy periodically. Your continued use of Paws Source services after changes are posted constitutes your acceptance of the updated policy.

11. Contact Us

If you have any questions, concerns, or requests regarding this Privacy Policy or our data practices, please reach out to our Privacy Team: