Privacy & Cookie Policy

This Privacy & Cookie Policy explains what personal data is collected when you visit Trail Dog (https://traildog.online), how it’s used, and what rights you have under the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018. Trail Dog is an independent online publication about hiking, canicross, wild camping, and outdoor adventures with dogs.

Data Controller Identity

The Data Controllers responsible for your personal data are Terry Ormiston and Sylwia Tokarska, operating jointly as Trail Dog. You can contact us regarding data privacy via our website’s Contact Us page.

1. Information We Collect

Comments & Spam Protection

When visitors leave comments on the site, we collect the data shown in the comments form, along with the visitor’s IP address and browser user-agent string to help detect and prevent spam through services like Akismet. An anonymised string created from your email address (also called a hash) may be provided to the Gravatar service to see if you are using it. The Gravatar service privacy policy is available here: https://automattic.com/privacy/.

Contact Forms & Newsletters

If you contact us through a form or subscribe to our newsletter, we collect the personal information you provide, such as your name and email address. Newsletter subscriptions are managed and delivered via secure third-party email providers (Substack), which process subscriber data in accordance with their own privacy policies.

Cookies & Affiliate Tracking

Trail Dog uses cookies and similar tracking technologies to ensure site functionality, manage comments, prevent spam, and analyze anonymous traffic.

Affiliate Disclosure & Amazon Associates: As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. We also partner with other outdoor retailers. When you click on an affiliate link on our site, a tracking cookie may be placed on your device by those third-party networks (including Amazon). This allows the network to recognize that you came from Trail Dog and attribute any resulting commissions to us. These third parties collect data according to their own respective privacy policies.

Analytics

We use Google Analytics 4 (GA4) via Google Site Kit to collect anonymous, aggregated usage statistics. This includes data such as pages visited, time spent on the site, general device/browser types, and city-level location data. This helps us understand what content performs best so we can improve our trail guides and gear reviews. No personally identifiable information is stored.

Embedded Content

Articles on this site may include embedded content and APIs from other platforms (e.g., YouTube videos, Instagram posts, Komoot maps, Strava embeds, Pinterest pins). Embedded content from other websites behaves in the exact same way as if the visitor has visited the other website. These external platforms may collect data about you, use cookies, embed additional third-party tracking, and monitor your interaction with that embedded content.

2. Lawful Basis for Processing

Under UK GDPR, we process your personal data under the following lawful bases:

Consent: When you voluntarily type your email to subscribe to our Substack newsletter, submit a contact form, or explicitly opt-in to non-essential analytics and affiliate cookies via our cookie banner.
Legitimate Interests: For running our independent publication safely and efficiently. This includes using Namecheap/EasyWP server logs for security, Rank Math for search visibility, and spam detection tools to prevent abuse.

3. Who We Share Data With

We do not sell or rent your personal data. We only share data with essential third-party service providers whose code is required to operate and monetize this website:

Amazon Associates: For tracking affiliate sales and commissions via cookies.
Google LLC: For Google Analytics 4 (site performance tracking).
Substack: For email list management and newsletter delivery.
Automattic: For Gravatar (profile pictures) and Akismet (spam protection).
Namecheap / EasyWP: Our web host, processing basic server and security logs.
Embedded Platforms: Komoot, Strava, YouTube, Instagram, and Pinterest.

4. How Long We Keep Data

Comments: Retained indefinitely so we can recognize and approve any follow-up comments automatically instead of holding them in a moderation queue.
Contact Form Messages: Retained for customer service and record-keeping purposes for up to 12 months, after which they are securely deleted. We do not use contact form submissions for marketing.
Newsletter Subscribers: Retained securely in Substack for as long as you remain subscribed. You can opt out at any time using the “unsubscribe” link at the bottom of any newsletter email.
Analytics Data: Retained in Google Analytics 4 for up to 14 months before automatically expiring.
Affiliate Cookies: Amazon’s affiliate tracking cookies typically expire after 24 hours.

5. Your Rights Under UK GDPR

As a UK resident, you have the following data protection rights:

The right to be informed: Clear transparency over how your data is used (as outlined in this policy).
The right of access: Requesting copies of your personal data.
The right to rectification: Asking to correct inaccurate or incomplete data.
The right to erasure (“right to be forgotten”): Requesting the deletion of your data where applicable.
The right to restrict or object to processing: Limiting how we use your data.
The right to withdraw consent: Opting out of the newsletter or resetting your cookie preferences at any time.

To exercise any of these rights, please contact us via our website’s Contact Us page.

If you are unhappy with how we handle your data, you have the right to lodge a complaint with the UK’s supervisory authority, the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) (https://ico.org.uk).

6. Cookie Control

When you first visit Trail Dog, you are presented with a cookie consent banner. You can choose to accept or reject non-essential cookies (such as those used by Google Analytics and Amazon Associates). Furthermore, you can manage, restrict, or delete cookies at any time through your web browser settings. Please note that disabling cookies entirely may impact certain site features, such as embedded maps or videos.

7. Contact

For any questions regarding this Privacy & Cookie Policy or your personal data, please reach out to us via the Contact Us page.