SHMD PRIVACY STATEMENT

(Last revised: 10/06//2026)

INTRODUCTION

Emma Barnett trading as So Help Me Dog! (SHMD) is a sole trader whose address is 18 Ferry Lane, Cholsey, Oxfordshire, OX10 9GZ (‘we’, ‘our’, ‘us’ in this privacy statement), providing Dog Behaviour and Training services and Dynamic Dog Assessments.

So Help Me Dog! is responsible for collecting, processing, storing and safe-keeping personal and other information as part of providing a service and carrying out our regular business activities. Personal information is managed in accordance with UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018 and Emma Barnett is registered as a Data Controller with the Information Commissioner’s Office Registration Number ZA322000.

Any questions regarding the processing of personal data should be directed via email at: info@sohelpmedog.co.uk.

WHAT INFORMATION WE COLLECT

In accordance with Data Protection Legislation we only collect and process information which we require to meet the specific purposes as stated above. The information we may collect about you could include, but is not limited to:

• Your name and contact details (email, phone number and address)
• Information about your dog(s), including health, medical and behaviour history
• Details about your occupation and business
• Details about your lifestyle and social circumstances
• Appointment notes and training records
• Payment and invoicing information
• Communications between us (emails, messages, forms)
• Details about how you use our website including technical data such as IP address.
• Occasionally we may ask for special category data if necessary for delivery of a particular service or product, such as medical information. As per our Data Processing Principles we will only ask for information that is necessary to deliver our services, and therefore we encourage you not to provide us with personal data or special category data which we do not ask for.

HOW WE COLLECT IT

Most personal information is provided directly and voluntarily by you when you engage with us in order to enquire about, or purchase, our services or products. We will collect information from you when:

• You contact us for information via our website, social media channels, email or phone
• You purchase our service or products
• You book onto a course, event or workshop that we are running
• You post on our social media channels, website or blog
• You work with us in a commercial capacity.

We collect this information in order to make available to you our services or products and to communicate with you in relation to our services or products. We may use the information collected to:

• Allow us to process a booking for a product or service which you purchase from us
• Create a profile for you on our client database
• Send you our newsletters and/or provide you with information, products or services that you request from us or which we feel may interest you, where you have consented to be contacted for such purposes;
• Respond to enquiries you make about our services or products
• Ask you to take part in surveys or quiz events
• Ensure that content from our site is presented to you in the most effective manner for you and your computer or device
• Allow you to access and utilise the service or product you have purchased from us
• Notify you about changes to our services or products
• Get feedback from you regarding the quality of our services or products.

WHY WE COLLECT IT

We collect personal information in order to:

• Provide dog training and behaviour services
• Perform Dynamic Dog Assessments

• Communicate about appointments and follow-up support

• Maintain client records

• Issue invoices and manage payments

• Meet legal and insurance obligations

We only collect information that is relevant and necessary for providing our services.

LEGAL BASIS FOR PROCESSING YOUR DATA

We process your information in order to fulfil our contract with you and to run our business in line with our legitimate interests. We comply with the requirements of the UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018. The processing of your data shall only be lawful if and to the extent that at least one of the following applies:

• You have consented
• For the performance of a contract
• For compliance with a legal obligation which we must perform
• To protect the vital interests of your or another person
• It is in the public interest
• It is in the legitimate interests pursued by us or a third party.

We collect data for the purposes set out above. All personal data is managed to ensure that it is either erased from our system when it is no longer required for the purpose for which it was collected, retained for legal reasons or minimised and retained. 

Any special category data collected from you has special protection and is limited to that permissible by law. In all instances where special category data is collected we will obtain your express consent.

WHO WE SHARE YOUR DATA WITH

We will not sell or lend your personal data to third parties or share your personal data for marketing purposes. We will only share your personal data with third party service providers where it is necessary for the delivery of our products or services, and only where we are confident that such third-party service providers have appropriate data protection systems and measures in place that are compliant with UK Data Protection Legislation. 

HOW WE STORE YOUR INFORMATION

We have in place appropriate technical and organisational measures to ensure the security, confidentiality, integrity and availability of personal data we control. Your information is securely stored on our company database which is not publicly accessible. We may store or process your data on cloud-based platforms or service providers whose servers are based outside of the UK. Paper records are kept in a locked location. We will only use such third-party service providers where we are confident that appropriate safeguards are in place to ensure that any personal data is subject to an equivalent level of security and protection as required under UK Data Protection Legislation.

HOW LONG WE KEEP YOUR INFORMATION

We will only keep your personal data for as long as is necessary to meet the requirements for which it was collected. 

This will vary depending on the nature of the requirements and the processing but, in general, records will be retained for a maximum of 3 years from the date of last contact. Records pertaining to stand-alone Dynamic Dog Assessments (including all photographic and video footage) will be retained for 6 months from the date of the Veterinary Report. After this period of time, we will delete your personal data unless there is a legitimate business reason to retain all or parts of the data we hold. In the sad event that your dog passes away or is put to sleep, we will close your client record and securely delete/destroy personal data that is no longer needed for legal or administrative purposes. 

Except otherwise stated, we will not store data in any identifiable form longer than is necessary to accomplish its purpose or as required by law. 

YOUR RIGHTS

You have the right to request access to your personal information, ask for corrections, or request deletion where appropriate.

Should you still have concerns about the way in which your personal data is managed, then you should contact the relevant supervisory authority, which in the UK is the Information Commissioner’s Office: Contact us | ICO 

DATA PROTECTION COMPLAINTS

If you have concerns about how I handle your personal information, you have the right to make a data protection complaint directly to me. 

Complaints can be submitted by email to info@sohelpmedog.co.uk or by post to Mulysa, 18 Ferry Lane, Cholsey, Oxfordshire, OX10 9GZ

I will acknowledge receipt of your complaint within 30 calendar days and will investigate and respond without undue delay.

If you remain dissatisfied after receiving my response, you have the right to lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO).

CHANGES TO OUR POLICY & FUTURE PROCESSING 

This Privacy Policy was last updated on 10.06. 2026 and is reviewed regularly, or upon changes to relevant Data Protection Legislation being published.

We do not intend to process your personal information except for the reasons stated within this privacy notice. We reserve the right to update this Privacy Notice from time to time. Where appropriate, we shall contact you to notify you of any material changes to the Privacy Notice. You should also refer to our website periodically so that you may access and view our updated Privacy Notice. This will ensure that you understand how we are using your personal data and your legal rights around our usage of such personal data.

If you have any questions or concerns regarding our data protection or privacy policies, please contact us at info@sohelpmedog.co.uk and we will be happy to respond to any concerns.