Legal
Privacy Policy
Effective September 25, 2026. Plain language, no jargon.
The short version
ThePetAdvisor publishes free dog-show weekend guides, and it also runs optional user accounts with paid tiers (Pro Exhibitor and Pro Handler). We collect the minimum needed to run accounts, billing, and the handler marketplace — listed below. Payments are handled by Stripe; we never see or store your card details. We don't sell your data.
What we collect
Account basics. When you create an account we store your name, email address, and a salted hash of your password (never the password itself). Signing in sets a session cookie so the site remembers you.
- Your lists. Saved shows, plan items, schedule items, followed judges and breeds, judge notes, and your waiting list — all private to your account.
- My dogs. A simple roster: each dog's call name and breed (plus an optional registered name). Registered names are never shown publicly.
- Pro Handler profiles. If you publish one, your display name, photo, breeds, region, and bio appear in the public handler directory at thepetadvisor.com/handlers/ while your Pro subscription is active. If your subscription lapses, the public page unpublishes but your data stays saved. Your email address is never shown publicly.
- Leads. When someone contacts you through your public profile, we store their name, email, phone (if given), and message in your private lead inbox.
- Handler requests. Requests you post appear on the public board with the show, what you need, your dates, details, and your dogs' call names and breeds — never your name, email, or contact info. Responses and follow-up replies are visible only to you and the other party.
- Billing. Pro subscriptions are billed by Stripe. We store your Stripe customer ID and subscription status (active, past due, canceled, and so on) so we know whether Pro features are on. Card numbers and bank details go to Stripe directly — they never touch our servers.
- Email notifications (planned, not live yet). We're building an email signup for show news and closing-deadline reminders. When it launches, we'll collect your email address only, use it only for the emails you asked for, and let you unsubscribe anytime.
- Emails you send us. If you email info@thepetadvisor.com with a question or correction, we'll have your email address and whatever you wrote. We use it only to reply.
What our service providers collect
- Cloudflare (hosting). Our pages are served through Cloudflare, which keeps standard server logs (things like IP address, browser type, pages requested) to keep the site fast and block abuse. We don't see or use these logs for profiling.
- Stripe (payments). Pro Handler subscriptions are billed through Stripe. Stripe collects and processes your payment details under its own privacy policy — we never see your card number. We store only your Stripe customer ID and subscription status.
- Travelpayouts (travel affiliate links). Our hotel booking links run through Travelpayouts' Drive script, which records clicks and completed bookings so we get credit for the referral. Travelpayouts sets its own cookies for this attribution. We don't see your identity — only aggregate click and booking counts.
Cookies
This site sets very few cookies:
- Session cookie (
tpa_session), only when you sign in — it keeps you signed in. - Cloudflare's security cookies, which protect the site from bots and abuse.
- Travelpayouts affiliate cookies, which remember that you arrived via our link so a booking gets attributed to us.
We don't set advertising cookies, and we don't use third-party trackers beyond the services above. You can block or delete cookies in your browser settings — browsing still works, but signing in won't.
Cookie notice. On your first visit you'll see a short notice about cookies with a "Got it" button. Dismissing it saves a flag in your browser's local storage so the notice doesn't show again on that device.
What we don't do
- We don't sell, rent, or share personal data with anyone.
- We don't run behavioral advertising.
- We don't collect location data, card or bank details, or anything about your dogs beyond the call names and breeds you choose to list.
Your rights
Email us at info@thepetadvisor.com and we'll answer: what data we hold about you, correct it, or delete your account and its data. If you're in a place with data-protection laws (like the EU/UK or California), those rights apply here too. Note: canceling a Pro subscription is done through Stripe's customer portal (the "Manage billing" button in your account); deleting your account here doesn't cancel Stripe billing — cancel first, then ask us to delete.
Changes
This policy grows as the site does. The effective date at the top always shows the current version.
Contact
Questions about privacy: info@thepetadvisor.com.