Privacy Policy

Effective date: May 11, 2026

Hot Dogz respects your privacy. This Privacy Policy explains how Hot Dogz collects, uses, stores, and shares information when you use the Hot Dogz mobile application, website, and related services. Hot Dogz is a dog-walking marketplace that connects dog owners with independent dog walkers. This policy is intended as a public-facing privacy notice for users and app store review purposes.

1. Information Hot Dogz Collects

Hot Dogz may collect the following categories of information:

• Account and contact information, including your name, email address, phone number, mailing address, login details, and profile information.
• Dog and booking information, including your dog's name, breed, age, size, behavior notes, medical notes, walk preferences, booking details, and service history.
• Precise location information, including GPS data collected during walks to track routes, confirm services, support safety features, and provide walk updates.
• Communications and content, including in-app messages, support requests, reviews, photos, videos, and other content you choose to upload or send through Hot Dogz. In-app chat and messaging may be provided by Stream or a similar communications provider acting on Hot Dogz's behalf.
• Payment and transaction information, including billing details, transaction records, payout information, and limited payment-related information. Payment card details are collected and processed by Hot Dogz's payment provider, Stripe, and are not stored in full by Hot Dogz.
• Device and usage information, including IP address, browser type, mobile device identifiers, app activity, crash information, analytics data, and similar technical information.
• Identity verification and background check information, including information submitted by or about walkers as part of mandatory screening, identity verification, eligibility review, and compliance processes. These checks may be conducted through Certn or a similar background-check provider acting on Hot Dogz's behalf.

2. How Hot Dogz Collects Information

Hot Dogz collects information:

• directly from you when you create an account, complete your profile, make a booking, apply to be a walker, contact support, or use the app;
• automatically through your device and app usage, including analytics tools and location permissions;
• from service providers that help operate Hot Dogz, such as payment processors, cloud providers, analytics providers, communications providers, and background-check providers; and
• from other users where relevant to a booking, dispute, or safety issue.

3. How Hot Dogz Uses Information

Hot Dogz may use personal information to:

• create and manage user accounts;
• match customers with walkers and operate bookings;
• process payments, payouts, cancellations, and refunds;
• provide precise GPS walk tracking, walk summaries, and related safety features;
• conduct and review mandatory walker background checks and identity verification;
• facilitate communication between customers and walkers;
• provide customer support and resolve disputes;
• improve, maintain, personalize, and secure the app and website;
• detect, investigate, and prevent fraud, abuse, safety incidents, and violations of the law or platform rules; and
• comply with legal, regulatory, tax, insurance, and enforcement obligations.

4. How Hot Dogz Shares Information

Hot Dogz may share information:

• with other users as needed to provide the service, such as sharing relevant dog, booking, and contact details between a customer and a walker;
• with vendors and service providers that help Hot Dogz operate, such as Stripe (payments and payouts), Stream (in-app messaging), Certn (background checks), analytics tools, cloud hosting providers, customer support tools, and communications providers;
• with legal, insurance, safety, or professional advisers where reasonably necessary;
• with law enforcement, regulators, courts, or other third parties where required by law or reasonably necessary to protect users, animals, Hot Dogz, or the public; and
• in connection with a merger, financing, acquisition, restructuring, sale of assets, or similar corporate transaction.

Hot Dogz does not sell personal information for money. Hot Dogz may share information with service providers for business and operational purposes consistent with this Privacy Policy.

5. Firebase and Service Providers

Hot Dogz uses Firebase and related Google services to support core app functionality, such as cloud hosting, authentication, databases, storage, analytics, crash reporting, push notifications, and app performance monitoring, depending on which services are enabled. As a result, certain user and device information may be processed by Google or Firebase on Hot Dogz's behalf in accordance with Hot Dogz's instructions and the applicable provider terms.

Hot Dogz also uses other third-party providers to run key parts of the service, including Stripe for payments and payouts, Stream for in-app messaging, and Certn for walker background checks. These providers are permitted to process information only as needed to provide services to Hot Dogz, subject to their legal and contractual obligations.

6. GPS Tracking and Location Data

Hot Dogz uses precise GPS location during walks. This helps verify that booked services were completed, allows customers to view route and timing information, and supports trust and safety functions. Hot Dogz does not intend to make a user's precise live location publicly available, but location information may be visible to the relevant customer or walker as necessary to provide the service.

You can control some location permissions through your device settings, but disabling location access may limit or prevent certain Hot Dogz features from working.

7. Walker Background Checks

Walker background checks are mandatory. If you apply to become a walker, Hot Dogz may collect or receive information needed to verify your identity, review eligibility, and conduct screening through third-party providers such as Certn, subject to applicable law. By applying to be a walker, you authorize Hot Dogz and its service providers to process the information reasonably necessary for those checks, subject to applicable law.

8. User Content, Photos, and Messages

If you upload photos, reviews, messages, or other content to Hot Dogz, Hot Dogz may host, store, reproduce, display, and use that content as needed to operate, improve, support, and promote the service, subject to your settings and applicable law. Hot Dogz may retain support records, reviews, and communications for trust and safety, dispute handling, training, and legal compliance.

9. Data Retention

Hot Dogz retains information for as long as reasonably necessary to provide the service, maintain business and legal records, investigate incidents, resolve disputes, enforce agreements, and comply with legal obligations. Retention periods may vary depending on the type of information and the reason it was collected.

10. Data Security

Hot Dogz uses reasonable administrative, technical, and organizational safeguards designed to protect personal information. However, no system can be guaranteed to be completely secure, and users should also take steps to protect their account credentials and devices.

11. Your Choices and Rights

Depending on your location, you may have rights to request access to, correction of, deletion of, or information about Hot Dogz's handling of your personal information. You may also be able to update certain account information directly in the app. Hot Dogz may need to verify your identity before responding to a request and may retain certain information as required or permitted by law.

To make a privacy request, contact: info@thehotdogz.com

12. Children

Hot Dogz is not intended for children to use independently. If Hot Dogz learns that it has collected personal information from a child in a way that violates applicable law, Hot Dogz may delete that information and take appropriate action.

13. International and U.S. State Privacy Disclosures

Users in certain jurisdictions, including California, may have additional rights or disclosures under applicable privacy laws. Hot Dogz may provide supplemental notices or request-handling procedures where required.

14. Changes to This Policy

Hot Dogz may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. If changes are made, Hot Dogz will post the updated version on the website or in the app and update the effective date above. Continued use of Hot Dogz after the updated policy becomes effective means the user acknowledges the revised policy, to the extent permitted by law.

15. Contact