PRIVACY POLICY

Mutt in a Rutt

Last updated: 3 July 2026

1. About this Privacy Policy

This Privacy Policy explains how Mutt in a Rutt collects, uses, stores and protects personal information.

Mutt in a Rutt provides dog training and behaviour support services in Shrewsbury, Shropshire and the surrounding area. This policy applies when you:

• visit our website;
• contact us by phone, email, contact form, booking form, social media or message;
• enquire about dog training, puppy classes, behaviour support or related services;
• book or attend a session, class, consultation or programme;
• provide information about yourself, your household or your dog;
• interact with our business online or offline.

We take privacy seriously and only collect personal information where it is needed for clear business, service, legal or safety reasons.

2. Who we are

Business name: Mutt in a Rutt

Location: Shrewsbury, Shropshire, United Kingdom

Email: support@muttinarutt.com

For the purposes of UK data protection law, Mutt in a Rutt is the data controller for the personal information it collects and uses.

3. Personal information we may collect

We may collect the following types of personal information.

3.1 Contact details

• name;
• email address;
• phone number;
• home address or general location;
• social media username, if you contact us through social media.

3.2 Booking and enquiry information

• details of your enquiry;
• preferred service or training type;
• appointment dates and times;
• session notes;
• payment status;
• communication history;
• feedback or reviews you choose to provide.

3.3 Information about your dog

• dog’s name;
• breed or type;
• age;
• sex;
• neuter status, where relevant;
• training history;
• behaviour concerns;
• medical, mobility or wellbeing information relevant to training;
• bite history or safety concerns;
• reactivity triggers;
• household routine and walking environment;
• information about previous trainers, vets or behaviourists, where relevant.

3.4 Household and safety information

Dog training and behaviour support may require us to understand the environment in which your dog lives. We may collect information such as:

• who lives in the household;
• whether children or vulnerable people are present;
• whether other pets are present;
• access arrangements for home visits;
• safety issues relevant to training;
• information about visitors, walking locations or other dogs where relevant to the training plan.

We only collect this information where it is relevant to providing safe and appropriate support.

3.5 Payment and transaction information

We may collect:

• payment amount;
• payment date;
• invoice or receipt details;
• whether a payment has been made;
• limited billing information.

We do not intentionally collect or store full payment card details ourselves. If online payments are used, payment details are usually processed by a third-party payment provider.

3.6 Website and technical information

When you visit our website, we may collect:

• IP address;
• browser type;
• device type;
• pages visited;
• date and time of visit;
• approximate location derived from technical data;
• referral source;
• cookie preferences;
• analytics data, where analytics cookies are accepted.

For more information, see our Cookies Policy.

3.7 Marketing information

If you choose to receive updates, we may collect:

• your marketing preferences;
• your email address or phone number;
• your interaction with newsletters, offers, updates or social media content.

You can opt out of marketing at any time.

4. How we collect personal information

We may collect information directly from you when you:

• complete a contact form;
• complete a booking form;
• send an email;
• call or message us;
• contact us through Facebook, Instagram or another social media platform;
• attend a session, class, consultation or event;
• complete a questionnaire;
• provide feedback or a review;
• make a payment;
• use our website.

We may also receive information from:

• another person making an enquiry or booking on your behalf;
• vets, behaviourists, trainers or other professionals, if you ask them to share information with us;
• website, analytics, booking, email or payment service providers;
• social media platforms, depending on your settings and how you contact us.

5. Why we use your personal information

We use personal information to:

• respond to enquiries;
• provide dog training and behaviour support;
• assess whether our services are suitable for you and your dog;
• arrange consultations, classes, sessions or home visits;
• prepare training plans or behaviour support notes;
• manage bookings and cancellations;
• send appointment reminders;
• process payments and issue receipts;
• keep business records;
• manage safety and welfare risks;
• respond to complaints or disputes;
• improve our services;
• maintain website security;
• send marketing communications where allowed;
• meet legal, tax, insurance and regulatory obligations.

6. Lawful bases for processing

Under UK data protection law, we must have a lawful basis for using personal information. Depending on the situation, we may rely on one or more of the following.

6.1 Contract

We use your personal information where it is necessary to provide services you have requested or to take steps before entering into a contract with you. This includes responding to enquiries, arranging bookings, delivering sessions and managing payments.

6.2 Legitimate interests

We may use personal information where it is necessary for our legitimate business interests, provided your rights and freedoms do not override those interests.

This may include:

• keeping basic customer records;
• managing communications;
• improving our services;
• protecting the safety of clients, dogs, staff and the public;
• maintaining website security;
• dealing with complaints or disputes;
• keeping evidence of advice given.

6.3 Consent

We may rely on consent for:

• optional marketing emails or messages;
• non-essential cookies;
• using photos, videos, testimonials or case studies in marketing;
• sharing certain information with third parties where you have specifically agreed.

You can withdraw consent at any time.

6.4 Legal obligation

We may use or keep personal information where required by law, including tax, accounting, insurance, safeguarding, health and safety, legal claims, regulatory requirements or law enforcement requests.

6.5 Vital interests

In rare cases, we may use or share information where it is necessary to protect someone’s life or prevent serious harm.

7. Special category information

We do not usually need to collect sensitive personal information about you. However, dog training and behaviour work may occasionally involve information that could indirectly relate to health, disability, vulnerability, household safety or safeguarding.

Where we collect sensitive information, we only do so where it is relevant, necessary and handled carefully.

Examples may include:

• access needs for a session;
• health or mobility issues affecting attendance;
• information about children or vulnerable people in the home where relevant to dog behaviour and safety;
• safeguarding or serious safety concerns.

We will only use this information for appropriate service, safety, legal or safeguarding reasons.

8. Information about children

We may receive limited information about children in a household where it is relevant to dog training, behaviour, safety or home visits.

We do not intentionally collect children’s personal information for marketing.

If a child attends a class, session or event, a parent or guardian should provide consent where required.

9. How we use information about your dog

Information about your dog is important because behaviour support and training must be tailored to the individual dog and household.

We may use dog-related information to:

• assess training needs;
• understand behaviour concerns;
• create a safe and realistic training plan;
• decide whether referral to a vet or clinical behaviourist may be appropriate;
• manage safety risks;
• prepare for sessions;
• track progress;
• record advice given.

Some information about your dog may be linked to your personal information, so we treat it carefully.

10. Photos, videos, testimonials and case studies

We may ask to take or use photos, videos, testimonials or case studies for training records, progress tracking, social media, website content or marketing.

We will only use identifiable photos, videos, testimonials or case studies for marketing where we have your permission.

You can withdraw permission for future use at any time. If content has already been published, we will take reasonable steps to remove it from places we control, but we may not be able to remove copies that have already been shared, saved or indexed by third-party platforms.

11. Marketing communications

We may send marketing communications if:

• you have consented;
• you have previously enquired about or used our services and the law allows us to contact you about similar services;
• you follow or interact with us on social media and receive content through that platform.

Marketing may include:

• service updates;
• class availability;
• puppy training information;
• behaviour support information;
• offers;
• useful dog training tips;
• business news.

You can opt out at any time by using the unsubscribe option, changing your preferences, or contacting us.

We do not sell your personal information to third parties.

12. Who we share personal information with

We may share personal information with trusted third parties where needed, including:

• website hosting providers;
• email providers;
• booking or scheduling systems;
• payment processors;
• accounting or bookkeeping providers;
• insurers or legal advisers;
• IT support providers;
• analytics providers, where analytics are used;
• social media platforms, if you interact with us through them;
• vets, behaviourists or other animal professionals, where you ask us to do so or where there is a serious welfare or safety reason;
• law enforcement, regulators or public authorities where legally required.

We only share information where there is a proper reason to do so.

13. International transfers

Some service providers, such as website, email, analytics, booking, payment or social media platforms, may process personal information outside the United Kingdom.

Where this happens, we aim to use providers that apply appropriate safeguards under UK data protection law.

14. How long we keep personal information

We only keep personal information for as long as necessary.

Typical retention periods are:

• enquiries that do not become bookings: up to 24 months;
• client booking and service records: up to 7 years after the last service or contact;
• payment, invoice and accounting records: up to 7 years;
• behaviour and safety notes: up to 7 years after the last service or contact, especially where needed for insurance, legal or safety reasons;
• marketing consent records: while you remain subscribed and for a reasonable period afterwards to evidence consent or opt-out;
• website analytics data: according to the settings of the analytics provider;
• complaint, incident or dispute records: up to 7 years, or longer if reasonably required for legal, insurance or safeguarding reasons.

We may keep anonymised information for longer because it no longer identifies you.

15. How we protect personal information

We use reasonable technical and organisational measures to protect personal information.

These may include:

• password-protected systems;
• secure email and account access;
• limiting access to information;
• using trusted service providers;
• keeping records only where needed;
• reviewing information held;
• deleting information when it is no longer required;
• taking care with paper records, messages and device access.

No system is completely secure, but we take reasonable steps to reduce risks.

16. Your data protection rights

Under UK data protection law, you have rights over your personal information.

These may include:

• the right to be informed about how your information is used;
• the right to access your personal information;
• the right to correct inaccurate information;
• the right to request deletion of your information;
• the right to restrict how your information is used;
• the right to object to certain uses;
• the right to data portability in certain circumstances;
• rights relating to automated decision-making, where applicable;
• the right to withdraw consent where processing is based on consent.

These rights are not absolute and may depend on the circumstances. For example, we may need to keep certain records for legal, insurance, tax or safety reasons.

17. How to make a data protection request

To make a request about your personal information, contact:

Mutt in a Rutt

Email: support@muttinarutt.com

We may need to confirm your identity before responding.

We will usually respond within one month, unless the request is complex or we are legally allowed more time.

18. Data protection complaints

If you have a concern about how we use your personal information, please contact us first so we can try to resolve it.

Email: support@muttinarutt.com

We will review your complaint and respond as soon as reasonably possible.

You also have the right to complain to the UK Information Commissioner’s Office.

Information Commissioner’s Office

Website: https://ico.org.uk

Telephone: 0303 123 1113

19. Links to other websites

Our website may contain links to third-party websites, social media pages, booking platforms or payment providers.

We are not responsible for the privacy practices of third-party websites. You should read their privacy policies before providing personal information.

20. Changes to this Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. The latest version will be posted on our website with the updated date shown at the top.

21. Contact us

For questions about this Privacy Policy or how your information is used, contact:

Mutt in a Rutt

Shrewsbury, Shropshire, United Kingdom

Email: support@muttinarutt.com