Who we are
This website (https://homewardhoundadopt.org.uk) is run by Homeward Hound – North Macedonia & Romania, a small volunteer-run non-profit rescue. We are not a registered charity. For anything in this policy, email us at homewardhoundsmacedonia@outlook.com.
This page explains, in plain English, what information is handled through this website and why. It is practical information, not a legal certification.
Browsing the website
You can view our animals and information pages without creating an account or telling us who you are. The website does not use analytics, advertising or tracking tools, and we do not run a mailing list.
Like any website, our hosting provider and the backend that stores our animal profiles and photos receive basic technical information (such as your IP address and browser type) so pages can be delivered and kept secure. Our pages load fonts from Google Fonts, which means your browser contacts Google's servers.
Adoption and fostering applications
Applications are made through an external Google Form, not on this website. Information you enter there is collected by Google on our behalf and seen by our volunteers so we can assess your application and find a suitable match. Please include only what the form asks for. If the form asks about children or other people in your home, it is so we can match animals safely.
We use this information because you have asked us to consider your application (steps taken at your request before an adoption agreement) and for our legitimate interest in rehoming animals safely.
Contacting us
If you email us or message our volunteers on Facebook/Messenger, we receive the details you send (such as your name, contact details and message) and use them to reply and help with your enquiry.
Donations and support
We do not take payments on this website. Donations and monthly support are made through PayPal or GoCardless, and wishlist purchases through Amazon. Those services process your payment details under their own terms. We may receive information they share with recipients, such as your name, email address and amount given, which we use to record and acknowledge your support. For bank transfers, you contact us and we share details directly.
External services
Links on this site take you to Google Forms, PayPal, GoCardless, Amazon, Facebook/Messenger and WhatsApp. Each has its own privacy policy and practices, which apply once you use them.
Volunteer admin accounts
A small number of authorised volunteers sign in to manage animal profiles. For them, we store an email address and sign-in details with our backend provider, plus a record of which volunteer updated an animal or marked a social post as shared.
Sharing your information
We do not sell your information. It is seen only by the volunteers who need it, and by the service providers described above that run our website, forms and payments. We would only share it otherwise if required by law.
How long we keep information
We have not set fixed retention periods. We keep information only as long as we reasonably need it for the purpose it was given — for example, while an application or adoption is being handled — and you can ask us to delete it at any time.
Keeping information secure
Admin areas are restricted to authorised volunteers who sign in. Draft animal profiles and photos are kept private until published.
Your rights
Under UK data protection law you can ask to see the information we hold about you, have it corrected or deleted, restrict or object to how we use it, and in some cases receive a copy to take elsewhere. Email homewardhoundsmacedonia@outlook.com and we will respond as soon as we can.
If you are unhappy with how we have handled your information, please contact us first. You can also complain to the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) at ico.org.uk.
Cookies
See our Cookie Policy.
Changes
We will update this page if how we handle information changes, and update the date at the top.