Privacy Policy

Tails to Serenity LLC

Long Beach, California

Effective date: August 7, 2026

Last updated: August 7, 2026

Our commitment

Tails to Serenity exists to care for animals whose people are going through something difficult. Some of our clients are entering treatment, leaving an unsafe home, recovering from surgery, or between housing. We understand that for many of the people we serve, privacy is not a preference. It is a matter of safety.

This policy explains what information we collect, how we use it, and the specific steps we take to protect people in vulnerable circumstances.

1. Information we collect

Information you give us directly

• Name, postal address, email address, and telephone number

• Emergency contact details and an authorized alternate pickup person

• Your pet’s name, breed, age, medical history, medications, dietary needs, and behavioral notes

• Veterinary records and proof of vaccination

• Veterinarian name and contact details

• Booking dates, service selections, and special instructions

• Photographs of your pet taken during their stay

Information collected for crisis and sliding-scale services

If you apply for subsidized boarding, sliding-scale pricing, or a scholarship, we may additionally collect:

• The name of a referring treatment center, shelter, hospital, or case manager, where you choose to provide it

• Expected duration of your stay in a program

• Financial information sufficient to assess eligibility

We collect only what we need to place your pet safely and determine eligibility. We do not ask for diagnoses, clinical records, or details of your treatment, and you are never required to explain your circumstances to us.

Payment information

Payments are processed by our payment providers — Elavon (Converge) and Affirm. Card numbers are entered directly with those providers over an encrypted connection. Tails to Serenity does not receive, process, or store complete payment card numbers on our systems. We retain only a transaction record, the last four digits of the card, and the authorization result.

Information collected automatically

When you visit our website we may collect your IP address, browser type, device type, pages visited, and referring website, through cookies and similar technologies. See Section 7.

2. How we use your information

• To provide boarding, daycare, grooming, and related services

• To care for your pet, administer medication, and contact your veterinarian

• To reach you or your emergency contact during your pet’s stay

• To process payments, deposits, and refunds

• To assess eligibility for sliding-scale pricing and scholarships

• To send booking confirmations, reminders, and service updates

• To meet legal, tax, and insurance obligations

• To improve our services and website

We do not sell your personal information. We do not share it with advertisers or data brokers.

3. Confidentiality for clients in crisis

These protections apply to every client using our crisis boarding, sliding-scale, or scholarship services.

We do not confirm your participation to anyone. If a person contacts us asking whether you are a client, whether your pet is here, or where you are, we will not confirm or deny it. This applies to family members, employers, and anyone presenting themselves as acting on your behalf. It applies whether or not they know your name or your pet’s name.

We do not disclose your location or your pet’s location. No member of staff will discuss which animals are in our care, or on whose behalf, outside of the people directly responsible for that animal’s care.

Access is limited. Records relating to crisis placements are stored separately from general client records and are accessible only to the Founder, the Community Relations Director, and staff assigned to your pet’s care. Every member of staff signs a confidentiality agreement as a condition of employment.

We release your pet only to you or to a person you have named in writing. Verbal instructions from third parties are not accepted. If circumstances change during your stay, we will take your written authorization by whatever means is safe for you.

Referral partners receive nothing without your written consent. Where a treatment center, shelter, or case manager refers you, we will confirm to them only what you have authorized in writing — typically no more than that a placement was arranged. We do not report on your pet, your contact with us, or your circumstances.

No marketing use. We never use your name, your pet’s name, your photograph, or your story in marketing, on social media, on our website, or in grant applications without your separate, specific, written permission. Consent for one use is not consent for another, and you may withdraw it at any time.

Address suppression. If you are enrolled in California’s Safe at Home confidential address program, or you have a protective order, tell us at intake. We will record only your designated substitute address and will restrict your file accordingly.

We are not a healthcare provider. Tails to Serenity is not a covered entity under HIPAA, and we do not claim HIPAA compliance. We handle sensitive information with care because it is the right thing to do, not because a health-privacy law compels us.

4. When we may share information

We share personal information only in these circumstances:

• Veterinary emergencies. With a veterinarian or emergency clinic where treatment is needed for your pet.

• Service providers. With vendors who help us operate — booking software, payment processors, print-on-demand fulfillment partners — who are permitted to use the information only to perform that service.

• With your written consent. Including referral partners you have authorized.

• Where legally required. In response to a valid subpoena, court order, or lawful request. Where we are permitted to do so, we will attempt to notify you before responding, so that you may object.

• Safety. Where we reasonably believe disclosure is necessary to prevent serious harm to a person or an animal.

We do not share information for anyone else’s marketing purposes.

5. How long we keep information

• Booking and service records: 4 years, for tax and insurance purposes

• Veterinary and vaccination records: duration of the client relationship plus 3 years

• Crisis placement records: 3 years, then securely destroyed

• Payment transaction records: as required by our processors and by law, typically 7 years

• Marketing contacts: until you unsubscribe

You may ask us to delete your information sooner, and we will do so unless we are required to keep it.

6. Your rights

You may ask us to:

• Provide a copy of the personal information we hold about you

• Correct information that is inaccurate

• Delete your information, subject to our legal retention obligations

• Stop sending you marketing messages

• Restrict how we use your information

To make a request, contact us using the details in Section 10. We will respond within 45 days.

California residents may have additional rights under the California Consumer Privacy Act. Tails to Serenity does not sell or share personal information as those terms are defined by the CCPA, and we do not use sensitive personal information for purposes requiring a right to limit. We will not discriminate against you for exercising any privacy right.

7. Cookies, analytics, and affiliate links

Our website uses cookies to keep the site working, remember your cart, and understand how the site is used. You can disable cookies in your browser, though parts of the site may stop working.

We use Google Analytics to understand site traffic. Google’s use of this data is governed by its own privacy policy.

Affiliate links. Parts of our shop contain Amazon Associates affiliate links. When you click one, Amazon may set a cookie so that any qualifying purchase is credited to us. We earn a commission at no additional cost to you. We do not receive your name, address, or payment details from Amazon — only aggregate reporting on referrals and commissions. Your purchase on Amazon is governed by Amazon’s privacy policy, not ours.

8. Security

We protect your information using encrypted connections (SSL/TLS) across our website, access controls limiting staff to the records they need, confidentiality agreements signed by all staff, segregated storage for crisis placement records, and payment handling that keeps complete card numbers off our systems entirely.

No system is perfectly secure. If a breach affects your personal information, we will notify you as required by California law.

9. Children

Our services are intended for adults. We do not knowingly collect personal information from anyone under 16. If you believe a child has given us information, contact us and we will delete it.

10. Contact us

Tails to Serenity LLC

Long Beach, California

Telephone: 949-439-3382

Email: info@tailstoserenity.com

If you have a privacy concern, say so and we will take it seriously. If you are worried about your safety in connection with your information, tell us and we will handle your file accordingly.

11. Changes to this policy

We may update this policy. The effective date above will change and material changes will be posted on this page. Continuing to use our services after an update means you accept the revised policy.