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Last updated: 26th June 2026
This privacy notice explains how Pet Behaviour Company Limited, trading as Pet Behaviour Company, collects, uses, stores and shares personal information.
We take your privacy seriously and aim to handle your personal information fairly, lawfully and transparently. This notice applies when you use our website, contact us, make an enquiry, book a service, complete a form or questionnaire, attend a consultation, take part in a webinar or course, join our mailing list, communicate with us through social media, or otherwise interact with us. For the purposes of data protection law, Pet Behaviour Company Limited is the data controller for the personal information described in this notice, unless we state otherwise.
If you have any questions about privacy practices, please contact us at admin@petbc.co.uk in the first instance.
If you have any questions about this privacy notice or how we use your personal information, please contact us:
Email: admin@petbc.co.uk
Postal address: 1 Harland Road, Lincoln, LN2 4GW
ICO registration number: 00010254428
Company registration number: 16314563
We may collect and use the following types of personal information.
Contact and identity information
This may include your name, title, address, email address, telephone number and details of the organisation or veterinary practice you work for or are associated with.
Client and service information
If you enquire about or book a behaviour service, we may collect information needed to assess, arrange and deliver that service. This may include:
•details you provide in enquiry forms, booking forms and pre-consultation questionnaires;
•information discussed during telephone calls, online meetings, in-person appointments or practical sessions;
•details about your pet, including name, species, breed, age, behaviour history, environment, routines and presenting concerns;
•veterinary information relating to your pet, including veterinary history, referral information, medication details and information shared by your veterinary practice;
•consultation notes, behaviour plans, reports and correspondence;
•information about the professionals involved in your pet’s care, such as your veterinary surgeon, trainer or behaviour professional, or other pet professionals;
•insurance or payment-related information where relevant.
Although information about an animal is not always personal information on its own, it may become personal information where it is linked to an identifiable person, household, client record or veterinary referral.
Contact details and referrals
We may receive your contact details directly from you, or from your veterinary practice where you have agreed for them to refer you to us or share your details with us.
We use your contact details to communicate with you about your enquiry, booking, consultation, reports and follow-up support.
We do not share your contact details with another professional or organisation so that they can contact you directly unless you have given us specific written permission to do so, for example where you would like us to pass your details to another professional such as a veterinary physiotherapist.
Your contact details may also be processed by trusted service providers who help us run our business, such as secure form, email, booking, payment, cloud storage or administration systems. These providers act on our instructions and are not permitted to use your contact details for their own purposes.
Professional, course and webinar information
If you book or attend one of our professional services, webinars, courses, mentoring sessions or case study discussions, we may collect information such as:
•your name, email address and contact details;
•your professional role, workplace, qualifications or areas of interest;
•course bookings, attendance, progress, quiz responses, survey responses or feedback;
•messages, questions or comments you submit during webinars, online courses, mentoring or discussion sessions;
•certificates, attendance records or CPD-related records where applicable.
Payment and transaction information
We may collect payment and transaction information, including billing details, purchase history, invoices and records of payments made to us.
All payments are handled by Stripe or PayPal so all card details are processed by the payment provider and are not stored by Pet Behaviour Company.
Communication information
We collect information contained in communications you send to us, including emails, text messages, social media messages, social media posts, contact forms, veterinary referral forms, telephone notes and other correspondence.
Photographs, videos and recordings
We may collect photographs, videos or recordings where they are relevant to the service we are providing. This may include photographs or videos you send to us, material used to help us assess your pet’s behaviour, recordings of online meetings or webinars, or images and recordings created during practical sessions, courses or professional training.
These materials may include your image, voice, home environment, pet, other people present, and information discussed during the session. We will only use identifiable photographs, videos, recordings, testimonials or case material for marketing, public-facing content or professional education where we have appropriate permission to do so.
Website, technical and analytics information
When you use our website or online platforms, we may collect technical information such as:
•IP address;
•browser type and version;
•device information;
•operating system;
•time zone setting;
•pages viewed;
•links clicked;
•length of visits;
•referral source;
•website usage and navigation information;
•cookie and tracking preferences.
This information may be collected through cookies, analytics tools and similar technologies. Please see our cookie section below and our separate Cookie Policy for more information.
Household information
Where relevant to a behaviour case, we may collect limited information about the household, such as who lives with or regularly interacts with the pet. This may include the names, ages and relationship of children or young people in the household where this is relevant to behaviour assessment, safety planning or practical training advice.
Marketing information
We may collect information about your preferences for receiving marketing from us, your communication preferences, whether you have opted in or opted out, and how you interact with our emails or adverts.
Special category information
Special category information is more sensitive personal information, such as information about a person’s health, disability, racial or ethnic origin, political opinions, religious beliefs, trade union membership, genetic or biometric data, sex life or sexual orientation.
In the course of providing behaviour services, clients may choose to share information about their own health, disability, access needs, vulnerability, household circumstances, family circumstances, safety concerns or other sensitive matters where this is relevant to the service.
We will only collect and use special category information where it is relevant, necessary and lawful to do so. Where required, we will rely on an additional special category condition under data protection law, such as your explicit consent, the establishment, exercise or defence of legal claims, or another lawful condition that applies.
Bite incidents, injury information and safety-related information
As part of providing behaviour assessment and support, we may ask about bite incidents, aggression incidents and safety concerns. This may include where an incident occurred, the context of the incident, the part of the body affected, and the level of injury, for example whether there were no marks, bruising, scratches or puncture wounds.
We do not usually ask for personal details about the person who was bitten or injured unless this is already relevant to the case, for example where the person is a member of the household or someone involved in the pet’s care.
Where bite or injury information does not identify the injured person, we use it as case and risk assessment information. Where the injured person is identified or identifiable, information about their injury may amount to health information and may be treated as special category personal data.
We collect and use this information only where it is relevant and necessary for behaviour assessment, risk assessment, safety planning, animal and human welfare, professional record keeping, communication with relevant professionals, insurance matters, or the establishment, exercise or defence of legal claims.
We ask clients to provide only the information that is relevant to the behaviour concern and the support they are seeking. We do not routinely ask for information about criminal convictions or criminal records.
In some circumstances, information about bite incidents may also involve third-party involvement, such as a vet, dog warden, local authority, police, insurer or legal adviser. Where information relates to alleged offences, investigations, proceedings or legal restrictions, it may amount to criminal offence data. Where this applies, we will process the information only where necessary, proportionate and lawful, and with appropriate safeguards.
We may collect personal information:
•directly from you when you complete forms, contact us, book a service, attend a session, create an account, purchase a course, join a mailing list or communicate with us;
•from your veterinary practice, where they refer a case to us or provide relevant information with your knowledge or permission;
•from other professionals involved in your pet’s care, where relevant;
•from online platforms we use to deliver services, courses, webinars, forms, email, payment processing, video calls or website analytics;
•for professional services, from publicly available professional information, such as practice websites, professional websites or public professional profiles, where relevant and lawful;
•automatically when you use our website, through cookies and similar technologies.
We only use personal information where we have a lawful basis to do so. To respond to enquiries and communicate with you We use contact and communication information to respond to enquiries, answer questions, provide information about our services and manage ongoing communication. Lawful basis: legitimate interests, namely running our business, responding to enquiries and communicating with people who contact us. To provide behaviour consultations and related services We use client, pet, veterinary, communication and service information to assess cases, arrange appointments, deliver consultations, provide practical support, prepare reports, liaise with referring vets and other relevant professionals, and provide follow-up support. Lawful basis: contract, where we need the information to provide a service you have requested or purchased; legitimate interests, where we need to manage records, communicate with professionals involved in the case, maintain professional standards and operate our business. Where special category information is involved, we will also rely on an appropriate special category condition. To liaise with veterinary practices and other professionals We may share and receive relevant information with your veterinary practice or other professionals involved in your pet’s care. This may include referral information, reports, updates, relevant behaviour history and information needed to support welfare-friendly, joined-up care. Working alongside your veterinary practice is an important part of our behaviour service. We may receive information from your veterinary practice where you have agreed for them to refer you to us or share relevant clinical information. As part of providing behaviour assessment and support, we will usually send your veterinary practice a copy of your behaviour report and any relevant updates. This helps support joined-up care, animal welfare, safe behaviour planning and appropriate communication between professionals involved in your pet’s care. We will only share information that is relevant and appropriate for these purposes. We will not pass your contact details or report to another external professional, such as a physiotherapist, trainer or other third party, unless you have given us specific written permission to do so, or unless we are required or permitted to share information by law. If you have concerns about us sharing your report with your veterinary practice, please contact us before your consultation so that we can discuss this with you. Lawful basis: contract, where this is necessary to provide the behaviour service you have requested; legitimate interests, namely providing safe, ethical and joined-up behaviour support; and legal obligation or establishment, exercise or defence of legal claims where applicable. Where special category information is involved, we will also rely on an appropriate special category condition. To provide professional courses, webinars, mentoring and case study services We use personal information to process bookings, provide access to courses or webinars, manage attendance, deliver mentoring, provide resources, issue certificates where applicable, answer questions and administer professional services. Lawful basis: contract, where we are providing a service you have booked; legitimate interests, where we administer, improve and support our professional services. To process payments and manage financial records We use payment, transaction and contact information to process payments, issue invoices, manage refunds, keep accounting records and meet tax and legal obligations. Lawful basis: contract; legal obligation; legitimate interests in managing our business and financial records. To manage our website, systems and security We use technical and usage information to keep our website and systems secure, maintain backups, troubleshoot issues, prevent fraud, monitor performance and administer our online services. Lawful basis: legitimate interests, namely keeping our website, systems and business secure and functioning properly. To improve our services and website We may use feedback, survey responses, website analytics, course usage data and service information to understand how people use our services, improve our website, develop resources and improve client and professional support. Lawful basis: legitimate interests, namely understanding and improving our services. To send marketing communications We may use your contact details and marketing preferences to send newsletters, service updates, course information, webinar information, professional resources, offers or other marketing communications. Lawful basis: consent, where required; or legitimate interests, where the law allows us to send certain types of marketing, such as relevant business-to-business communications or communications to existing customers about similar services, provided you can opt out. You can unsubscribe or opt out of marketing at any time by using the unsubscribe link in our emails or contacting us at admin@petbc.co.uk. Testimonials, case studies, photographs, videos and recordings We may use testimonials, photographs, videos, recordings or case material for specific purposes, such as service delivery, professional education, supervision, training, case discussion, website content, social media or marketing. Where material identifies you, your pet, your household, your voice, your image, your home, your veterinary practice or other identifiable details, we will ask for appropriate permission before using it for public-facing content, marketing or professional education. We will only use an individual case for marketing or paid professional education where the owner has selected “Yes” on the relevant consent section of our questionnaire or another written consent form. We will not use identifiable photographs, videos, recordings or testimonials in marketing without your permission. Where we use written case material for professional education, we will remove or change identifying details wherever possible. However, very unusual cases may still carry some risk of recognition, so we will take care to use only the information needed for the educational purpose. You can withdraw permission for future use by contacting admin@petbc.co.uk. Withdrawal will not affect use that has already taken place before we receive your request, but we will stop using the material in future where reasonably possible. Lawful basis: consent or explicit consent where appropriate; legitimate interests for anonymised or non-identifiable educational or service improvement use. To comply with legal, insurance and professional obligations We may use and retain information where necessary to comply with legal obligations, respond to complaints, manage insurance matters, establish or defend legal claims, maintain professional records, or respond to lawful requests from regulators, courts or public authorities. Lawful basis: legal obligation; legitimate interests; establishment, exercise or defence of legal claims where applicable.
We may send marketing communications where you have opted in to receive them, where you have asked for information about our services, where you have purchased a similar service from us and have not opted out, or where we are contacting a corporate subscriber or professional contact in a business-to-business context.
We will not sell your personal information to third parties for their own marketing purposes.
We will not share your personal information with third parties for their own marketing purposes unless you have given us clear consent.
You can opt out of marketing communications at any time by:
•clicking the unsubscribe link in our emails;
•changing your preferences in your account, where available;
•emailing us at admin@petbc.co.uk.
If you opt out of marketing, we may still contact you about services you have booked, payments, consultations, reports, important service updates or other non-marketing matters.
The email marketing platform we currently use is Zenler.
Our website may use cookies and similar technologies to make the website work, improve functionality, analyse website use and support marketing or advertising.
Some cookies are necessary for the website to function. Optional cookies, such as analytics, advertising or tracking cookies, will only be used where we have your consent or where a specific legal exemption applies.
You can manage cookies through your browser settings and, where available, through our cookie preference tool.
Our Cookie Policy: https://www.petbehaviourcompany.co.uk/cookiepolicy
Our website uses Google Analytics, Meta Pixel/Facebook Pixel, embedded videos and course platform cookies.
We may share personal information with the following types of organisations where necessary and lawful: •veterinary practices and referring veterinary surgeons;
•other professionals involved in your pet’s care, where appropriate;
•online course and webinar platforms;
•form providers and questionnaire platforms;
•payment processors;
•email, newsletter and communication providers;
•cloud storage and hosting providers;
•website hosting, analytics and security providers;
•video call and video hosting platforms;
•accountants, insurers, legal advisers and other professional advisers;
•regulators, courts, law enforcement or public authorities where required by law;
•third parties involved in a business sale, transfer, restructuring or merger.
We currently use, or may use, service providers including:
•New Zenler / Zenler;
•Google;
•Meta / Facebook;
•Stripe;
•PayPal;
•Amazon Web Services;
•Jotform;
•Squarespace
•Apple iCloud Storage;
•Microsoft;
•Zoom.
Where third parties process personal information on our behalf, we require them to protect the information and only use it for the purposes we have instructed.
Some of our service providers may store or access personal information outside the UK.
Where we make a restricted transfer of personal information outside the UK, we will take steps to ensure that appropriate safeguards are in place. These may include:
•transferring data to a country covered by UK adequacy regulations;
•using the UK International Data Transfer Agreement;
•using the UK Addendum to the EU Standard Contractual Clauses;
•using the UK Extension to the EU-US Data Privacy Framework, where the recipient organisation is appropriately certified;
•relying on another lawful transfer mechanism available under UK data protection law.
You can contact us if you would like more information about the safeguards used for a particular transfer.
We keep personal information only for as long as necessary for the purposes for which it was collected, including to provide services, maintain records, comply with legal obligations, manage complaints, deal with insurance matters and establish or defend legal claims. We use the following factors to decide how long to keep information: •the type and sensitivity of the information; •the purpose for which it was collected; •whether we are legally required to keep it; •whether it may be needed for insurance, complaints or legal claims; •the expectations of clients, professionals and course users; •whether the information can be safely deleted, anonymised or archived.
Our general retention periods are:
Type of information/Retention period
Enquiries that do not become bookings/12–24 months
Client behaviour case records, questionnaires, reports and related correspondence/6 years from the point of last contact
Veterinary referral information/6 years from the point of last contact
Financial, invoice and transaction records/Usually six years from the end of the relevant financial year, or longer if legally required
Webinar, course and CPD records/6 years
Marketing records and mailing list preferences/Until you unsubscribe, withdraw consent, or after 36 months of inactivity
Website analytics data/50 months for analytics platforms
Photos, videos and recordings used with consent/6 years from the point of last contact or until consent is withdrawn, unless already published and withdrawal cannot practically apply retrospectively
Anonymised case study, education or statistical information/May be kept indefinitely where individuals are no longer identifiable
We may anonymise information so that it no longer identifies you. We may use anonymised information for education, research, statistics, service improvement, case discussion, training or professional development.
Where information is truly anonymised, it is no longer personal information.
We may use information from behaviour cases to create anonymised written case histories for professional education, supervision, mentoring, case discussion, webinars, courses or training resources.
These materials may be used in paid educational services for veterinary professionals, behaviour professionals, trainers, students and those working towards professional recognition.
Before using information from an individual case to create anonymised written case material for marketing or paid professional education, we will ask for the owner’s permission.
We will only use an individual case for these purposes where the owner has selected “Yes” on the relevant consent section of our questionnaire or another written consent form.
Before using a case for this purpose, we will remove or change obvious identifying details such as names, contact details, addresses, precise locations, veterinary practice names and other details that are not needed for educational discussion.
Where a case is unusual or contains distinctive details, we may remove, change, generalise or combine details from more than one case to reduce the risk of identification. If we are not satisfied that the risk of recognition can be reduced appropriately, we will not use the case for this purpose.
We will not use identifiable photographs, videos, audio recordings, names, testimonials or direct identifying details for professional education or marketing unless we have obtained separate permission.
You can withdraw permission for future use by contacting admin@petbc.co.uk. Withdrawal will not affect use that has already taken place before we receive your request, but we will stop using the material for new purposes where reasonably possible.
We use appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect personal information from accidental loss, misuse, unauthorised access, alteration or disclosure. These measures may include: •limiting access to people who need the information for their role; •using password-protected systems; •using secure cloud services and reputable processors; •applying confidentiality obligations; •keeping records and systems under review; •backing up important business data; •taking steps to respond to suspected data breaches. Internally, we use measures such as secure file transfer, role-based access controls and multifactor authentication where appropriate to help protect personal information. If we become aware of a personal data breach, we will assess the risk and notify affected individuals and/or the Information Commissioner’s Office where legally required.
Under data protection law, you may have the right to: •request access to the personal information we hold about you; •request correction of inaccurate or incomplete information; •request erasure of your information in certain circumstances; •request restriction of processing in certain circumstances; •object to processing based on legitimate interests; •object to direct marketing at any time; •request transfer of your information in certain circumstances; •withdraw consent where we rely on consent; •complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office. These rights are not absolute and may depend on the circumstances. To exercise your rights, please contact us at admin@petbc.co.uk. We may need to confirm your identity before responding to a request. We usually respond within one month. If your request is complex or you have made multiple requests, we may need longer, but we will let you know.
Where we rely on your consent, you can withdraw that consent at any time by contacting us at admin@petbc.co.uk.
Withdrawing consent will not affect the lawfulness of processing that took place before consent was withdrawn.
In some cases, withdrawing consent may affect our ability to provide a service, use certain materials, communicate with another professional, or continue with a particular activity. We will explain this where relevant.
Our services are arranged with adults, usually the pet’s owner or caregiver. We do not provide services directly to children without the involvement of a parent or responsible adult.
In some cases, we may collect limited information about children or young people who live in, or regularly visit, the household. This is usually limited to their name, age and relationship to the pet, where this is relevant to understanding the pet’s behaviour, household routines, safety planning or practical training advice.
We only use this information where it is necessary and relevant to the behaviour support we are providing. For example, we may refer to a child by name when communicating with their parent or caregiver, or when working with the family during a practical training session where the parent or caregiver is present.
We do not use children’s personal information for marketing, profiling or unrelated purposes. We do not share children’s personal information outside Pet Behaviour Company unless this is necessary, appropriate and lawful, or unless we have specific permission to do so.
Our website, emails, course materials or social media pages may include links to third-party websites, platforms, plug-ins or applications.
We are not responsible for the privacy practices of third-party websites or platforms. We encourage you to read their privacy notices before providing personal information to them.
We do not make decisions about you using solely automated decision-making that has legal or similarly significant effects.
17. Complaints If you have concerns about how we use your personal information, please contact us first so that we can try to resolve the issue. You also have the right to complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office, the UK supervisory authority for data protection. You can contact the ICO via www.ico.org.uk or by calling 0303 123 1113.
18. Keeping your information up to date Please tell us if your personal information changes, for example if you change your email address, telephone number, postal address, veterinary practice or professional details. You can contact us at admin@petbc.co.uk.
19. Changes to this privacy notice We may update this privacy notice from time to time. The latest version will be available on our website. If we make significant changes to how we use personal information, we will take appropriate steps to bring those changes to your attention.