Effective date: September 22, 2026
ChattyHound ("we", "us") helps people discover adoptable shelter dogs and chat with an AI companion about each dog. This policy explains what we collect, how we use it, and the choices you have. It applies to our website at chattyhound.com.
We do not store your IP address, precise GPS location, contacts, photos, or payment information. Your IP address may be used ephemerally (in-memory only, not saved) to suggest your nearest shelter location and for rate limiting.
Messages you send in chat are processed by our AI provider (OpenAI) to generate responses about the dog. OpenAI processes these messages under their data usage policies. Please don't share sensitive personal information in chat. AI responses are informational and may be inaccurate — always confirm medical, behavioral, and adoption details with the shelter.
We use Google Analytics to understand how our site is used. Google Analytics collects standard technical information (browser type, pages visited, approximate location derived from IP by Google). We do not send any chat message content, personal information, or free-form text to analytics. You can opt out of Google Analytics by using a browser extension or by blocking analytics cookies.
We share data only with vendors that help us run the service, under their respective terms:
Dog information is sourced from publicly available shelter listings. We do not sell your personal information.
Guest conversation data is retained for up to 90 days of inactivity, after which it may be automatically deleted. You can permanently delete all of your data at any time from within the app: Profile → Delete my account & data. This removes your preferences, saved dogs, and chat history from our servers. You can also email us at the address below to request deletion.
We use browser local storage to save your guest session identifier, preferences, and recently viewed dogs. Google Analytics may set cookies for usage tracking. We do not use advertising cookies or tracking pixels.
ChattyHound is a general-audience service and is not directed to children under 13 (or under 16 in the EEA/UK). We do not knowingly collect personal information from children. If you believe a child has provided us data, contact us and we will delete it promptly.
Depending on where you live (e.g., GDPR in the EEA/UK, CCPA in California), you may have rights to access, correct, delete, or restrict use of your personal data. To exercise these rights, use in-app deletion or contact us at the address below.
We use reasonable technical and organizational measures to protect your data, including encrypted connections (HTTPS), content security policies, and input sanitization. No method of transmission or storage is 100% secure, so we cannot guarantee absolute security.
We may update this policy from time to time. We will revise the effective date above and, where appropriate, notify you on the site.
Questions about this policy or your data: chattyhound@gmail.com.