Privacy Policy

1. Introduction

Peach City Animal Hospital (“we,” “us,” or “our”) operates the website located at peachcityvets.ca (the “Site”). This Privacy Policy describes how we collect, use, disclose, and protect personal information when you visit our Site, contact our clinic, or use our services.

By using our Site or providing us with your information, you acknowledge the practices described in this Privacy Policy. This policy applies to personal information collected through our Site, by phone, by text message, and through other communications with our clinic.

2. Information We Collect

2.1 Information You Provide Directly

We collect information you provide when you:

• Complete a contact form, appointment request form, or new client registration form on our Site
• Book an appointment through our online booking system
• Opt in to receive text messages or email communications from us
• Contact us by phone, email, or through our website chatbot
• Submit a product inquiry or service inquiry through our Site or online store

This information may include your name, phone number, email address, mailing address, the name, species, and breed of your pet, and any other details you choose to provide. We do not store form submissions in a website database. Submissions are delivered directly to our team by email.

2.2 Information Collected Automatically

When you visit our Site, we automatically collect certain technical information, including:

• IP address and approximate geographic location
• Browser type and version
• Device type and operating system
• Pages visited, time spent on pages, and navigation patterns
• Referring website address or search query
• Cookies and similar tracking technologies (see Section 5)

This information is collected through website analytics and tag management platforms installed on our Site and is used to understand how visitors use the Site and to improve the user experience.

2.3 Communication Platforms

When you communicate with us by phone, text message, or through our automated communication tools, we may collect records of those communications. This may include voicemail transcriptions and other records generated by AI-assisted tools as described in Section 7.

3. How We Use Your Information

We use the information we collect to:

• Schedule and manage veterinary appointments
• Respond to inquiries and service requests
• Send appointment reminders, follow-up care notices, and clinic updates
• Process online store transactions and product inquiries
• Improve our Site and understand how visitors use it
• Deliver and measure the performance of online advertising campaigns
• Comply with applicable legal and regulatory obligations
• Maintain the security and integrity of our systems and communications

4. SMS and Text Message Communications

By providing your mobile phone number and opting in to text message communications, you consent to receive text messages from Peach City Animal Hospital. These messages may include appointment reminders, booking confirmations, follow-up care notices, and clinic updates.

• Message frequency: Varies based on your appointments and preferences.
• Message and data rates may apply based on your mobile carrier plan.
• To opt out: Reply STOP to any text message from us at any time.
• For help: Reply HELP or contact us at (778) 900-0111.
• You may also opt out by any other reasonable method, including contacting us directly by phone or email.
• Opt-out requests are processed within ten business days.

Consent to receive text messages is not a condition of receiving veterinary services. Your information will not be shared with third parties for their own marketing purposes.

5. Cookies and Tracking Technologies

5.1 Types of Cookies

We use the following categories of cookies on our Site:

Essential Cookies (always active): These cookies are necessary for the Site to function. They enable core features such as page navigation, form submissions, security, and user preferences. They cannot be disabled without affecting the functionality of the Site.

Statistics Cookies (opt-in): These cookies help us understand how visitors interact with our Site by collecting anonymized information about traffic, page views, and browsing behavior. This information is used solely to improve the Site experience and is not used to identify individual users.

Marketing Cookies (opt-in): These cookies are used by online advertising platforms we work with to build audience profiles and deliver advertising that may be relevant to you based on your prior browsing activity. If you do not consent to Marketing cookies, you will still see advertising, but it will not be based on your browsing history.

5.2 Cookie Consent

When you first visit our Site, you will be presented with a cookie consent banner that allows you to accept or decline non-essential cookie categories. Cookie consent infrastructure on our Site is configured and maintained by VSA Vet Media Inc. on our behalf. You may update your cookie preferences at any time through the cookie settings tool accessible on our Site.

5.3 Global Privacy Control and Universal Opt-Out Mechanisms

Our Site recognizes the Global Privacy Control (GPC) signal and other Universal Opt-Out Mechanisms (UOOM) where technically feasible and as required by applicable law. If your browser or device transmits a GPC signal when you visit our Site, we will treat it as a request to opt out of the sale or sharing of your personal information for cross-context behavioral advertising purposes, to the extent required by applicable law.

5.4 Online Advertising and Remarketing

We work with online advertising platforms to display advertisements to users who have previously visited our Site. This practice is commonly referred to as remarketing or retargeting. These platforms use cookies and similar technologies set during your visit to serve relevant advertisements on other websites and apps you may use.

You may opt out of personalized advertising at any time using the following tools:

• Google Ads Settings: google.com/settings/ads
• Network Advertising Initiative Opt-Out Tool: networkadvertising.org/managing/opt_out.asp

Opting out of personalized advertising does not prevent you from seeing all advertising. It means that advertising you see may be less relevant to your interests and prior browsing activity. Your opt-out preference may be stored in a cookie on your device and may need to be renewed if you clear your cookies.

6. Third-Party Services

To operate our Site and deliver our services, we work with third-party service providers. These providers access your personal information only as necessary to perform services on our behalf. They are contractually required to protect your information and to use it only for the purposes for which it was shared.

We work with providers in the following functional categories:

• Online form and appointment providers: Platforms that power our website contact forms, new client registration, and online appointment booking.
• Communication and scheduling platforms: Services that facilitate appointment reminders, text messaging, phone communications, and client notifications.
• Website analytics platforms: Tools that collect anonymized data about how visitors use our Site to help us understand performance and improve the user experience.
• Website hosting providers: Infrastructure services that store and serve our website files and ensure Site availability.
• Online advertising platforms: Services through which we deliver targeted and remarketing advertisements to website visitors and prospective clients, as described in Section 5.4.
• Online store provider: Our online store is operated by a third-party provider independent of our clinic website. Purchases made through the online store are subject to that provider’s own privacy policy and terms of service.

We do not sell your personal information to third parties for their own independent use.

7. AI-Assisted Tools

7.1 No Medical Decisions by AI

No AI-assisted tool used by our clinic makes veterinary determinations, provides clinical recommendations, or replaces the professional judgment of our licensed veterinary team. All clinical decisions are made exclusively by qualified veterinary professionals.

7.2 Call Recording

Calls to and from our clinic may be recorded for quality assurance, staff training, and service improvement purposes. By calling our clinic, you acknowledge that your call may be recorded. If you do not wish your call to be recorded, please notify us at the beginning of the call and we will make reasonable efforts to accommodate your request.

7.3 Automated Communications

We use AI-assisted tools to generate and send appointment reminders, follow-up messages, and other routine clinic communications. These messages are generated on behalf of our clinic team and are reviewed periodically to ensure accuracy and relevance.

7.4 AI Interaction Disclosure

Our Site may include a chatbot or automated phone attendant that uses AI to respond to common inquiries. When you interact with these tools, your interactions may be reviewed by our team and used to improve the system. AI interaction data is collected and retained in compliance with applicable law.

7.5 AI Rights

You may request information about how AI-assisted tools have processed your personal information by contacting us using the information in Section 16. We will respond to your request within the timeframe required by applicable law.

8. Data Protection and Security

We implement reasonable administrative, technical, and physical safeguards designed to protect personal information against unauthorized access, disclosure, alteration, or destruction. Our Site uses SSL encryption for data transmitted between your browser and our servers.

No method of electronic transmission or storage is completely secure. While we take the protection of your personal information seriously, we cannot guarantee absolute security.

8.1 Data Breach Notification

In the event of a data breach involving your personal information, we will notify affected individuals and relevant regulatory authorities as required by applicable law.

9. Your Privacy Rights

Depending on where you are located, you may have certain rights with respect to the personal information we hold about you.

Canadian Residents

If you are a resident of Canada, including British Columbia, you have rights under the federal Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA) and the BC Personal Information Protection Act (PIPA), including the right to:

• Access the personal information we hold about you
• Request correction of personal information that is inaccurate or incomplete
• Withdraw consent for the collection, use, or disclosure of your personal information, subject to legal and contractual limitations
• Request deletion of your personal information, subject to our obligations to retain veterinary records and comply with applicable law
• File a complaint with the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada (priv.gc.ca) or the Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner for BC (oipc.bc.ca)

Website Visitors Subject to US State Privacy Laws

If you are a resident of a US state with applicable consumer privacy laws, you may have the right to:

• Know what categories of personal information we have collected about you and how it is used
• Request access to or deletion of your personal information
• Opt out of the sale or sharing of your personal information for targeted advertising purposes
• Not be discriminated against for exercising your privacy rights

To submit a privacy rights request, contact us using the information in Section 16. We will respond within the timeframe required by applicable law.

Do Not Sell or Share

We do not sell your personal information. However, our use of online advertising and analytics technologies may constitute the “sharing” of personal information under certain applicable privacy laws, including those applicable to cross-context behavioral advertising. You may opt out of this sharing at any time by:

• Using the Global Privacy Control or Universal Opt-Out Mechanism in your browser or device (Section 5.3)
• Using the advertising opt-out tools listed in Section 5.4
• Submitting a request directly to us using the contact information in Section 16

A “Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information” link is available in our website footer.

10. Sharing of Information

We share personal information in the following circumstances:

• Service providers: We share information with third-party service providers as described in Section 6 to operate our Site and deliver our services. These providers act on our behalf and are bound by contractual obligations to protect your information.
• Advertising and analytics: We share certain technical information with online advertising and analytics platforms as described in Sections 5.4 and 6. This sharing may constitute a sale or sharing of personal information under applicable privacy laws. You have the right to opt out as described in Section 9.
• Legal compliance: We may disclose personal information when required to do so by law, court order, or government authority, or when necessary to protect the rights, safety, or property of our clinic, our staff, our clients, or the public.
• Business transfers: In the event of a merger, acquisition, or transfer of clinic assets, personal information may be transferred to the successor entity, subject to the same privacy protections described in this policy. We will notify affected individuals as required by applicable law.

11. Children’s Privacy

Our Site is not directed to children under the age of 13, and we do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13 without verifiable parental consent. If you believe we have inadvertently collected personal information from a child under 13, please contact us immediately using the information in Section 16 and we will take prompt steps to delete that information.

12. Links to External Websites

Our Site may contain links to third-party websites, including our online store, social media profiles, and other external resources. We are not responsible for the privacy practices, content, or security of those websites. We encourage you to review the privacy policy of any third-party site before providing personal information.

Meta Platforms Disclaimer: Our Site may use social plugins, sharing features, or integrations that interact with services provided by Meta Platforms, Inc. (including Facebook and Instagram). Your interactions with those features are governed by Meta’s own privacy policy and data practices. Peach City Animal Hospital is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Meta Platforms, Inc.

13. Data Retention

We retain personal information for as long as necessary to fulfill the purposes described in this policy, to maintain veterinary records as required by applicable professional and regulatory standards in British Columbia, and to comply with our legal obligations. Website analytics data is retained according to our analytics platform’s default retention settings. When personal information is no longer needed for these purposes, we dispose of it securely.

14. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, the technologies we use, or the requirements of applicable law. When we make material changes, we will update the effective date at the top of this policy. We encourage you to review this policy periodically. Continued use of our Site following the posting of changes constitutes your acknowledgment of those changes.

15. Website Design and Management

Our website is designed, developed, and maintained by VSA Vet Media Inc. (“VSA”), a veterinary-focused digital marketing agency. VSA acts as a service provider to Peach City Animal Hospital and accesses personal information collected through our Site only as necessary to provide website development, maintenance, and digital marketing services on our behalf.

VSA does not use personal information collected through our Site for its own independent purposes. VSA is contractually bound to protect personal information in accordance with applicable privacy law. For the purposes of applicable US state consumer privacy laws, VSA Vet Media Inc. is a service provider and not a third party to whom we sell or share personal information.

16. Contact Information

If you have questions about this Privacy Policy, wish to exercise your privacy rights, or would like to submit a complaint, please contact us:

For PIPEDA matters, you may also contact the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada: priv.gc.ca | 1-800-282-1376

For BC PIPA matters, you may also contact the Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner for BC: oipc.bc.ca | 250-387-5629