Who we are
Fetchabl is a free online directory that helps people find dogs available for adoption from UK rescue organisations. It is currently a passion project run by a single volunteer. You can contact us at:
Email: hello@fetchabl.comPrivacy Policy
How we protect your data
Last updated: September 2026
What this policy covers
This policy explains what personal information we collect, why we collect it, what we do with it, and what rights you have.
It does not cover the websites of the rescue organisations listed on Fetchabl. When you follow a link from Fetchabl to a rescue organisation's own website, that organisation becomes responsible for any information you give them. We recommend reading their privacy policy.
Information we collect
If you are a rescue organisation who has partnered with us
- The name and email address of the nominated person for us to contact regarding your organisation
- Your organisation's name, description, location, website address and public contact details
- Photographs and descriptions of the dogs you list or give us permission to list on Fetchabl
How we find rescues to partner with
Some rescue organisations contact us directly. Particularly while we are building up the directory, we may instead find prospective rescues to partner with by reviewing their own website or public listings for contact information.
We only use information the rescue has already published publicly for this purpose, and only to identify and contact them. We do not publish any dog on Fetchabl until we have contacted the rescue organisation and they have given us permission to list their dogs.
If you browse the site
- Your approximate location, only if you choose to use the "use my location" feature. This is used to find nearby dogs and is not stored against your identity.
- Search terms you enter, including place names
- Technical information recorded automatically in our server logs, including your IP address, browser type, the pages you request and the time of the request
If you report a listing
- The reason and any details you give us about the report
- Your email address, so we can follow up with you if needed
Cookies
Fetchabl uses only cookies that are strictly necessary for the site to function:
- A session cookie, so the site remembers your favourites
- A CSRF token cookie, which protects you against a common type of web attack
We do not use advertising cookies or third-party analytics cookies. Because these cookies are strictly necessary, we do not display a cookie consent banner. If this changes, we will update this policy and ask for your consent where the law requires it.
Why we use your information, and our lawful basis
UK data protection law requires us to have a "lawful basis" for each thing we do with your information.
| What we do | Why | Lawful basis |
|---|---|---|
| Publish dog listings, including photographs | This is the core purpose of the directory | Legitimate interests - connecting rescue dogs with potential adopters |
| Show your organisation's public contact details | So potential adopters can contact you directly | Legitimate interests, and at your request |
| Review a rescue's own public website or listings to identify organisations to contact | To find rescues who might want to partner with us, using information they've already chosen to publish. We never publish anything until the rescue has given us permission. | Legitimate interests - business development, using publicly available information |
| Convert place names and locations into search results | So people can find dogs near them | Legitimate interests - providing a functioning search |
| Keep server logs | To keep the site secure, diagnose faults and prevent abuse | Legitimate interests - security and reliability |
| Review reports about listings | To investigate suspicious, inaccurate or inappropriate listings and follow up with the reporter if needed | Legitimate interests - trust and safety on the platform |
Where we rely on legitimate interests, we have considered whether our interests are outweighed by your rights. You can object to this processing at any time - see "Your rights" below.
Who we share your information with
We do not sell your personal information, and we do not share it for anyone else's marketing.
We use the following service providers, who process personal information on our instructions:
| Provider | What they do | Where |
|---|---|---|
| Railway | Hosts our application and database | European Union (Amsterdam) |
| Cloudinary | Stores and delivers uploaded photographs | US |
| Postcodes.io | Converts a dog listing's postcode into geographic coordinates when the listing is created | European Union |
| Resend | Sends emails on our behalf, including report notifications and follow-ups | US |
| Cloudflare | Provides cookieless website analytics, so we can see how the site is used | Global network |
Dog listings, including photographs and the rescue organisation's public contact details, are published on the internet and can be seen by anyone.
We may also disclose information where we are legally required to do so, or where it is necessary to protect our rights, our users, or the public.
International transfers
Cloudinary is a US-headquartered company.
How long we keep information
| Information | Retention |
|---|---|
| Rescue organisation contact details | For as long as we're partnered with the organisation, then 12 months after the partnership ends |
| Dog listings marked as adopted or removed | 12 months, so we can track a dog's listing history internally |
| Uploaded photographs | Deleted when the associated listing is permanently deleted |
| Server logs | Per Railway's default retention policy |
| Correspondence with us | 24 months |
Security
We protect your information by:
- Serving the entire site over an encrypted HTTPS connection
- Restricting access to the live database to the site operator
- Hosting with an established provider in a secure data centre
- Keeping our software and dependencies up to date
No online service can promise perfect security, but we take these measures seriously and review them as the service grows.
Your rights
Under UK data protection law you have the right to:
- Be informed about how we use your information - that is what this policy is for
- Access a copy of the personal information we hold about you
- Rectification - have inaccurate information corrected
- Erasure - ask us to delete your information in certain circumstances
- Restrict processing - ask us to limit what we do with your information
- Data portability - receive your information in a machine-readable format
- Object to processing we carry out on the basis of legitimate interests
- Withdraw consent, where we have relied on consent
To exercise any of these rights, email hello@fetchabl.com. We will respond within one month.
There is normally no charge. We may ask you to confirm your identity before we act on a request.
Complaints
If you are unhappy with how we have handled your information, please contact us first so we can try to put it right.
You also have the right to complain to the Information Commissioner's Office, the UK's data protection regulator:
Information Commissioner's Office
Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire SK9 5AF
Helpline: 0303 123 1113
ico.org.uk
Children
Fetchabl is not intended for children under 13. We do not knowingly collect information from children. If you believe a child has given us personal information, please contact us and we will delete it.
We only correspond with adults acting on behalf of a rescue organisation.
Adopting a dog is a decision for adults. If you are under 18 and interested in a dog you have found here, please involve a parent or guardian - rescue organisations will generally not rehome to under-18s.
Changes to this policy
We may update this policy from time to time. The date at the top shows when it was last changed. If we make a significant change, we will make that clear on the site.