Privacy Policy

Last updated: April 2, 2026

This Privacy Policy describes how Pawsitive Journey Rescue (“we,” “us,” or “our”) collects, uses, and protects personal information when you use our animal rescue management system (the “Service”). The Service is provided through the Furball Rescue platform.

1. Information We Collect

We collect the following categories of personal information:

  • Account information — name, email address, phone number, and mailing address when you register or are added as a volunteer, foster parent, or adopter.
  • Intake reports — reporter name, email, phone number, and animal details when you submit a found-animal or surrender report through our public intake form.
  • Foster and adoption records — information related to animals in your care, home environment details, adoption applications, and signed agreements.
  • Volunteer records — hours logged, activities performed, and capabilities.
  • Communications — emails and SMS messages sent through the Service.
  • Payment information — adoption fees are processed securely through Stripe, Inc. We do not store credit card numbers or bank account details on our servers.
  • Technical data — IP address at time of account creation, terms acceptance, and consent records for audit purposes.

2. How We Use Your Information

We use your information to:

  • Manage animal intake, foster placements, and adoptions
  • Process adoption applications and coordinate home checks
  • Communicate with you about animals in your care, applications, or appointments
  • Send transactional emails (confirmations, updates, password resets)
  • Send SMS notifications when you have opted in
  • Process adoption fee payments through Stripe
  • Generate operational and compliance reports (e.g., Live Release Rate)
  • Maintain audit trails as required for animal welfare accountability

3. Legal Basis for Processing

We process your personal information based on:

  • Consent — you provide consent when submitting intake reports, creating an account, or opting into SMS notifications.
  • Legitimate interest — managing animal welfare operations and maintaining records necessary for responsible rescue management.
  • Contractual necessity — fulfilling foster and adoption agreements.

4. Data Sharing

We do not sell, rent, or trade your personal information. We may share limited data with:

  • Adoption listing platforms (e.g., Petfinder, Adopt-a-Pet, RescueGroups) — animal profiles and photos only. Personal information of fosters, adopters, or reporters is never shared with these platforms.
  • Payment processor (Stripe, Inc.) — to process adoption fee payments. Stripe’s privacy policy governs their handling of payment data.
  • Email delivery provider (Amazon SES) — to deliver transactional emails. Email content is transmitted securely.
  • SMS delivery provider (Amazon SNS) — to deliver opted-in SMS notifications.
  • Platform provider (Furball Rescue) — as the technology provider hosting this Service. Furball Rescue processes data solely on our behalf and according to our instructions.

We may also disclose information when required by law, court order, or to protect the safety of animals or persons.

5. Data Retention

We retain your personal information for as long as necessary to fulfill the purposes described above and to comply with legal obligations. Specifically:

  • Active accounts — retained while your account is active.
  • Adoption and foster records — retained for the lifetime of the animal for welfare and medical continuity.
  • Intake reports — retained for a minimum of 3 years for operational records.
  • Financial records — retained as required by tax and accounting regulations.

You may request deletion of your personal data at any time (see “Your Rights” below).

6. Data Security

We implement appropriate technical and organizational measures to protect your information, including:

  • Encrypted connections (HTTPS/TLS) for all data in transit
  • Encryption at rest for sensitive credentials
  • Role-based access controls limiting data access to authorized personnel
  • Regular database backups with encrypted storage
  • Account lockout protection against unauthorized access attempts

7. Cookies

This Service uses only essential cookies required for authentication and session management. We do not use tracking, advertising, or analytics cookies. No third-party cookies are set.

8. Your Rights

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

  • Access — request a copy of the personal data we hold about you.
  • Correction — request correction of inaccurate or incomplete data.
  • Deletion — request deletion of your personal data, subject to legal retention requirements.
  • Opt out — unsubscribe from non-essential emails using the link in any email, or adjust your SMS preferences in your account settings.
  • Data portability — request your data in a portable format.

To exercise any of these rights, contact us at admin@localhost. We will respond within 30 days.

9. Children’s Privacy

This Service is not directed at children under 13. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children. If you believe a child has provided us with personal data, please contact us and we will delete it promptly.

10. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. The “Last updated” date at the top of this page indicates when the policy was last revised. Continued use of the Service after changes constitutes acceptance of the updated policy.

11. Contact

For privacy-related questions or concerns, contact us at:
admin@localhost