Privacy Policy

This Privacy Policy describes how PetAdoptNow (“PetAdoptNow”, “we”, “us”, or “our”) collects, uses, discloses, and safeguards information when you visit petadoptnow.com(the “Site”). It applies to all visitors, including residents of the United States, the European Economic Area, the United Kingdom, and California. Please read it carefully. If you do not agree with this policy, please do not use the Site.

1. Who we are and how to reach us

PetAdoptNow operates a US-focused directory of adoptable dogs and cats, animal shelters, animal hospitals, breed and naming references, and pet-care articles. We do not run a shelter, we do not facilitate adoptions ourselves, and we are not a veterinary provider. For questions about this policy, contact us at [email protected] or via the methods listed on our Contact page.

2. Information we collect

2.1 Information you provide directly

When you submit our contact form or email us, we collect the information you give us — typically your name, email address, and the contents of your message. We use this information solely to respond to your inquiry. We do not sell or rent contact-form submissions, and we do not add inquirers to any marketing list without their express opt-in.

2.2 Information collected automatically

When you visit the Site, our hosting provider and content delivery network automatically log standard technical information, including:

• IP address (truncated where required by law)
• User-agent string (browser type, operating system)
• Referring URL
• Pages requested, response codes, and timestamps
• Approximate location at the country/region level, derived from IP geolocation

These server logs are retained for security and abuse-prevention purposes for up to 30 days.

2.3 Information collected through cookies and similar technologies

The Site uses cookies, local storage, and similar technologies described in detail in our Cookie Policy. In summary:

• Strictly necessary local storage for client features such as your saved favorites list and your cookie- consent choices. No third party can read this data.
• Analytics cookies set by Google Analytics through Google Tag Manager, which help us understand which pages are visited and how visitors find the Site.
• Advertising cookies set by Google AdSense and its advertising partners to deliver and measure ads.

3. Third-party services we use

We rely on the following third parties to operate the Site. Each processes information under its own privacy policy.

3.1 Google Tag Manager

We use Google Tag Manager to load and manage other measurement tags (currently Google Analytics and Google AdSense). Google Tag Manager itself does not set cookies for tracking, but the tags it loads do.

3.2 Google Analytics

We use Google Analytics 4 to collect aggregate, statistical information about how visitors use the Site, such as page-view counts, session duration, and traffic sources. Google Analytics sets first-party cookies and may collect a hashed identifier of your IP address. Where required by law, IP addresses are anonymized. You can opt out of Google Analytics tracking by installing the Google Analytics Opt-out Browser Add-on or by declining analytics cookies in our cookie banner. More information: Google’s Privacy Policy.

3.3 Google AdSense

We display advertising delivered by Google AdSense. Google and its advertising partners use cookies and similar technologies to serve ads based on your prior visits to this Site or other websites, to measure ad performance, and to detect fraud. In the European Economic Area, the United Kingdom, and Switzerland, AdSense is loaded only after you grant consent through our cookie banner; elsewhere we use a notice-and-choice model. You can manage your advertising preferences at any time via adssettings.google.com or opt out of personalized advertising network-wide via youronlinechoices.com (EU) and optout.aboutads.info (US).

3.4 Hosting and content delivery

The Site is hosted on Amazon Web Services and fronted by Cloudflare for content delivery, DDoS protection, and security filtering. Cloudflare may process your IP address and request metadata to deliver content. Pet photographs are served from Cloudflare R2 object storage at cdn.petadoptnow.com.

3.5 Pet-data providers

Adoptable-pet listings are aggregated daily from third-party shelter-management platforms — currently 24petconnect (operated by HLP Inc. / Pethealth Services), ShelterLuv, and RescueGroups.org. These providers may set their own cookies if you click through to their websites. When you click an “Adopt from [Shelter]” link, you leave the Site and become subject to the destination provider’s privacy policy.

4. How we use information

We use the information we collect to:

• Operate, maintain, and improve the Site;
• Respond to questions and support requests;
• Measure aggregate usage so we can prioritize content and fix issues;
• Display relevant advertising and limit the frequency of ad exposures;
• Detect, prevent, and respond to security incidents and fraud;
• Comply with legal obligations.

5. Legal bases for processing (EEA/UK)

For visitors in the European Economic Area, the United Kingdom, and Switzerland, our legal bases for processing personal data under the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) are:

• Consent — for analytics and advertising cookies set via the cookie banner. You may withdraw consent at any time.
• Legitimate interests — for security logging and basic, privacy-respecting analytics that do not require consent under your local guidance. Our interests are balanced against your rights and freedoms.
• Performance of a contract or pre-contractual steps — when you contact us, to handle your inquiry.
• Legal obligation — when retention or disclosure is required by law.

6. How we share information

We do not sell personal information. We share information only:

• With the third-party processors listed in Section 3, under their own contractual and privacy terms;
• With professional advisors (such as legal counsel) when needed to defend our legal rights;
• With law-enforcement or government authorities if required by a valid legal process;
• In connection with a merger, acquisition, financing, or sale of assets, subject to the same privacy commitments.

7. International data transfers

Our service providers process data primarily in the United States. When personal data is transferred from the European Economic Area, the United Kingdom, or Switzerland to the United States, we rely on Standard Contractual Clauses (SCCs) approved by the European Commission and, where applicable, the EU-US Data Privacy Framework.

8. Your rights

8.1 EEA/UK/Swiss residents

You have the right to access, correct, delete, restrict processing of, object to processing of, and port your personal data; to withdraw consent at any time; and to lodge a complaint with your local data-protection authority.

8.2 California residents (CCPA/CPRA)

California residents have the right to know what personal information we collect, use, and disclose; to delete personal information we have collected; to correct inaccurate personal information; to opt out of the “sale” or “sharing” of personal information; and to limit the use of sensitive personal information. We do not sell personal information in the colloquial sense, but our use of advertising cookies may qualify as “sharing” under California law. You can exercise your “Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information” right via the cookie banner or by emailing [email protected]. We will not discriminate against you for exercising these rights.

8.3 Other US states

Residents of states with comprehensive privacy laws (currently Virginia, Colorado, Connecticut, Utah, Texas, Oregon, Montana, and others) have similar rights of access, correction, deletion, and opt-out of targeted advertising. Submit requests to the email above.

8.4 Verification

To protect against fraud, we may ask you to verify your identity before fulfilling a rights request. We will respond within the time required by applicable law (generally 30 to 45 days).

9. Children’s privacy

The Site is not directed to children under 13, and we do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If you believe a child has provided us personal information, contact [email protected] and we will delete it.

10. Data retention

• Contact-form messages: up to 24 months after our final reply;
• Server access logs: up to 30 days;
• Cookie-consent choices: 12 months or until you change them;
• Aggregate analytics data: per Google’s default retention window (currently 14 months).

11. Security

We use reasonable administrative, technical, and physical safeguards to protect information, including HTTPS encryption for all traffic, access controls on our infrastructure, and regular security review. No method of transmission or storage is 100% secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security.

12. Do Not Track

Some browsers transmit a “Do Not Track” signal. There is no industry consensus on how such signals should be honored, and the Site does not currently respond to them. We honor the Global Privacy Control (GPC) signal as a California “Do Not Sell or Share” opt-out.

13. Changes to this policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. Material changes will be announced on this page with a revised “Last updated” date, and where required by law we will provide additional notice (for example, via a banner on the Site).

14. Contact us

Email [email protected] with privacy questions, rights requests, or complaints. For general support, see our Contact page.