Privacy

Your privacy is important to us

Protecting the privacy and confidentiality of personal information has always been a fundamental principle in our business relationships. We want you to know that The Bark Zone adheres to privacy legislation that governs what information may be collected, how it is used and how it is protected. This Privacy Statement explains our privacy policies and information handling practices.

Protecting your privacy means:

• We keep your personal information and the business you do with us in strict confidence;
• We do not sell your personal information;
• You have control over how we obtain, use, and give out personal information about you; and,
• We respect your privacy when we market our services. 

Why we collect personal information

We collect information in order to gain information about your dogs and how to reach you, your vet or any other caregiver. We understand that some of this information is personal. We collect, use and disclose personal information only for purposes that a reasonable person would consider appropriate in the circumstances. The information we will collect from you includes, but is not limited to:

• Your personal contact and emergency contact information;
• Your address, keys and alarm codes in order to pick up your dog and drop off;
• Pet Insurance;
• Your Vet details and vet release form;
• History of your dogs health and vaccinations for the purpose of protecting all dogs in our care;
• Feeding information;
• Behaviour and training information;
• The Bark Zone policies; and

Personal information for the purpose of contests and surveys or focus groups if you  wish to participate.

What we do with personal information

When you provide personal information to us in the form of a new client form, boarding form, contest, or survey, the information will be stored securely in our head office.

We may use your personal information to:

• Assign walkers;
• Contact you when we have the dogs in our care;
• Contact vet in case of emergency;
• Contact you with new services;
• Contact you to request information, to complete surveys, participate in focus groups or contests;
• Carry out contests and/or surveys; and,
• Improve our website and, where applicable, the services we offer.

We may send you information about our company and promotional material from some of our partners from time to time. If you have concerns about receiving occasional communication from us, please contact our Privacy Officer.

The Bark Zone clients

When you are on our walking schedule, we will collect additional information in order to ensure we have all pertinent information and assign you to an appropriate walker.  In addition, we will survey you to ensure that we are offering you and your dog the best possible service and to provide our walkers with constructive feedback.

Please note that all active clients will receive communication from The Bark Zone containing pertinent information related to current seasons, administrative communication, and newsletters.

Your information is obtained and used only with your consent

We want to assure you that any personal information you provide to The Bark Zone will remain completely confidential until you request otherwise, unless required by law. We do not sell or provide your information to third parties. We will only contact Veterinarians or family members listed on your client forms in case of emergencies when you cannot be reached.

Your consent can be express or implied

Express consent can be verbal or written. We will assume you have implied consent when you have given consent by some action you have taken, or when you decide not to take action. For example, by providing your contact information, dog profile or other personal information to The Bark Zone, you are granting your consent to allow us to use your information in the dog care process and to contact you regarding any service related issues.

You can withdraw your consent after you have given it

While we would like your consent to continue to collect and use your information as outlined above, we want you to know that you do have choices. In addition, you can request to have your information removed from our database, or opt out of receiving optional future mailings at any time by contacting our  Privacy Officer at info@thebarkzone.com.

We protect your information from error, loss, and unauthorized access

Our Contractors who have access to your information are made aware of how to keep it confidential. Each Contractor is governed by policies regarding information handling. Only Contractors who require access to your information in the course of their duties will have access to your information.

We respect the confidential information that we receive from others and therefore will not release any personal information provided to us without explicit authorization.

You can see and verify the accuracy of your information

You can update your personal information at any time through our web site or by contacting Privacy Officer.

If you would like access to the personal information we have on file for you, we will ask you to put your request in writing. You will be given reasonable access to your personal information to verify or correct information. Every effort will be made to respond to your inquiry within 30 days. There may be circumstances where The Bark Zone will not provide you with access or may require additional time to meet your request, in which case you will be informed.

Links to other sites

Our site may contain links to other sites that we think you might be interested in. While we try to link only to sites that share our high standards and respect for privacy, we are not responsible for the content, security, or privacy practices employed by other sites.

Cookies

Our site uses cookies to keep track of user sessions. We use cookies to deliver content specific to your choice of language. Cookies improve functionality and in some cases, provide visitors with a customized online experience.

Resolving your concerns, inquiries, or listening to your suggestions is important to us

In order to continually monitor and strengthen our privacy procedures, we have appointed a Privacy Officer who can be contacted through our head office info@thebarkzone.com or 416-783-9726. Please contact our Privacy Officer if you have any questions about privacy that were not answered above. We welcome your suggestions.

Changes to this privacy statement

The Bark Zone reserves the right to modify or supplement our privacy statement at any time. If we make any changes, we will update this site to include such changes and post a notice on our home page for a period of 30 days, with a link to the updated privacy statement. If you return to this site after a period of more than 30 days, please check this privacy statement to confirm you are familiar with the most recent update. Your continued use of the site will constitute your consent to the changes, including use of personal information previously provided, as if they were the initial terms. However, we will seek your consent if we want to use your personal information for purposes other than those agreed to previously.