Privacy Policy

PRIVACY POLICY

Paws For Walks Harrogate

Last updated: 10 August 2026

Paws For Walks Harrogate respects your privacy and is committed to protecting your personal information.

This Privacy Policy explains how I collect, use and protect personal information when you contact me through my website or use my dog-walking services.

1. Who I am

Paws For Walks Harrogate is a sole-trader dog-walking business operated by Louise Shepherd.

If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy or how your personal information is used, you can contact me:

Paws For Walks Harrogate
Telephone: 07360 053428
Email: Pawsforwalksharrogate@gmail.com

2. What information I collect

When you contact me through my website, your message is sent directly to my business email address.

Depending on what you include in your message, this may contain information such as:

• Your name
• Telephone number
• Email address
• Your address
• Information about your dog or dogs
• Any other information you choose to provide in your enquiry.

If you become a customer, I may also collect information that is necessary to provide my dog-walking services safely and effectively. This may include your address, emergency contact details and relevant information about your dog, including behavioural or health information where this is necessary for their care and safety.

Customer contracts are completed in person on paper during the meet-and-greet. I do not use online booking forms or online customer accounts.

3. Where I get your information from

I normally collect personal information directly from you when you:

• Contact me through my website
• Contact me by email or telephone
• Meet with me to discuss my services
• Become a customer and provide information necessary for me to care for your dog.

I do not purchase or obtain customer information from third-party marketing lists.

4. How I use your information

I use your personal information only where it is necessary to operate my business and provide my services.

This may include:

• Responding to enquiries
• Arranging meet-and-greets
• Arranging and providing dog-walking services
• Contacting you about your dog or your bookings
• Contacting you in an emergency where necessary
• Keeping appropriate customer and business records
• Managing payments and accounts
• Meeting legal and accounting requirements
• Dealing with any questions, complaints or disputes.

I do not use your information for unrelated purposes.

5. Our lawful basis for using your information

I use your personal information because it is necessary to respond to your enquiries and, where you become a customer, to arrange and provide the services you have requested.

I may also need to use or retain certain information because I have a legal obligation to do so, for example for accounting and tax purposes.

Where appropriate, I may rely on my legitimate interests in running and managing my business, provided that doing so does not unfairly affect your rights and interests.

I will only ask for consent where consent is the appropriate lawful basis for a particular use of your information.

6. Sharing your information

I respect the confidentiality of my customers’ information.

I do not sell, rent or trade your personal information.

I will not routinely share your personal information with other businesses or organisations.

I may share information where this is necessary to:

• Comply with a legal obligation
• Meet accounting or tax requirements
• Protect the safety or welfare of a person or animal where necessary
• Respond to a lawful request from an appropriate authority
• Protect my legal rights or deal with a dispute.

Where information is shared, I will only share information that is reasonably necessary for the particular purpose.

7. Keeping your information secure

I take reasonable and appropriate steps to protect personal information from being lost, accidentally destroyed, misused, accessed without permission or disclosed to someone who should not have it.

Electronic information is protected using appropriate security measures.

Paper customer records and contracts are kept securely.

8. How long I keep your information

I keep personal information only for as long as it is reasonably necessary for the purpose for which it was collected.

Some business, financial and tax records need to be kept for longer periods to comply with legal requirements.

When information is no longer required, I will securely delete, destroy or dispose of it.

9. Your data protection rights

Under data protection law, you may have the right to:

• Ask what personal information I hold about you
• Request a copy of your personal information
• Ask for inaccurate or incomplete information to be corrected
• Ask for your personal information to be deleted where there is no legal reason for me to continue holding it
• Ask me to restrict how I use your information in certain circumstances
• Object to certain uses of your personal information.

If you would like to exercise any of these rights, please contact me using the details below.

Email: Pawsforwalksharrogate@gmail.com
Telephone: 07360 053428

I will deal with requests in accordance with applicable data protection law.

10. Cookies and website use

My website does not provide online booking forms, customer accounts or online payments.

The website may use cookies or similar technologies that are necessary for the website to operate.

If the website uses any non-essential cookies, such as cookies used for analytics or other purposes, the appropriate information and consent options will be provided where required.

11. Children’s information

My services are provided to adults and I do not intentionally collect personal information about children through my website.

If you provide information about another person as part of an enquiry or booking, you should ensure that you are entitled to provide that information.

12. Changes to this Privacy Policy

I may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes to my business, the way I use personal information or changes in data protection requirements.

The most recent version will always be available on this page.

Last updated: 10 August 2026

13. Complaints

If you have any concerns about the way I have handled your personal information, please contact me first using:

Email: Pawsforwalksharrogate@gmail.com
Telephone: 07360 053428

I will do my best to resolve your concerns.

You also have the right to complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) if you believe your personal information has not been handled properly.