Privacy Policy

1. Who We Are

PawsAcross (“PawsAcross,” “we,” “us,” or “our”) is a pet transportation and veterinary liaison service operating out of San Diego, California. We can be reached at:

2. Information We Collect

Information you provide directly:

• Account information: name, email address, phone number, home address
• Pet profiles: pet name, species, breed, age, weight, medical history, vaccination records, photos
• Booking information: procedure requested, appointment preferences, special instructions
• Payment information: processed securely via Stripe — we do not store card numbers
• Communications: emails, messages, and support requests you send us

Information we collect automatically:

• Device and browser information (type, OS, browser version)
• IP address and approximate location
• Pages visited, time on site, and referral source
• App usage data (features used, navigation patterns)

Note on pet medical records: HIPAA (the US law protecting human medical records) does not apply to animals. We treat pet health information with care and discretion, but there is no federal equivalent to HIPAA for pet records.

3. SMS Communications

When you provide your phone number and agree to SMS communications, we may send you text messages about:

• Booking confirmations and updates
• GPS checkpoint notifications during transport
• Estimate replies from our coordinator
• Operational messages necessary to fulfill your booking

Frequency: Message frequency varies based on your booking activity. You can expect 3–10 messages per active booking.

Costs: Message and data rates may apply per your carrier plan. PawsAcross does not charge for SMS messages.

Opt-out: Reply STOP to any message to unsubscribe. Reply HELP for help. Once you opt out, we will not send further SMS messages, but we may need to contact you by phone or email about an active booking.

Compliance: PawsAcross is registered for A2P 10DLC messaging per US carrier requirements. We do not share your phone number with third parties for marketing purposes.

4. How We Use Your Information

• To fulfill transport and veterinary coordination services you book
• To communicate with you about bookings, estimates, and service updates
• To provide vet partners with your pet's relevant medical profile for booked appointments
• To process payments via Stripe
• To improve our services and develop new features
• To send transactional emails (booking confirmations, receipts, post-visit summaries)
• To send marketing emails — only if you opt in
• To comply with legal obligations (border crossing documentation, etc.)

5. Sharing Your Information

We do not sell your personal information. We share it only with:

• Vet partner clinics: Your pet's relevant information is shared with the clinic assigned to your booking
• Couriers: Your pickup address and pet profile is shared with your assigned courier
• Stripe: For payment processing — subject to Stripe's own privacy policy
• Firebase (Google): Our database and authentication provider
• Resend: For transactional email delivery
• Government authorities: When required by law, including USDA, CBP, and other border agencies
• Legal compliance: When required by a court order, subpoena, or legal process

6. Photos and Media

Photos taken during your pet's visit (pickup confirmation, pre/post procedure) are:

• Stored securely and attached to your booking record
• Visible to you and to PawsAcross administrators
• Never used publicly without your explicit written consent

If we want to use your pet's photos or story in marketing materials, we will ask you separately and explicitly. You can say no — your service is unaffected either way.

7. Cookies and Tracking

We use cookies and similar technologies to:

• Keep you logged in between sessions
• Understand how visitors use our website (Google Analytics 4)
• Remember your preferences

You can manage or decline cookies through our cookie consent banner or your browser settings. Google Analytics can be opted out via Google's opt-out tool.

California residents: Under CPRA, you have the right to opt out of the sale or sharing of your personal information. We do not sell personal information. You may request opt-out of any analytics data sharing by emailing privacy@pawsacross.com.

8. Data Retention

We retain your account data for as long as your account is active. Pet medical records and booking history are retained indefinitely as they constitute a health record your vet may reference in future visits. If you request account deletion, we will remove your personal data within 30 days, except where retention is required by law.

9. Your Rights

Depending on your location, you may have the right to:

• Access the personal data we hold about you
• Request correction of inaccurate data
• Request deletion of your data (“right to be forgotten”)
• Object to certain processing activities
• Data portability (receive your data in a machine-readable format)
• Withdraw consent at any time where processing is based on consent

To exercise any of these rights, email privacy@pawsacross.com. We will respond within 30 days.

10. Children's Privacy

PawsAcross is not directed to children under 13 and we do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If you believe we have inadvertently collected information from a minor, contact us at privacy@pawsacross.com.

11. Security

We use industry-standard security measures including encrypted connections (HTTPS), Firebase security rules, and access controls. No method of transmission over the internet is 100% secure, but we take reasonable steps to protect your information.

12. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. When we do, we'll update the “Last Updated” date at the top. Material changes will be communicated by email to registered users.

13. Contact Us

For any privacy-related questions, requests, or complaints: