Privacy and storage

Bring The Hound provides a UK directory of dog-friendly places and dog services. For privacy enquiries, contact [email protected]. This notice was updated on 11 October 2026.

Browsing, saved places and location

You can search without an account. Saved places, visit-plan preferences and your privacy choice are stored in your browser until you remove them or clear the site’s browser data. Using your location is optional: with your permission, coordinates are sent to the directory to find nearby results. Search request URLs can appear in hosting logs.

Accounts and contributions

If you create an account, WordPress stores your username, email and account information and uses login cookies. We receive the information you submit in corrections, reviews, suggestions, ownership requests and photo submissions. Administrators review contributions; approved public reviews and photographs may appear on the site. Ownership evidence is used for verification. Please do not send sensitive identity documents through public forms.

Free listing requests

Free listing requests include place or service details, website and policy links, and your private name, email, phone and relationship to the business. We store the request in a private moderation queue and send it to [email protected] using our hosting or configured email service. We use the contact fields to check facts and respond, not for marketing. Approved business and policy details may appear publicly; private contact fields are not included in the listing. A public business phone is published only when supplied for that purpose. Requests are optional and reviewed by a person; submitting a request does not create an automatic listing. Pending requests remain while needed for review and follow-up; rejected or resolved requests are removed from the site review queue after one year. Email copies and backups follow our providers’ retention arrangements.

Directory information

Public listing information comes from OpenStreetMap, licensed official datasets, publicly accessible venue websites and contributions. Source links appear on listings. Business contact details may identify an individual business owner. We use these facts to maintain useful, accurate listings and consider requests to correct or remove personal information.

Why we use information

We use account and contribution information to answer enquiries, verify ownership and maintain the directory. We rely on our legitimate interests in running a useful directory, checking submitted facts and preventing abuse. Providing an account or contribution is optional; without the information needed to verify ownership, we cannot approve an ownership claim.

Service providers and privacy choices

Hosting and Cloudflare process connection information, including IP addresses, to deliver and protect the site. Enabled maps request tiles from OpenStreetMap. External venue and Google Maps links take you to services with their own privacy notices. Cloudflare operates internationally; its processing and transfer terms are described in its data processing addendum. Contact us for details of the arrangements relevant to your information.

Optional analytics only load when enabled by the operator and you consent. You can withdraw that consent through Cookie settings in the footer. Advertising is disabled. The directory uses salted IP hashes for short-lived request limits: public-read counters expire after 90 seconds and submission counters after one hour. Provider security and access logs are separate.

How long information is kept

Shared visit-plan links expire after 30 days, or can be revoked earlier. Scheduled maintenance removes expired plans and rejected or resolved corrections and reviews older than one year. Accounts, ownership records, pending contributions, approved material and audit evidence remain while needed to operate the listing or account, resolve disputes or document changes. Hosting logs and backups follow the service providers’ retention arrangements. Contact us to discuss deletion of your information; deletion may be limited where records are still needed for security, a dispute or a legal obligation.

Your rights

You can ask to access or correct your personal information and, where applicable, request deletion, restriction or portability. You can object to processing based on legitimate interests. Email the address above with your request; we may need to verify your identity. You can also complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office.