1. Who we are
Digs for Dogs Pet Services Ltd is responsible for the personal information it collects and uses for its business activities. In data protection law, this responsibility is described as being a “controller”.
314 Turton RoadTottington, Bury
BL8 3QA
info@digsfordogs.uk
01204 895355
Our head office telephone lines are open 24/7. We never record calls. Information you give us during a conversation may be used to respond to your enquiry or arrange the service you request.
Local franchisees are involved in responding to enquiries and delivering care. Ask us which business is responsible for your local service and its records. This notice covers our activities; it does not replace any additional notice supplied by your local franchisee.
2. Information we use
The information relevant to you depends on how you interact with us. It may include:
- Your name, email address, telephone number, address and postcode.
- Your enquiry, correspondence, service preferences and the dates or times you request.
- Information about your dog, such as their name, age, breed, routine, behaviour, care needs and veterinary details, where connected to your customer record.
- Booking history, agreed services, charges, payment status, refunds and transaction references.
- Information you provide when enquiring about becoming a home boarder or franchisee, such as your location, experience and availability.
- Your franchise resale-alert choice, contact details and area of interest, and, where enabled and permitted, information about interactions with our website and advertising.
- Technical information such as IP address, browser/device information and website requests, which service providers may process to deliver and protect the website.
We obtain information from you when you contact us, use a form or arrange services, and from franchisees handling your enquiry or care. Payment providers supply relevant transaction information. If you give us another person’s contact details, please make sure they know why and direct them to this notice.
Please do not include card details, identity documents or sensitive information about people in a general enquiry. Any separate application or verification process requiring additional information should explain what is needed and why before it is collected.
Fields marked as required are needed for the particular enquiry or service. Without sufficient contact and care information, we may be unable to respond or arrange suitable care. Optional information is your choice.
3. Why we use it
Our basis for each main activity is set out below. The applicable basis depends on the purpose, rather than a blanket consent to this policy.
| Activity | Basis for using the information |
|---|---|
| Answer enquiries and discuss services you request | Taking steps at your request before a contract; or our legitimate interest in responding to general questions and running our business. |
| Manage bookings, customer records and payments | Performing our contract with you and meeting applicable legal obligations, such as accounting requirements. |
| Handle home-boarder or franchise enquiries | Taking requested steps towards an agreement, and our legitimate interest in assessing and responding to expressions of interest. |
| Protect our services, resolve complaints and manage claims | Our legitimate interests in security, service quality and protecting legal rights, or a legal obligation where applicable. |
| Send requested franchise resale alerts and use advertising tracking | Consent for franchise resale email alerts and advertising tracking, with separate choices and withdrawal options. See the marketing and cookie sections below. |
Where we rely on legitimate interests, we must consider the effect on your rights and whether the use is necessary and proportionate.
The postcode finder matches an address area to coverage data. It does not confirm availability, accept a booking or make a decision with legal or similarly significant effects. Suitability and booking arrangements are discussed with people.
5. Franchise resale alerts and advertising
We do not send newsletters. Sending an enquiry does not automatically sign you up for marketing.
You can separately choose to receive emails when a Digs for Dogs franchise resale becomes available in the area around the postcode you provide. This choice is optional and does not affect your application. We record your choice with your enquiry. With your consent, we keep a limited resale-interest record so that opportunities can be brought to your attention over time.
You can withdraw at any time by emailing info@digsfordogs.uk or replying to an alert asking us to stop. This does not prevent necessary messages about your current enquiry or an agreement. Existing applications are not automatically treated as permission for future resale alerts.
With your permission, we use Google Analytics to understand website visits and successful enquiries, and Google Ads and the Digs for Dogs Meta Pixel to measure advertising and help tailor adverts. Analytics and advertising have separate cookie choices. We do not send your enquiry text, name, email, telephone number or full postcode through these tracking events. See Google’s privacy information and Meta’s privacy policy.
Your right to object to marketing
You can object to direct marketing at any time, including related profiling. Contact head office using the email above. We stop using your information for that marketing purpose when you object.
WhatsApp click notifications
When you click a WhatsApp chat link, our website sends an internal notification to head office with the page, local area, business number selected and time. Where available, the email also includes the source and campaign label from the current page’s link parameters. Raw advertising click identifiers are not included in the notification. The alert does not identify you or include form entries, your telephone number or WhatsApp message. A click does not tell us whether a message was sent.
We use Supabase to queue these notifications and Resend to deliver them. This feature does not set cookies or send data to advertising platforms. A short-lived, hashed network identifier helps prevent abuse. Website click records and queued email copies are removed after 30 days; head office reviews its notification mailbox regularly.
7. How long we keep information
Our agreed retention schedule is below. We keep only what is needed for the relevant purpose. Head office is responsible for a monthly review against this schedule across our systems, mailboxes and relevant franchisee copies.
| Information | Retention or review period |
|---|---|
| Enquiries that do not become bookings | 12 months after the last meaningful contact, then delete or anonymise. |
| Unsuccessful home-boarder and franchise applications | 6 months after the decision. A separate resale-interest record can be retained as described below; this does not require keeping the full application indefinitely. |
| Franchise resale-interest records | With your separate consent, retain your name, email, postcode or preferred area, opportunity preference and evidence of your consent while you remain interested and the consent remains valid. There is no fixed end date, but review at least every 24 months and before using an old record. Refresh permission where needed, and remove records when no longer relevant or permission is withdrawn. Keep only a minimal record where necessary to respect an opt-out. |
| Active customer and dog-care details | Keep while providing care and review regularly to keep details accurate. |
| Former customers’ day-to-day care details | Review 12 months after the last service and delete information no longer needed, subject to any applicable licensing, insurance or legal requirement. |
| Accounting records | Normally 6 years from the end of the company financial year they relate to, with longer retention where required. This does not apply automatically to every care note or enquiry. |
| Other booking, complaint and claim records | Keep relevant records for the period needed to meet applicable licensing or legal duties and handle claims. The period depends on the record, the applicable obligation and any ongoing complaint or claim. Contact head office for details relevant to your records. |
If a particular record is needed for a legal obligation or an ongoing dispute, we may retain the necessary information for longer and restrict its use to that purpose. Once it is no longer needed, it should be securely deleted or anonymised.
Backup and technical-log periods depend on our suppliers. Deleted information may remain in backups until the applicable backup cycle expires. Contact head office if you need information about a particular record.
8. Security and overseas processing
Access should be limited to people who need information for their role, with appropriate technical and organisational protections for customer records and supplier access. No website or communication method can provide an absolute security guarantee. Please use the payment process provided rather than sending card information by message.
Some providers, including Vercel, Supabase, Resend, Stripe, Google and Meta, operate internationally and may process information outside the UK. The exact countries, contractual roles and safeguards depend on the services and account arrangements in use. Contact head office for details of the processing locations and safeguards relevant to your information, including records held in our bespoke software.
Where a restricted transfer occurs, it must use a valid route under UK data protection law, such as applicable UK adequacy regulations or appropriate contractual safeguards with the required assessment. You can ask head office for information about the relevant transfer arrangement and its safeguards.
9. Your choices and rights
Depending on the circumstances and the basis for using your information, you may ask to:
- Access your personal information and receive a copy.
- Correct inaccurate or incomplete information.
- Erase information or restrict its use where the relevant conditions apply.
- Receive certain information in a portable format when it is processed automatically on the basis of consent or contract.
- Object to processing based on legitimate interests, for reasons relating to your situation.
- Withdraw consent at any time, without affecting the lawfulness of earlier use.
These rights are not all absolute. For example, some records may need to be retained for a legal obligation or a claim. If we cannot fulfil a request, we will explain why.
Send requests to info@digsfordogs.uk or our postal address above. We may need proportionate information to verify identity and locate records. We normally respond without undue delay and within one month, subject to any lawful extension or pause; where relevant we will explain this to you.
10. Questions and complaints
If you are concerned about how your information has been handled, contact Digs for Dogs Pet Services Ltd using the details above. Please describe your concern and the outcome you are seeking so we can investigate.
You also have the right to complain to the UK Information Commissioner’s Office. Visit ico.org.uk/make-a-complaint for its current complaint process and contact options.
11. Changes to this notice
We will update this notice when our services or data practices change. The date at the top identifies the current version. Where a change requires new information or consent, simply updating the policy does not replace that requirement.