Privacy Policy

1. Who We Are

• Marshian Pet Home is a family-owned in-home dog boarding service based in Maddingley, Bacchus Marsh, Victoria 3340.
• You can reach us at info@marshianpethome.com.au or 0470 295 527 with any question about this policy or about the information we hold.
• In this policy, "we", "us" and "our" mean Marshian Pet Home, and "you" means anyone who uses our website or engages our services.

2. Information We Collect

We collect only what we need to answer your enquiry and to care for your dog safely.

• Enquiry details: when you use our contact form we collect your name, email address and the content of your message.
• Booking and care details: your phone number, address, emergency contact, drop-off and collection arrangements, and your preferences for your dog's care.
• Your dog's records: breed, age, weight, vaccination certificates, microchip number, council registration, health and medication details, dietary needs and behavioural history. Your veterinarian's name and contact details.
• Payment details: where you pay us, we record the amount, date and method. We do not store full card numbers.
• Website usage data: pages visited, approximate location, referring site, device and browser type, and similar analytics data, collected via cookies as described in section 5.
• We do not knowingly collect personal information from children, and we do not collect government identifiers such as tax file numbers.

3. Why We Collect It & How We Use It

• To respond to your enquiry and provide a quote.
• To confirm and manage a booking, including drop-off, collection and payment.
• To care for your dog safely — including meeting feeding and medication needs, and obtaining veterinary treatment in an emergency.
• To meet our record-keeping obligations as a home-based boarding service, including under the Domestic Animals Act 1994 (Vic) and the applicable Victorian code of practice.
• To send you updates and photographs of your dog during a stay.
• To protect our website and contact form from spam and automated abuse.
• To understand how our website is used so we can improve it.
• We do not sell your personal information, and we do not use it for unrelated marketing. If we ever want to send you marketing, we will ask first and always give you a simple way to opt out.

4. Who We Share It With

We share personal information only where it is necessary for the purposes above. The service providers we use are:

• Netlify — hosts our website and runs our contact form. When you submit the form, your name, email address and message are stored in our Netlify account and emailed to us. Netlify also processes standard server request data such as IP addresses.
• Google Analytics — provides anonymised, aggregated website usage statistics.
• Veterinary practices — where your dog needs treatment during a stay, we share the details necessary for that treatment.
• Our local council, animal welfare authorities or other regulators — only where we are required to do so by law, or in the circumstances described in our Boarding Terms & Conditions.
• We may also disclose information where you consent, or where disclosure is required or authorised by Australian law.

5. Cookies, Analytics & Your Choices

Cookies are small files a website stores on your device. Our site uses them for analytics and for security, not for advertising.

• Analytics cookies: we use Google Analytics 4 to see how many people visit, which pages they read and roughly where they are located. This helps us improve the site. The data is aggregated and we do not use it to identify you personally.
• We do not use advertising or cross-site tracking cookies, and we do not run third-party ad networks.
• Our contact form uses a hidden anti-spam field rather than a tracking cookie, so filling it in does not add cookies to your device.
• You can opt out of Google Analytics entirely by installing the Google Analytics Opt-out Browser Add-on at tools.google.com/dlpage/gaoptout.
• You can also block or delete cookies in your browser settings. Our site will still work normally.

6. Overseas Disclosure

• Some of our service providers store and process data outside Australia. Netlify and Google both operate infrastructure in the United States and may process data in other countries where they operate.
• This means your personal information may be stored or handled overseas. We take reasonable steps to use reputable providers who are bound by their own privacy commitments, but overseas providers may be subject to foreign laws.
• By submitting our contact form or making a booking, you acknowledge this overseas disclosure. If you would prefer not to use our online form, you are welcome to phone or email us directly.

7. How We Keep It Safe

• Our website is served over HTTPS, so information you send through it is encrypted in transit.
• Access to enquiry emails, booking records and your dog's details is limited to the members of our family who need it to provide care.
• Paper records, such as vaccination certificates, are stored securely and are not left accessible to visitors.
• No method of transmission or storage is completely secure. While we take reasonable steps to protect your information, we cannot guarantee absolute security.
• If a data breach occurs that is likely to cause you serious harm, we will notify you and, where required, the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner.

8. How Long We Keep It

• Enquiries that do not lead to a booking are kept for up to 12 months, then deleted.
• Booking and care records, including your dog's vaccination and health details, are kept for as long as needed to meet our record-keeping and tax obligations — generally up to seven years.
• Analytics data is retained according to the retention period set in Google Analytics.
• When information is no longer needed and we are not required to keep it, we delete or de-identify it.

9. Access, Correction & Complaints

• You can ask us at any time what personal information we hold about you, and ask for a copy. Email info@marshianpethome.com.au and we will respond within a reasonable period, normally 30 days.
• If anything we hold is inaccurate, out of date or incomplete, tell us and we will correct it.
• You can ask us to delete your information. We will do so unless we are required by law to keep it — for example, records relating to a completed boarding stay.
• If you are unhappy with how we have handled your personal information, please raise it with us first. We take complaints seriously and will investigate and respond in writing.
• If you are not satisfied with our response, you can contact the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner at oaic.gov.au or on 1300 363 992.
• For a complaint about our service rather than your privacy, you can also contact Consumer Affairs Victoria at consumer.vic.gov.au.

10. Changes to This Policy

• We may update this policy as our services or obligations change. The current version is always published on this page with the date it was last updated.
• Where a change materially affects how we handle information we already hold about you, we will take reasonable steps to let you know.