At DoggyDish, we respect your right to control your personal information. This Data Removal Policy outlines how you can request the removal of your data (including any content you have submitted) from our systems and Site. Our goal is to make the process of removing your information as clear and straightforward as possible.
Types of Data You May Remove
You may request removal or deletion of personal data we have collected from you, such as:
Your name, email address, or other contact information you provided.
Content you submitted via the Agent Submission Form (for example, an agent listing, description, or any files you uploaded) if you no longer wish it to appear on our Site.
Any other personally identifiable information you provided to us through direct contact or other interactions.
Please note that for data which has been published (like an agent listing on the Site), “removal” typically means we will take down or anonymize the publicly visible content. However, some minimal records may be kept internally as required for legal, security, or auditing purposes (see “Post-Removal Data Retention” below).
How to Request Data Removal
To request that your data be removed, please follow these steps:
Contact Us: Send an email to privacy@doggydish.com with the subject line “Data Removal Request.” In the body of the email, clearly state the following:
Identification: Provide your full name and the email address associated with the data or content you want removed. (This helps us verify your identity and locate your information.)
Details of Request: Describe what data you want removed. For example, you might say: “Please remove my name and email from your database,” or “Please delete the agent submission titled ‘[Agent Name]’ that I submitted on [date].” Be as specific as possible about the content or information in question (e.g., provide the URL of the agent page, if applicable).
Verification: For your security, we may reply asking you to verify the request (especially if the request concerns significant personal data or someone else’s data). This could involve confirming a code sent to the email on file or other verification steps to ensure the request is legitimate.
Response Time: We will acknowledge your request within a reasonable timeframe (typically within 5 business days). We will let you know if we need additional information to process your request. After verification, we will proceed with removal. In general, we aim to complete valid removal requests within 30 days. If for some reason we need more time (for example, if the request is complex), we will inform you of the delay and the reason.
Confirmation of Removal: Once your data has been removed, we will send you a confirmation email. This email will summarize the actions taken (for instance, “Your agent submission titled X has been removed from public view and your personal information has been deleted from our active records as of [date].”). If we are unable to fulfill any part of your request, we will provide an explanation (unless prohibited by law), such as if the data could not be removed due to legal retention requirements.
Post-Removal Data Retention
When we remove or delete your personal data as requested, we strive to do so thoroughly. However, please be aware of a few considerations:
Backups: Your data might exist in our routine backups or archives. If so, it may take some additional time for those backups to cycle out and be deleted. We do not actively use data in backups – they are retained only for disaster recovery purposes. Any personal data in backups will remain protected and will not be restored except as needed for system recovery, in which case we will re-delete the data as necessary.
Legally Required Retention: In certain cases, we may need to retain specific information for a longer period if required by law or for legitimate business reasons. For example, if you made transactions with us (though currently DoggyDish does not involve purchases), we might need to keep a record for tax or accounting purposes. Or we may retain logs necessary for site security or fraud prevention. If we must retain data after a removal request, we will limit its use to the purpose that justifies the retention.
Anonymized Data: In some situations, rather than completely deleting data, we may anonymize it. For instance, if removal of your name is requested on a public submission, we might remove your personal identifiers and leave an anonymized version of the agent content (e.g., the agent remains in the gallery but attributed to “Former User” or similar). This is generally done to preserve the integrity of our content or service (so that other users’ contributions or comments aren’t affected by a deletion) while still protecting your identity. Anonymized data will no longer be linked to you and is not considered personal information.
Special Cases and Additional Help
Email Newsletters: If your request is specifically to stop receiving emails, you do not need to send a removal request – you can simply click the “unsubscribe” link provided in any marketing email. Unsubscribing will remove your email from our active mailing list. If you want us to also delete your email entirely from our records, do let us know via the removal request process above.
Multiple Submissions: If you submitted multiple agents or pieces of content and want all of them removed, please specify each one in your request. We will ensure all specified content and associated personal data are addressed.
Account Deletion: (Note: At this time, DoggyDish.com does not have user accounts or login functionality for general users; submissions are handled via form. If in the future accounts are introduced:) If you have a registered user account and wish to delete it, please mention that in your request. Account deletion will typically remove your profile information and credentials from our system. Keep in mind that content you posted may not be automatically deleted with an account removal – specify if you also need associated content removed.
Third-Party Platforms: If any of your interaction with DoggyDish has involved third-party platforms (for example, if in the future we use a forum or social media group), you will need to follow the data removal procedures of those platforms as well. We can only directly remove data that we control. We can assist by identifying what third-party services are involved if you’re not sure.
Verification of Identity
For your protection, we will verify your identity before fulfilling a data removal request. We want to ensure that we are not deleting or altering the data at the request of someone impersonating you. Typically, verification will be done by corresponding through the email associated with the data (since only the rightful owner should have access to that email). If you are unable to contact us from the email on record, we may request alternative verification (such as additional information that only the user would know). We reserve the right to refuse a removal request if we cannot verify that it is legitimate. We will inform you if we need more information to verify your identity.
Limitations and Exceptions
While we are committed to honoring your data removal requests, there are a few limitations:
We cannot fulfill a request that would violate any law or legal obligation. For example, if retaining certain data is required to comply with financial regulations, we must comply with those requirements.
We will not remove data that is not personal to you. If you request deletion of information that does not pertain to you (for instance, someone else’s agent submission or public content not linked to you), we cannot process that under a personal data request. If you believe some content on our Site is unlawful or violates rights (e.g., copyright infringement or someone else posting your personal info), please contact us with details, but that falls outside this policy and will be handled under content moderation or legal complaint processes.
If your data has been shared by you on public areas of our Site and indexed by search engines or copied by other users, removing it from our Site will not automatically remove it from elsewhere. For example, search engines may show cached copies of a page that has since been removed. While we can ensure deletion on our side, we cannot directly remove content from the systems of third parties (like Google’s search index) or other websites. You may need to contact those parties for complete removal.
Contact for Data Removal
All data removal requests or related inquiries should be directed to privacy@doggydish.com. You can also mail us a request at the physical address provided in our Privacy Policy (Attention: Data Removal Request), though email will typically be faster.
Please provide sufficient detail in your request so we can understand and fulfill it. We are here to help and will work with you to ensure your personal data is handled in accordance with your wishes and applicable law.
By providing this Terms of Service, Privacy Policy, and Data Removal Policy, we aim to be transparent and compliant with relevant requirements (including those from Google and other partners) while offering a clear and user-friendly explanation of our practices. Thank you for reading these policies. Your trust is important to us, and we are committed to protecting your rights and information as you use DoggyDish.com.