Privacy Policy

Version 1.3  |  12/08/2026

  1. Who We Are

We are Much Ado About Fluffin’ pet care, a professional pet care business providing pet sitting, house sitting, and related pet care services operating in Worcester, UK. We are committed to protecting your privacy and handling your personal data in accordance with UK data protection law.

As a data controller, we determine how and why your personal data is processed. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, store, and protect your personal information when you use our services.

Business Details:

  • Trading Name: Much Ado About Fluffin’ pet care
  • Registered Address: 95 Stanley Road, WR5 1BE
  • ICO Registration Number: ZC217901

 

  1. How to Contact Us

If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy or how we handle your personal data, please contact us:

  • Email: info@aboutfluff.co.uk
  • Phone: 07349 876722

 

  1. Legal Requirements for Pet Care Services

As a professional pet care provider, we are required by law to collect and maintain certain personal information to ensure the safety and welfare of the animals in our care.

 

Legal Obligations Include:

Animal Welfare Act 2006: We must hold appropriate information about you and your pets to ensure we can provide proper care and meet our duty of care obligations.

Insurance Requirements: Pet sitting and house sitting services are not subject to the Animal Welfare (Licensing of Activities Involving Animals) (England) Regulations 2018. However, we are required to maintain records for insurance claims, liability purposes, and compliance with the Animal Welfare Act 2006.

Property Access Information: Where we hold access credentials for your property (alarm codes, key safe codes, Wi-Fi passwords, etc.), this information is collected and stored separately in a Sensitive Data Supplement and is never held on digital form platforms. It is handled with the highest level of security and deleted immediately upon termination of the service relationship.

Insurance Requirements: We must keep records for potential insurance claims and liability purposes.

This means that providing certain information is not optional — it is necessary for us to provide our services legally and safely. We will clearly indicate which information is mandatory and which is optional when we collect it.

 

  1. What Personal Data We Collect

We collect and process the following types of personal data:

Your Personal Information:

  • Full name
  • Home address and postcode
  • Email address
  • Phone numbers (mobile and landline)
  • Emergency contact information
  • Payment and billing information

Your Pet's Information:

  • Pet's name, breed, age, and gender
  • Vaccination records and certificates
  • Medical history and current health conditions
  • Medication requirements and administration instructions
  • Behavioural characteristics and special needs
  • Veterinary practice details and contact information
  • Insurance information (if applicable)
  • Dietary requirements and feeding instructions
  • Exercise needs and preferences

Service-Related Information:

  • Booking history and service records
  • Communication records (emails, messages, calls)
  • Access instructions for your property (held in a separate Sensitive Data Supplement)
  • Special care instructions and preferences
  • Photos of your pet (with consent)
  • Service feedback and reviews

We do not collect:

  • Sensitive personal data (racial origin, political opinions, religious beliefs, etc.) beyond what is strictly necessary
  • Financial data beyond what is necessary for payment processing
  • Data about children under 16 without parental consent

 

  1. Legal Basis for Processing Your Data

We only process your personal data when we have a legal basis to do so. Under UK GDPR, we rely on the following legal bases:

Contractual Necessity (Article 6(1)(b)):

We need to process your data to provide the pet care services you have requested, including managing and fulfilling bookings, communicating about your pet's care and wellbeing, processing payments, and handling service-related queries.

Legal Obligation (Article 6(1)(c)):

  • Maintaining records under the Animal Welfare Act 2006
  • Keeping business records for tax and accounting purposes
  • Complying with applicable regulatory requirements
  • Meeting insurance and liability obligations

Legitimate Interests (Article 6(1)(f)):

We have legitimate business interests that justify processing your data, including operating a safe, efficient, and professional pet care business, maintaining client records for ongoing service relationships, ensuring the safety and security of pets in our care, and managing our business operations effectively. We only process data that is necessary and proportionate to these interests.

Consent (Article 6(1)(a)):

Where you have specifically agreed, we process data for marketing communications and newsletters, taking and sharing photos of your pet on social media, and testimonials and reviews. You can withdraw your consent at any time by contacting us. Withdrawing consent does not affect the lawfulness of processing carried out before withdrawal.

 

  1. How We Use Your Personal Data

We use your personal data for the following purposes:

Service Delivery:

  • Providing pet sitting and house sitting services
  • Assessing your pet's behavioural and medical needs to deliver appropriate care
  • Communicating with you about bookings, schedules, and your pet's wellbeing
  • Providing updates and reports during service delivery
  • Coordinating with veterinary practices when necessary

Business Operations:

  • Processing payments and managing billing
  • Maintaining accurate service records
  • Responding to emergencies and urgent situations
  • Managing insurance claims and liability matters
  • Improving our services based on feedback

Legal and Safety Requirements:

  • Complying with animal welfare legislation
  • Meeting licensing and regulatory requirements
  • Ensuring the safety and security of pets in our care
  • Maintaining records for insurance and liability purposes

 

  1. Who We Share Your Data With

We may share your personal data with the following third parties, but only when necessary and with appropriate safeguards:

Veterinary Practices:

  • Your registered veterinary practice for routine care coordination
  • Emergency veterinary services if your pet requires urgent medical attention
  • Sharing is based on legitimate interests (your pet's health and safety)

Emergency Contacts:

  • People you have designated as emergency contacts
  • Only contacted when we cannot reach you and your pet needs attention
  • Based on contractual necessity and legitimate interests

Professional Service Providers:

  • Payment processors for secure transaction handling
  • Insurance providers for claims processing
  • Accountants and legal advisors (under professional confidentiality)
  • Cloud storage and booking software providers (with appropriate security measures)

Regulatory Authorities:

  • Local authority licensing departments (if required)
  • HMRC for tax and business record purposes
  • Other authorities if required by law

We do not sell your personal data to third parties. We do not share data for marketing purposes without your explicit consent. We do not transfer data outside the UK without appropriate safeguards.

 

7a. Business Sale or Transfer of Ownership

In the event that Much Ado About Fluffin’ pet care is sold, transferred, or merged with another business, your personal data (including your contact details, pet information, service history, and any other data held under this Privacy Policy) may be transferred to the incoming owner or operator as part of that transaction.

Legal basis: Such a transfer is carried out on the basis of our legitimate interests under Article 6(1)(f) of the UK GDPR — specifically, our interest in ensuring continuity of care for your pet and the legitimate interests of the incoming operator in managing an ongoing client relationship. We have assessed that this interest is not overridden by your rights and freedoms, given the limited nature of the data transferred and the direct benefit to you of uninterrupted pet care.

The incoming operator will be required to handle your personal data in accordance with UK data protection law and under obligations no less protective than those set out in this Privacy Policy. You will be notified of any such transfer in advance where it is reasonably practicable to do so.

Your right to object: You have the right to object to the processing of your personal data on legitimate interests grounds at any time by contacting us using the details in Section 2. Please note that objecting to this transfer may mean we are unable to guarantee continuity of your pet's care with the incoming operator.

We will never sell your data as a standalone commercial transaction. Any transfer of data in a business sale context is solely to enable the incoming operator to continue providing the services you have contracted for.

 

  1. How Long We Keep Your Data

We retain your personal data only for as long as necessary to fulfil the purposes for which it was collected:

Active Clients:

  • Data is retained while you remain an active client
  • Updated as necessary to maintain accurate records

Former Clients:

  • Client and pet information: 3 years minimum from your last booking (Limitation Act 1980 / insurance requirements)
  • Financial records: 6 years (HMRC requirement)
  • Communication records: 3 years after last contact

Legal and Insurance Records:

  • 3 years minimum (Limitation Act 1980 / insurance requirements)
  • 6 years minimum for potential insurance claims
  • 7 years for business and tax records (legal requirement)
  • Longer if required by ongoing legal proceedings

Marketing Data:

  • Until you unsubscribe or withdraw consent
  • Reviewed annually and deleted if no longer needed

When retention periods expire, we securely delete or anonymise your data using industry-standard methods.

 

  1. Your Rights Under UK Data Protection Law

Under UK data protection law, you have the following rights regarding your personal data:

Right of Access (Article 15)

You have the right to request copies of your personal data, including confirmation that we are processing your data, a copy of your personal data, information about how we use it, details of who we share it with, and how long we keep it.

Right to Rectification (Article 16)

You have the right to request correction of inaccurate or incomplete personal data.

Right to Erasure (Article 17)

You have the right to request deletion of your personal data in certain circumstances. Note: We may not be able to delete all data if we have legal obligations to retain it (for example, licensing records, business records for tax purposes, or records required for ongoing insurance claims).

Right to Restrict Processing (Article 18)

You have the right to request that we limit how we use your data in certain situations.

Right to Data Portability (Article 20)

You have the right to receive your personal data in a structured, commonly used format where processing is based on consent or contract and is carried out by automated means.

Right to Object (Article 21)

You have the right to object to our processing of your personal data where we rely on legitimate interests. We will stop processing unless we can demonstrate compelling legitimate grounds that override your interests, rights, and freedoms. You also have the right to object to direct marketing at any time (we will stop immediately).

Right to Withdraw Consent

Where we process your data based on consent (for example, marketing communications or photography), you have the right to withdraw that consent at any time. Withdrawing consent does not affect the lawfulness of processing before withdrawal.

 

  1. How to Exercise Your Rights

To exercise any of your rights, please contact us using the details in Section 2. Please provide your full name and contact details, details of your request and which right you wish to exercise, proof of identity (to protect your data from unauthorised access), and specific information about the data concerned where applicable.

We will acknowledge your request within 48 hours and respond to most requests within one month. Complex requests may take up to three months (we will explain any delays). All responses are free of charge unless requests are excessive or unfounded.

 

  1. Your Right to Complain

If you are not satisfied with how we handle your personal data, you have the right to complain to the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO):

  • Website: ico.org.uk
  • Phone: 0303 123 1113
  • Email: casework@ico.org.uk
  • Post: Information Commissioner's Office, Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire SK9 5AF

We encourage you to contact us first so we can try to resolve any concerns directly. However, you have the right to complain to the ICO at any time.

 

  1. International Data Transfers

We primarily store and process your personal data within the United Kingdom. However, some of our service providers may process data outside the UK. When we transfer data outside the UK, we ensure appropriate safeguards are in place, including adequacy decisions, standard contractual clauses, or other approved mechanisms.

 

  1. Automated Decision-Making

We do not currently use automated decision-making or profiling that produces legal or similarly significant effects on individuals. All decisions about your pet's care are made by qualified humans. If this changes, we will update this Privacy Policy and inform you accordingly.

 

  1. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in law, guidance, business operations, or services. The latest version will be available on request and, where applicable, on our website. We will notify you of significant changes.

 

  1. Contact Us

If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy, please contact:

  • info@aboutfluff.co.uk
  • 07349 876722