1. Introduction
Avon Animal Hospital (“we,” “us,” or “our”) is a veterinary practice located at 19475 Fraser Hwy, Surrey, BC V3S 6K7, Canada. We are committed to protecting the personal information of our clients and website visitors.
This Privacy Policy describes how we collect, use, disclose, and protect your personal information when you visit our website at avonanimalhospital.ca, contact us by phone or email, or use our services. It applies to all personal information we handle as a business operating in British Columbia and Canada.
This policy is governed by the Personal Information Protection Act (British Columbia) (PIPA) and the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA), as well as all other applicable privacy legislation.
By using our website or services, you consent to the collection, use, and disclosure of your personal information as described in this policy.
2. Information We Collect
2.1 Information You Provide Directly
We collect personal information you voluntarily provide when you:
• Complete a contact form, appointment request form, or new client registration form on our website
• Call or email us
• Sign up to receive text message communications
• Submit product refill or service inquiry requests through our website or by phone
The types of information we may collect include your name, phone number, email address, mailing address, pet name and species, and any other information you choose to include in your communications with us.
Form submissions are sent directly to our team by email and are not stored in our website database.
2.2 Information Collected Automatically
When you visit our website, certain information is collected automatically through website analytics and tag management platforms. This may include:
• IP address (truncated or anonymized where required by applicable law)
• Browser type and version
• Operating system
• Referring URL
• Pages visited and time spent on pages
• General geographic location based on your IP address
This information is collected using cookies and similar tracking technologies. See Section 5 (Cookies and Tracking Technologies) for more information.
2.3 Communication Platforms
When you contact us by phone, your call may be recorded and transcribed using AI-assisted tools. When you communicate with us via text message, email, or through our website chatbot or automated phone attendant, those communications may be logged and processed. See Section 7 (AI-Assisted Tools) for more information.
3. How We Use Your Information
We use the personal information we collect to:
• Schedule and manage appointments
• Communicate with you about your pet’s care
• Respond to your inquiries and service requests
• Send appointment reminders and follow-up communications
• Process product refill and service inquiry requests
• Improve our website and services through analytics
• Display relevant advertising to users who have previously visited our website, where you have provided consent or where such use is otherwise permitted by applicable law
• Comply with applicable legal and regulatory obligations
We do not use your personal information to make automated decisions that produce legal or similarly significant effects on you.
4. SMS and Text Message Communications
By providing your mobile phone number and opting in to text message communications, you consent to receive appointment reminders, follow-up messages, and other service-related communications from us via SMS.
Message frequency varies. Standard message and data rates may apply.
To opt out of text messages at any time, reply STOP to any message we send you. To request help, reply HELP. You may also opt out by contacting us by phone or email using the information in Section 16.
We will process your opt-out request within 10 business days. We do not share your mobile phone number with third parties for their own marketing purposes.
5. Cookies and Tracking Technologies
5.1 Types of Cookies
Our website uses the following categories of cookies:
Essential Cookies: Required for the website to function. These cookies cannot be disabled. They include cookies that enable navigation, security, and basic website functionality.
Statistics Cookies: Used to understand how visitors interact with our website. Information collected is aggregated and used to improve website performance and user experience.
Marketing Cookies: Used to deliver relevant advertising based on your browsing activity, both on our website and across other websites. These cookies are set by our advertising partners and require your consent. You may opt out of interest-based advertising as described in Section 5.4.
5.2 Cookie Consent
When you visit our website, a cookie consent banner will ask for your preferences. You may accept all cookies, accept only essential cookies, or customize your preferences by category. Your preferences are saved and can be changed at any time through the cookie settings available on our website.
Essential cookies are always active and cannot be disabled, as they are necessary for the website to operate.
Our website’s cookie consent infrastructure is configured and maintained by VSA Vet Media Inc.
5.3 Global Privacy Control (GPC) and Universal Opt-Out Mechanisms (UOOM)
Our website recognizes the Global Privacy Control (GPC) signal and other Universal Opt-Out Mechanisms (UOOM) where recognition is required by applicable law. When a valid GPC signal is detected from your browser, we will process it as a request to opt out of the sale or sharing of your personal information for targeted advertising purposes, to the extent required by applicable law.
5.4 Online Advertising and Remarketing
We use online advertising services, including remarketing and interest-based advertising, to display ads to users who have previously visited our website. These services may use cookies and similar technologies to recognize your browser or device across websites and apps.
If you prefer not to receive interest-based advertising, you may opt out using the following tools:
• Google Ads Settings: google.com/settings/ads
• Network Advertising Initiative Opt-Out: networkadvertising.org/managing/opt_out.asp
Opting out does not mean you will stop seeing ads entirely. It means the ads you see will be less tailored to your interests.
We disclose the use of your personal information for cross-context behavioural advertising to the extent required by applicable privacy law. You may opt out of this use of your information using the opt-out mechanisms above or by contacting us directly using the information in Section 16.
6. Third-Party Services
We work with third-party service providers who perform functions on our behalf. We share only the personal information necessary for these providers to perform their services. Our service providers are required to handle your information in a manner consistent with applicable privacy laws and our instructions.
Third-party service providers we use fall into the following functional categories:
• Online form and appointment request providers
• Communication and scheduling platforms
• Website analytics platforms
• Website hosting providers
• Online advertising platforms
We do not sell your personal information to third parties.
7. AI-Assisted Tools
7.1 No Medical Decisions by AI
No artificial intelligence is used to make medical or clinical decisions regarding your pet’s care. All clinical decisions are made exclusively by our licensed veterinary professionals.
7.2 Call Recording
Calls to and from our practice may be recorded. Recordings may be transcribed and processed using AI-assisted tools for quality assurance, staff training, and service improvement purposes. By calling us, you consent to the recording of your call in accordance with applicable law.
7.3 Automated Communications
We use automated tools to send appointment reminders, follow-up messages, and other service-related communications. These automated communications are generated based on appointment data and your communication preferences.
7.4 AI Interaction Disclosure
Our website may include a chatbot or automated phone attendant. You may interact with an automated system before reaching a human team member. These tools are used in compliance with applicable law. We do not use AI-assisted tools to collect sensitive personal information without your knowledge.
7.5 Your Rights Regarding AI
You may request that a communication be handled by a human team member rather than an automated system. Please contact us using the information in Section 16 to make this request.
8. Data Protection and Security
We implement reasonable technical and organizational security measures to protect your personal information from unauthorized access, disclosure, alteration, or destruction. These measures include SSL/TLS encryption for data transmitted through our website, access controls, and secure handling of records where applicable.
No method of electronic transmission or storage is completely secure. While we take reasonable precautions, we cannot guarantee absolute security.
8.1 Data Breach Notification
In the event of a privacy breach involving your personal information that creates a real risk of significant harm, we will notify you and the applicable regulatory authority as required by applicable law.
9. Your Privacy Rights
Depending on your jurisdiction and applicable law, you may have the right to:
• Access the personal information we hold about you
• Request correction of inaccurate or incomplete personal information
• Request deletion of your personal information, subject to our legal and regulatory retention obligations
• Withdraw consent to certain uses of your personal information
• Request that we limit how we use your personal information
• Opt out of the sale or sharing of your personal information for targeted advertising purposes
• Lodge a complaint with a privacy regulatory authority
To exercise any of these rights, please contact us using the information in Section 16. We will respond within the timeframe required by applicable law.
We will not discriminate against you for exercising your privacy rights.
10. Sharing of Information
We do not sell your personal information. We may share your personal information with:
• Third-party service providers who perform services on our behalf (see Section 6)
• Advertising technology providers for the purpose of displaying relevant advertising to you, where you have consented or where sharing is otherwise permitted by applicable law
• Regulatory or legal authorities where required by law, court order, or legal process
• Successor entities in the event of a merger, acquisition, or sale of our business, subject to the successor entity assuming equivalent privacy obligations
We require all parties with whom we share personal information to maintain appropriate privacy and security safeguards consistent with applicable law.
11. Children’s Privacy
Our website and services are not directed to children under the age of 13. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If you believe we have inadvertently collected personal information from a child under 13, please contact us using the information in Section 16 and we will take prompt steps to delete that information.
12. Links to External Websites
Our website may contain links to third-party websites. This Privacy Policy applies only to our website and services. We are not responsible for the privacy practices of third-party websites and encourage you to review their privacy policies before providing any personal information.
Our website may include social media features or plugins provided by third-party social media platforms. These features may collect information about your visit and set cookies. Your interactions with these features are governed by the privacy policy of the platform providing them. We are not responsible for the data practices of any social media platform, and our inclusion of a social media feature does not constitute an endorsement of that platform’s privacy practices.
13. Data Retention
We retain your personal information for as long as necessary to fulfil the purposes for which it was collected, to comply with our legal and regulatory obligations, and to resolve disputes. When personal information is no longer required for these purposes, we take reasonable steps to securely destroy or anonymize it.
14. Changes to This Privacy Policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, technology, or 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. Your continued use of our website after any changes constitutes your acceptance of the updated policy.
15. Website Design and Management
Our website is designed, developed, and maintained by VSA Vet Media Inc., our digital marketing service provider, located in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. VSA Vet Media Inc. has access to our website systems, analytics data, and certain personal information collected through the website as necessary to perform these services.
VSA Vet Media Inc. acts as a service provider on our behalf and is contractually required to handle personal information only as directed by Avon Animal Hospital and in accordance with applicable privacy law. VSA Vet Media Inc. does not use your personal information for its own purposes.
16. Contact Information
If you have questions, concerns, or requests regarding this Privacy Policy or our privacy practices, please contact us:
Avon Animal Hospital
19475 Fraser Hwy
Surrey, BC V3S 6K7
Canada
Phone: +1 (604) 532-7600
Email: Avonanimalvet@gmail.com
We will acknowledge your request promptly and respond within the timeframe required by applicable law.