Privacy Policy
How the My Paw Finder website and Android app handle account, location, search, and notification information.
Updated October 13, 2026
Website feedback
We retain feedback messages, optional page links and email addresses, and private review notes so the administrator can review issues and improve the site. Feedback is not published. Email is optional and is used only to follow up about the message. Administrator notifications are sent through Microsoft 365 when available. A hashed network-address key, count, and timestamp limit submission abuse.
Site activity statistics
We record page views, submitted search outcomes, clicks on giving links and account invitations, and actions such as saving a cause. These records contain an event identifier, page or link identifier, and date/time, not your account ID, name, email, search criteria, ZIP code, coordinates, or network address. We retain these non-identifying counts to understand use over time. Animal detail views are grouped together. Repeated views and clicks are counted; these totals are not unique people or proof of donations. Admin traffic and excluded browsers are not included. Operational health records contain service names, outcomes and whether requests were visitor, admin, excluded-device, or system activity. You can exclude this browser using the setting below; it uses local storage and a first-party preference cookie lasting up to one year. Clearing browser data removes that preference. Browser blocking and network failures may prevent some events from being recorded.
Paw Match preferences
Matching works without an account. Applied preferences are stored locally on your browser or phone when storage is available. Guest and signed-in preferences are kept separately. When signed in, choosing Show Results saves your match preferences and search location to your account so they can be used across devices. We store selected species, household age groups, existing pet categories, home and care preferences, and requirements. Household answers are not sent to animal-listing providers; matching runs locally, and on the server for saved-search alerts. Search settings and location needed to obtain listings are sent to the relevant provider. Delete your account to remove the account profile; local preferences can be cleared through browser or app storage settings. We do not ask for children’s names, birth dates, medical diagnoses, or your exact home address.
Shelter suggestions and corrections
The shelter suggestion form sends your email address and submitted organization details to our server, which forwards them to the My Paw Finder admin through Microsoft 365. Messages are saved in a private website review queue and may also be held in the admin mailbox for review and follow-up. We store a hashed network-address rate-limit key, a request count, and a timestamp to limit abuse. Only approved public organization details are published; submitter contact information and review notes remain private. Include only public organization information and contact us to ask about a submission.
Location and search information
When you enter a ZIP code or city, or allow location access, the website or app sends that location and your search settings to our server to find nearby organizations or animals. Location permission is optional. You can deny or revoke it in your browser or Android settings and enter a ZIP code or city instead. We do not request background location access. Location may be stored as part of saved search preferences.
Services used to answer searches
Location and directory requests may be sent to Zippopotam.us, OpenStreetMap Nominatim, and the configured Overpass servers. When live adoption search is enabled, relevant search settings and location are sent to the adoption provider, currently RescueGroups.org. These services process requests under their own policies.
Temporary search storage
To help during outages, directory results and their matching location/radius search are kept in browser session storage for the current tab and in a limited server memory cache. Older results may be reused for up to seven days and are labeled. Session storage generally clears when the tab session ends; your browser may restore sessions. You can clear site data in browser settings.
Hosting and external content
Hosting and service providers may process IP addresses, request URLs, and technical connection information when serving requests. Search URLs can include location information. Provider log retention is governed by their policies. External images can contact their image hosts. Opening an organization website or map search takes you to another service; map-search links include your selected location.
Current features and your choices
Accounts are optional. Sign in using a one-time code sent to your email through Microsoft 365. Better Auth manages verification and secure session cookies; there are no My Paw Finder passwords. Verification codes are hashed in storage and expire after ten minutes. Authentication records include sessions and security rate limits. After you verify your email and sign in, your account is created automatically. We store its identity ID, email, optional display name, favorite animal IDs and names, saved organization links, saved search criteria (including location), and email preferences in the hosting database. Alert history records animal IDs and delivery status to prevent repeats. Delete your My Paw Finder account in My Account to remove those application records. Account deletion also removes your sign-in identity and sessions. Browser-only favorites can be cleared using browser site-data settings. We do not collect payments or medical information directly, and we do not use advertising trackers. You do not need to submit veteran status or medical information to search. Avoid entering sensitive personal information in search fields.
Saved-search emails
Emails require both account and saved-search opt-in. The configured email provider, currently Microsoft 365, processes the recipient email and matching-animal content to send notifications. Disable emails in My Account or use the unsubscribe link in a message. Email delivery and provider retention are governed by the sending provider’s policies. No email alerts are sent while delivery is disabled.
Android phone notifications
Google Firebase Cloud Messaging and Firebase Installations process an installation identifier, messaging token, and technical app information to support notifications. Firebase initialization can create installation information even before you choose to allow notifications. We store the registered phone’s identifier and messaging token with your account only when you opt in, along with registration timestamps and expiry. Each saved search has a separate phone-alert choice. Notification text contains animal names and listing IDs, not your email, household answers, or search location. Delivery history retains animal IDs, status and provider message IDs to prevent duplicates. Turn phone alerts off in the app or revoke Android notification permission. App sign-out removes its active phone binding; inactive bindings expire after 30 days without refresh. Deleting your account removes its phone registrations and alert history. No Firebase Analytics or advertising SDK is included.
Deleting your account
Use Account and sync settings in the Android app or My Account on the website, then choose Delete account and confirm by typing DELETE. This removes your account, sign-in identity and sessions, saved paws, causes, searches, match profile, phone registrations and alert history from our application database. Anonymous local favorites and preferences may remain on your device and can be removed through browser or Android app storage settings. Separately submitted shelter requests, feedback, sent emails and technical provider logs are not automatically removed by account deletion; contact us through Feedback for help with those records. Visit /delete-account for the account deletion instructions.
Shelter submissions
When you suggest a shelter or correction, we retain your request, contact email, and review history in a private admin queue. Only approved public organization details and help links are published. Your contact email and private review notes are not published. Email notifications may be sent to the administrator.
Policy updates
This policy describes the current site. We will update this page as features or data practices change.