Privacy policy

Last updated: September 5, 2026

Golden Paw Match (goldenpawmatch.com) helps older adults and their families find suitable companions and manage responsible rehoming. Dogs can be any age; cats are also supported. This policy explains what we collect, why, and your choices.

1. Who we are

Golden Paw Match is operated by John Shoufler (“we,” “us,” or “our”). We are not a shelter, rescue, or animal welfare agency. We do not approve adoptions, inspect animals, or guarantee listing accuracy.

Contact: support@goldenpawmatch.com

2. Information we collect

Quiz and match preferences. Your answers and results are held in your browser for the results flow. The service also stores a temporary share snapshot so a shared results link can work. Saved pet updates store the preferences you choose. You do not need an account to browse or use the quiz.

ZIP code. You provide a U.S. ZIP code to find pets near you. For match searches, the ZIP is sent to our API to query nearby listings. If you sign up for email alerts, we store your ZIP with your alert preferences.

Email alert signups. If you opt in on the results page, we collect your email address, ZIP code, species preference, and quiz profile fields (mobility, size, training needs, etc.) and store them in our database so we can notify you when strong new matches appear. Weekly updates require email verification and your explicit opt-in. You can turn them off from your account or use the unsubscribe link in an email.

Optional guidance emails. You can separately choose an owner/caregiver series, an adopter series, or both in your verified account. Each series contains up to three practical emails. We store your choices, consent times, delivery stages and delivery outcomes to honor your preferences and prevent repeated emails. We may use your listing status to avoid sending owner prompts after a listing closes or is removed. Signing in or requesting weekly pet updates does not enroll you in guidance. Turn either series off in My account, or stop both through a guidance email; this does not change your separate pet-update preferences or necessary conversation notifications.

Rehome listings. If you submit a pet through Rehome a pet, we collect the information you enter: pet details, description, verified caregiver email and location (ZIP, city, state). Pet details, location and caregiver disclosures are shown on active listings. Your email and phone are not displayed publicly. We verify your email with a one-time code and use a secure session cookie so you can manage your listings and messages. Contact requests and replies are stored in your account and may generate transactional email notifications. You decide whether to share contact details in a message.

First-party analytics. We collect basic usage events so we can understand whether real people are finding pets, which ZIP codes and species they search, which pages help them, and whether alert and rehome tools are working. We filter common crawlers and bots, store a random browser identifier, hash IP addresses, and avoid storing email addresses or phone numbers in analytics events.

Affiliate and retailer links. Some pages may show recommended pet supplies from retailers such as Amazon or Awin advertisers. If you click those links, the retailer or affiliate network may receive click information and may use cookies or similar technologies under their own privacy policies. We do not receive your payment card details or order details from those retailers.

Server logs. Our web server and API keep standard access logs (IP address, browser type, pages or endpoints requested, timestamps) for security, abuse prevention, and debugging. Logs are rotated routinely and are not used to build advertising profiles.

3. How we use information

Rank pet listings using your preferences and the information provided by shelters or caregivers
Display match results and rehome listings to users in relevant areas
Send email alerts you requested (when that feature is active)
Operate, secure, measure, and improve the Service
Respond to support, privacy, and abuse reports
Comply with law and enforce our Terms of Use

We do not sell your personal information. We do not run advertising trackers or behavioral ad networks on this site.

4. Third parties

RescueGroups.org. Shelter pet data is fetched from the public RescueGroups adoptable-pet API based on the ZIP code and search radius you provide. We do not send your email to RescueGroups. Their handling of animal listing data is governed by RescueGroups.org terms and policies.

Shelters and private listers. When you click “Apply at shelter,” you leave our site for a third-party shelter or rescue website. Private rehome conversations begin in your verified account. Information you choose to include in a message is shared with the other participant.

Hosting and email providers. The site is hosted on a VPS; email is handled through our mail provider. These vendors process data only to provide infrastructure services to us.

Payment processing. Optional Pro Alerts and promoted rehome listing payments are processed by Stripe. We will not store full payment card numbers on our servers. Stripe’s privacy policy will apply to payment data.

Retailer and affiliate partners. Recommended supply links may point to third-party retailers. As an Amazon Associate we may earn from qualifying purchases. Awin links, where used, may include our publisher identifier so purchases can be attributed. Retailer privacy policies and checkout terms apply after you leave our site.

5. Cookies and local storage

We do not use advertising cookies. Verified sign-in uses a secure session cookie to protect your account. The quiz and results flow uses browser sessionStorage (not cookies) to remember your match results for the current browsing session. Our first-party analytics uses browser storage to keep a random visitor ID and session ID so we can count repeat page views without knowing your name. Accessibility preferences may also be stored locally in your browser.

6. How long we keep data

Email alerts: Until you unsubscribe, ask us to delete your data, or we discontinue the alert product.
Guidance preferences and delivery history: We keep consent, opt-out and delivery records so we can honor your choices and avoid sending a completed stage again. You can ask us to delete your account information.
Rehome listings and conversations: Records can remain in your account after a listing or conversation closes, so you can manage your history. You may request deletion. We may retain necessary abuse or security records and remove abusive or fraudulent public content.
Analytics events: Used in aggregate to improve the Service and understand demand by ZIP, species, and page. We may periodically delete or aggregate older event-level data.
Server logs: Typically weeks to a few months, then rotated or deleted.

7. Your choices and rights

You may:

Use the quiz without creating an account or submitting an email
Request access to, correction of, or deletion of alert or rehome data we hold about you
Opt out of alert emails using the unsubscribe link (when emails are sent) or by emailing us
Ask questions about this policy at any time

Depending on where you live, you may have additional rights under laws such as the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA/CPRA). We do not sell personal information. California residents may request disclosure or deletion by emailing support@goldenpawmatch.com with the subject line “Privacy request.” We will verify and respond within the timeframes required by law.

8. Children

Golden Paw Match is intended for adults and families helping older adults find a pet. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If you believe a child has submitted information to us, contact us and we will delete it promptly.

9. Security

We use HTTPS, access controls, and routine hosting practices to protect data. No method of transmission or storage is 100% secure. Please use a strong, unique email password for your mailbox if you list a pet or sign up for alerts.

10. International users

The Service is designed for users in the United States (U.S. ZIP codes, U.S. shelter data). If you access the site from outside the U.S., you understand your information may be processed in the United States.

11. Changes

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. Material changes will be posted on this page with a new “Last updated” date. Continued use of the Service after changes take effect means you accept the updated policy.

12. Contact

Privacy questions or requests:

Email: support@goldenpawmatch.com