Privacy Policy

Effective date: 25 February 2026

PetsOnline ("we", "us", or "our") is committed to protecting the privacy of our customers, breeders, and website visitors. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, store, and protect personal information in connection with our websites petsonline.co.za and admin.petsonline.co.za (collectively, the "Sites").

By using our Sites or providing us with your personal information, you agree to the practices described in this policy. We comply with the Protection of Personal Information Act, 2013 (POPIA) and other applicable South African legislation.

1. Information We Collect

We may collect the following categories of personal information:

Identity information – name, surname
Contact information – phone number(s), email address, physical address, city
Location information – approximate geographic coordinates derived from your address for mapping purposes
Preference information – preferred breed, budget range, gender preference, timeline, and other details related to pet enquiries and requests
Communication records – notes and correspondence related to customer interactions
Technical information – IP address, browser type, pages visited, and usage data collected via cookies and analytics tools

2. How We Collect Information

Personal information is collected in the following ways:

Directly from you when you make an enquiry, contact us by phone, email, or messaging platforms (e.g. WhatsApp, Facebook, Instagram)
Entered by our staff into our internal management system on your behalf
Automatically through cookies and analytics tools when you visit our Sites
From third-party platforms such as Google Contacts, where you have provided consent

3. Purpose of Processing

We use your personal information for the following purposes:

To manage customer and breeder relationships
To match customers with suitable pets and breeders
To follow up on pet enquiries and requests
To schedule appointments and manage tasks and calendar entries
To communicate with you regarding your enquiries or purchases
To improve our Sites and services through anonymised analytics
To comply with legal obligations

4. Cookies and Analytics

Our Sites use cookies to maintain your session and preferences. We also use Google Analytics to collect anonymised usage data, including pages visited, time spent on site, and referring sources. Google Analytics may set its own cookies. You can opt out of Google Analytics by installing the Google Analytics Opt-out Browser Add-on.

We do not use advertising cookies or third-party tracking pixels.

5. Data Sharing and Third Parties

We do not sell, rent, or trade your personal information. We may share your information only in the following circumstances:

With breeders – to facilitate the matching of customers to available pets, we may share your contact details and preferences with registered breeders
Service providers – we use Google Analytics for website analytics; these providers process data on our behalf and are bound by their own privacy policies
Legal requirements – where we are required by law, regulation, or court order to disclose information

6. Data Retention

We retain personal information for as long as it is necessary to fulfil the purposes outlined in this policy, or as required by law. Customer and breeder records are kept for the duration of our business relationship and for a reasonable period thereafter to allow for follow-up and record-keeping. You may request deletion of your data at any time (see Section 8).

7. Data Security

We take reasonable technical and organisational measures to protect your personal information, including:

Encrypted connections (HTTPS) on our Sites
Password-protected access to our management system
Login lockout mechanisms to prevent unauthorised access
Session timeouts and CSRF protection

While we strive to protect your information, no method of transmission over the internet is 100% secure. We cannot guarantee absolute security.

8. Your Rights Under POPIA

As a data subject under the Protection of Personal Information Act (POPIA), you have the right to:

Access – request a copy of the personal information we hold about you
Correction – request that we correct or update inaccurate information
Deletion – request that we delete your personal information, subject to legal retention requirements
Object – object to the processing of your personal information for specific purposes
Withdraw consent – where processing is based on consent, you may withdraw it at any time

To exercise any of these rights, please contact us using the details below.

9. Children's Privacy

Our Sites and services are not directed at children under the age of 18. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children. If you believe we have inadvertently collected such information, please contact us so we can promptly delete it.

10. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. Any changes will be posted on this page with an updated effective date. We encourage you to review this policy periodically.

11. Contact Us

If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy or wish to exercise your rights, please contact us:

Email: sytze@petsonline.co.za
Phone: +27 83 459 2853