Privacy Policy

1. About This Policy

Homeless Hounds Animal Rescue Victoria (trading as Homeless Hounds) ("we", "us", "our") is committed to protecting your privacy. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, store, and protect your personal information when you interact with our website and services.

While we may not be legally required to comply with the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) as a small not-for-profit organization, we voluntarily align with the Australian Privacy Principles (APPs) as best practice to protect your information and maintain your trust.

2. Contact Information

3. Information We Collect

We collect the following types of personal information:

Information you provide:

• Contact details: Name, email address, phone number, postal address
• Application information: Details provided in adoption, volunteer, foster care, surrender, or pet courier applications
• Communication records: Emails, enquiries, and correspondence with us
• Newsletter preferences: Your marketing consent and communication preferences

Information collected automatically:

• Technical information: IP address, browser type, device information
• Usage data: Pages visited, time spent on site, referring website
• Cookies: Essential cookies for site functionality and security (see Section 9)

4. How We Use Your Information

We use your personal information for the following purposes:

Operational purposes:

• Processing and responding to adoption, volunteer, foster care, surrender, and pet courier applications
• Coordinating animal care, adoptions, and related activities
• Communicating with you about your applications or enquiries
• Meeting our legal and regulatory obligations
• Maintaining records for operational and legal purposes

Marketing purposes (only with your consent):

• Sending newsletters and updates about our rescue activities
• Sharing success stories and adoption opportunities
• Promoting fundraising events and volunteer opportunities

4A. Types of Email Communications

Operational/Administrative Emails (No Consent Required)

When you submit a form or inquiry, we will send you necessary administrative emails to process your request. These emails do not require separate consent as they are necessary to deliver the service you requested. Examples include:

• Application confirmation and status updates
• Adoption, foster, or volunteer placement notifications
• Animal surrender inquiry responses
• Essential service-related communications

These operational emails will not include unsubscribe links as they are necessary to fulfill the service you requested. However, you may contact us to request we stop processing your application or inquiry.

Marketing Emails (Requires Consent)

We will only send marketing communications (newsletters, success stories, fundraising appeals) if you explicitly opt in via checkbox on our forms. All marketing emails include an easy unsubscribe link.

5. Direct Marketing

We will only send you marketing communications (newsletters and promotional updates) if you have explicitly opted in by checking the consent box on our forms or newsletter signup.

Every marketing email we send includes an unsubscribe link. You can opt out at any time by:

• Clicking the unsubscribe link in any marketing email
• Emailing us at privacy@homelesshounds.com.au
• Using our online unsubscribe form

We will process your unsubscribe request within 5 business days. You will continue to receive operational emails related to any applications or services you've requested.

6. Disclosure and International Transfers

We may share your personal information with third-party service providers who assist us in operating our services. These include:

Service providers:

• SendGrid (Twilio Inc., USA): Email delivery for newsletters, application notifications, and administrative communications. Data is processed and stored in the United States. SendGrid Privacy Policy
• Animal Shelter Manager (Sheltermanager.com, USA): Cloud-based animal management system for adoption applications, foster records, and animal data. Data is processed and stored in the United States. ASM Privacy Policy
• Cloudflare Inc. (USA): Website hosting, content delivery, and DDoS protection services. Data is processed through Cloudflare's global network. Cloudflare Privacy Policy

7. Data Security

We implement appropriate technical and organizational measures to protect your personal information, including:

• Encryption of data in transit (SSL/TLS)
• Access controls and authentication (including multi-factor authentication)
• Regular security updates and monitoring
• Limiting access to personal information on a need-to-know basis
• Secure disposal of personal information when no longer needed

While we take security seriously, no method of electronic storage or transmission is 100% secure. We cannot guarantee absolute security of your information.

8. Data Retention and Deletion

We retain personal information only as long as necessary for our operational and legal requirements:

• Marketing contacts: Deleted after 24 months of inactivity or upon request
• Application records: Retained for 3 years after final outcome
• Financial/donation records: Retained for 7 years (tax requirements)
• Operational emails: Retained as needed for record-keeping

You can request deletion of your personal information by contacting us. We will comply unless we have a legal obligation to retain the information.

9. Cookies and Online Tracking

We use the following cookies and tracking technologies:

• Essential cookies: Required for website functionality and security
• Security verification: CAPTCHA services to prevent spam and protect forms

We do not currently use analytics or advertising cookies. If we add these in the future, we will update this policy and provide appropriate consent mechanisms.

10. Your Rights

You have the following rights regarding your personal information:

• Access: Request a copy of the personal information we hold about you
• Correction: Request correction of inaccurate or incomplete information
• Deletion: Request deletion of your information (subject to legal requirements)
• Opt-out: Unsubscribe from marketing communications at any time
• Complaints: Lodge a complaint about our privacy practices

To exercise these rights, contact us at privacy@homelesshounds.com.au. We will respond within 30 days.

11. Complaints

If you have concerns about how we handle your personal information, please contact us first at privacy@homelesshounds.com.au.

If you're not satisfied with our response and believe we are subject to the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth), you may lodge a complaint with the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC):

12. Children's Privacy

Our services are not directed to children under 16. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 16 without parental consent. If you believe we have collected information from a child under 16, please contact us immediately.

13. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. Changes will be posted on this page with an updated revision date. For significant changes, we may notify you by email if you've opted in to communications.

By continuing to use our website after changes are posted, you accept the updated Privacy Policy.