Privacy Policy

Effective date: October 20, 2026 Last updated: October 20, 2026

1. Who We Are

This website, petsandfamilies.com (the “Site”), offers resources related to pets and children. It is created and maintained by staff and experts of the Pets and Well-Being Lab at the Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University (the “Lab,” “we,” “us,” or “our”).

2. Scope and Relationship to Tufts’ Privacy Statements

This policy explains how we handle personal information collected through the Site, including our resources for families, tools listed, and our resources for providers.

The Site is not part of tufts.edu, but it is created by staff and faculty at Tufts University (“Tufts,” the “University”). Where this policy is silent, you can also review the University’s Privacy Statements & Terms of Use, including its Global Privacy Statement for Personal Data, which describes how Tufts handles personal data that is subject to laws such as the EU and UK General Data Protection Regulations (“GDPR”).

This policy does not apply to third-party websites, apps, or services that we link to or that appear within our pages (see Section 9).

3. Information We Collect

Information you give us

You may choose to give us information when you:

Contact us: Your name, email address, and the content of your comment or message.

You are not required to give us personal information to use the Site. However, if you wish to contact us, we may not be able to respond to your outreach if we do not have your email address.

Please do not include sensitive information (such as financial account numbers, government identifiers, or health information about individuals) in forms or messages.

Information collected automatically

When you visit the Site, we may collect information about your device and use of the Site, including identifiers (device information); internet or network activity (usage information); approximate geolocation (derived from IP address); and other information you choose to provide in messages (name, email address).

Device information: IP address, browser type and language, device type, operating system, and unique device identifiers.

Usage information: Pages viewed, links clicked, how long you stay, referring page or search engine, and date and time of visits.

IP address and approximate location: Your IP address is assigned to your device by your internet provider and is recorded automatically in server logs. We use it for security, for measuring usage levels, for diagnosing server problems, for understanding which parts of the Site are used most and where visitors come from, and to derive your approximate location. We do not link IP addresses to anything that personally identifies you unless required or permitted to do so by law or court order.

4. Cookies and Similar Technologies

Cookies are small files stored on your device. We use cookies and similar technologies, such as pixel tags, to keep the Site secure and working and understand how the Site is used.

Types of cookies. Session cookies are temporary and deleted when you close your browser. Persistent cookies stay on your device for a set period and are activated each time you visit the site that created them. Third-party cookies are placed by a domain other than ours. General information on cookies is available at www.allaboutcookies.org.

Cookie banner and your choices. When you first visit, a cookie banner lets you accept, reject, or customize non-essential cookies. You can change your choices at any time using the “Cookie Preferences” link in the footer.

Categories of cookies we use:

Category	Purpose	Examples / duration
Strictly necessary	Needed for the Site to function, for security, and to record your cookie choices. These do not require consent.	Login cookies (about 2 days; up to 2 weeks with “Remember Me”); screen options cookies (1 year); a temporary cookie testing whether your browser accepts cookies (deleted when you close your browser); a post-editing cookie for logged-in editors (1 day); cookie consent record (1 year)
Analytics / performance	Help us understand how visitors use the Site so we can improve it.	Google Analytics: to distinguish users (2 years); to persist session state (2 years)

Analytics. We use Google Analytics, a web analytics service provided by Google, to collect statistics about how the Site is used. Google Analytics uses cookies and other technologies and receives visitors’ IP addresses to give us a sense of where visitors come from. We use the resulting reports to understand trends and improve the Site; we do not use analytics to collect your name, email address, or other directly identifying information or link it to analytics data. See Google’s Privacy Policy and Google Analytics: Safeguarding Your Data. You can opt out with the Google Analytics opt-out browser add-on.

Cookies on websites we link to. Our site contains links to other websites. Once you leave our site, those websites may place their own cookies on your device. These third-party sites may set their own cookies, collect data about you, add their own tracking, and monitor your interaction with the embedded content, including if you are logged in to an account with them. Their practices are governed by their own policies, which change over time.

Managing cookies in your browser. Most browsers let you block or delete cookies. Instructions for popular browsers: Chrome, Firefox, Safari on iOS, Safari on macOS, and Microsoft Edge/Internet Explorer. If you block cookies, including essential cookies, all or parts of the Site may not work.

Global Privacy Control and Do Not Track. We do not sell or share your personal information. If this changes, we will treat browser-based opt-out signals such as Global Privacy Control (GPC) as a valid request to opt out of sale or sharing where required by law.

5. How We Use Your Information

We use information, such as your IP address and device type, to:

Operate, maintain, and secure the Site, and prevent, investigate, and respond to spam, fraud, unauthorized access, or other misconduct;

Analyze and improve the Site, our tools, and our resources, and conduct research, surveys, and similar inquiries to understand the needs of our users;

Enforce our policies and terms and protect our legal rights;

Comply with legal obligations and respond to subpoenas, court orders, and other legal process; and

Protect the safety, rights, or property of you, us, or others.

We do not sell your information. We may share IP address, device type, and session analytics only with service providers who help us operate our website (such as analytics and hosting providers) as needed or where required by law.

6. Email Communications

If you give us your email address via the Contact Us form, we may use it to respond to your questions or requests via email. Email is not always secure or encrypted, so please avoid sending sensitive personal or confidential information by email.

7. Legal Bases for Processing (EEA, UK, and Switzerland)

If you are in the European Economic Area, the United Kingdom, or Switzerland, we rely on the following legal bases:

Purpose	Legal basis
Operating, securing, and improving the Site; comments, moderation, and spam prevention; responding to your requests	Legitimate interests of the University in operating and improving its services, analyzing their use, and keeping them secure. We consider whether these interests are outweighed by your data protection rights.
Analytics and performance cookies	Consent
Legal compliance, responding to legal process	Legal obligation
Protecting someone’s vital interests	Vital interests

Where we rely on consent, you can withdraw it at any time (for example, by changing your cookie settings or unsubscribing). Withdrawing consent does not affect processing that occurred before withdrawal.

8. How We Share Your Information

We share the information we collect automatically, such as your IP address and session activity, only as described below. Service providers: Companies that perform services for us, such as web hosting (Hostinger), analytics (Google Analytics), the cookie consent tool (SureCookie), and system maintenance and security. They may use information only to provide services to us or to you.

Legal process, safety, and enforcement: We may disclose information to comply with law, regulation, legal process, or governmental request; to enforce our rights; to detect, prevent, or address fraud, security, or technical issues; or to protect the rights, property, health, or safety of us, our users, or others.

Business or organizational changes: If the Site or its operations are transferred or reorganized, information may be transferred as part of that change.

We may share your email address and message with other members of the petsandfamilies.com team in order to respond to your message, but we will not share your email or message with any external organizations.

9. Third-Party Links and Embedded Content

Many of our resources link to reputable outside organizations, professional associations, trainers, and other sources. We do not control, endorse, or take responsibility for the content, privacy policies, or data practices of those third parties. If you leave the Site, this policy no longer applies. Please review the privacy policy of any site you visit. You visit third-party sites at your own risk.

10. Our “For Providers” Section

The Site includes a section for healthcare professionals, with articles, insights, and peer-reviewed publications about pets and families. We do not require providers to register or share professional credentials to access this content.

11. How Long We Keep Your Information

Analytics data are kept for 2 years.

Server logs and security data: Our hosting provider, Hostinger, maintains server logs (such as IP addresses, pages requested, and browser information) for security and operational purposes. Retention periods are determined by Hostinger; see their privacy policy for details.

Messages and corresponding email addresses shared via the Contact Us form may be retained for 12 months in order to:

Respond to and follow up on your inquiry, maintaining the thread so a later question or reply has context.

Keep records of our communications so staff can see what was previously discussed or provided, and so a different team member can pick up the conversation if necessary.

Improve the Site and its resources: e.g., to address common questions or suggestions when adding or updating content.

We may keep information longer where required by law or for legitimate administrative, legal, or security purposes.

12. How We Protect Your Information

We use reasonable administrative, technical, and physical safeguards to protect personal information, such as HTTPS encryption, access controls limited to authorized staff with a legitimate need, and regular software updates. No method of transmission or storage is completely secure, so we cannot guarantee absolute security.

13. Your Rights and Choices

All visitors

If you complete the Contact Us form, you can request access to or an exported copy of the personal data we hold about you, including information associated with your message. Deletion does not extend to data we must keep for administrative, legal, or security purposes.

You can change cookie settings at any time (Section 4).

If you are in the EEA, the UK, or Switzerland

If GDPR applies to our processing of your data (for example, because we monitor your behavior on the Site while you are physically in the EEA or UK), you have the right to:

When completing the Contact Us form, access the personal data we process about you and get a copy;

Erasure (“right to be forgotten”) in certain circumstances;

Restrict processing in certain circumstances, in which case we may store but generally not otherwise use your data without your consent, except for legal claims, protecting another person, or other exceptions;

Data portability, meaning to receive data you gave us in an electronic format so you can reuse it elsewhere;

Object to processing in certain circumstances; and

Withdraw consent at any time.

These rights are not absolute and are subject to exemptions and limitations. If you are unhappy with how we handle your data or with our response, you may lodge a complaint with the supervisory authority in the country where you live, work, or believe an infringement occurred.

If you are a California resident

Under the California Consumer Privacy Act, as amended by the CPRA, you may have the right to:

Know the categories and specific pieces of personal information we have collected about you;

Delete personal information we have collected from you, subject to exceptions;

Correct inaccurate personal information;

Limit the use of sensitive personal information (we do not collect sensitive personal information for purposes that trigger this right); and

Non-discrimination: we will not deny you services or treat you differently for exercising your rights.

Categories of personal information collected in the past 12 months: Identifiers (e.g., IP address, online identifiers); internet or network activity (pages visited, interactions, browser and device information); approximate geolocation (derived from IP address); and other information you choose to provide in messages (e.g., name, email address). We use these for the purposes described in Section 5, and we do not collect the categories of sensitive personal information defined by California law.

You may use an authorized agent to make a request; we may require proof of authorization. If we deny a request, you may appeal by replying to our response.

How to make a request

To make a request, contact fetch@tufts.edu or write to our mailing address (Section 17).

14. International Data Transfers

The Site is published in the United States and is subject to United States law. If you are located outside the United States and use the Site or send us personal information, your information will be transferred to, processed in, and stored in the United States, which has different privacy laws than your country, and may be transferred to other countries where our service providers operate. Where we transfer personal data from the EEA, UK, or Switzerland to countries without an adequacy decision, we rely on appropriate safeguards, such as the European Commission’s Standard Contractual Clauses or, where the recipient is certified, the EU-U.S. Data Privacy Framework. Where the law allows, transfers may also be necessary to provide services you request, to establish or defend legal claims, or for other permitted purposes.

15. Children’s Privacy

Some of our resources are designed to help families and include content for or about children and teens. However, the Site is directed to parents, guardians, and other adults. It is not directed to children under 13, and we do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13 (or under 16 in the EEA and UK, where the age of digital consent may be higher) without verifiable parental consent. Children should not submit messages or otherwise give us personal information. If you believe a child has provided personal information, please contact us at fetch@tufts.edu and we will delete it.

16. Changes to This Policy

We may change this policy as needed. When we make material changes, we will update the “Last updated” date at the top and, where appropriate, provide additional notice (such as a banner on the Site). Changes are effective when posted. We encourage you to review this page periodically.

17. Contact Us

If you have questions about this policy or your data, contact:

Pets and Well-Being Lab
fetch@tufts.edu
200 Westboro Road
North Grafton, MA 01536