Privacy Policy

1. Introduction

Canine Genetic Services LLC ("CGS," "we," "us," or "our") respects your privacy. This Privacy Policy explains what information we collect through our website at caninegeneticservices.com (the "Website"), how we use it, and the choices you have. It supplements, and should be read together with, our Terms of Service.

2. Information We Collect

Information you provide to us:

• Account registration: your name, email address, and a password (which we store only in hashed form, never as plain text).
• Terms of Service acceptance: when you register, we record the date and time, your IP address, and the version of the Terms you accepted.
• Contact form: your name, email address, and the message you submit.

Information collected automatically: like most websites, our servers keep technical logs such as your IP address, browser type, and the pages you request, used to operate and secure the site. We also use cookies and local storage as described in Section 4.

3. How We Use Your Information

We use the information we collect to:

• create and manage your account and provide access to the research library;
• record and verify your acceptance of the Terms of Service;
• respond to inquiries you send through the contact form;
• operate, maintain, and secure the Website and prevent abuse, including spam and unauthorized access; and
• comply with our legal obligations.

We do not sell your personal information, and we do not use it for third-party advertising.

4. Cookies and Similar Technologies

• Session/security cookie: when you log in, we set a cookie that keeps you signed in and protects against cross-site request forgery. It is essential to the account-based features and contains no advertising data.
• Display preference: your light/dark theme choice is stored locally in your browser (local storage) and is not transmitted to us.
• We do not use analytics, advertising, or cross-site tracking cookies.

5. Google reCAPTCHA

Our registration form uses Google reCAPTCHA to tell human users apart from automated bots. reCAPTCHA collects hardware and software information and interaction data and sends it to Google for analysis. Your use of reCAPTCHA is subject to Google's Privacy Policy (policies.google.com/privacy) and Terms of Service (policies.google.com/terms).

6. How We Share Information

We share personal information only as needed to operate the Website:

• Service providers: our website hosting provider, and Google Workspace, which delivers contact-form messages to us by email and (through reCAPTCHA) provides bot protection.
• Legal reasons: we may disclose information if required by law or to protect the rights, safety, and security of CGS, our users, or the public.

We do not sell personal information or share it for third-party advertising.

7. Data Retention

We keep your account information for as long as your account is active. If you delete your account, we remove your profile information, although we may retain certain records (such as Terms-of-Service acceptance logs) where needed for legal, administrative, or security purposes. Messages sent through the contact form are delivered to us by email and retained as part of our correspondence.

8. Your Rights and Choices

You can view and update your account information, and delete your account, at any time from your profile page. You may also contact us (Section 13) to request access to, correction of, or deletion of the personal information we hold about you. We will respond consistent with applicable law; some information may be retained where we are required or permitted to keep it. Depending on where you live, you may have additional rights under applicable privacy laws — contact us and we will respond as required.

9. Security

We use reasonable technical and organizational measures to protect your information, including serving the Website over HTTPS and storing passwords in hashed form. No method of transmission or storage is completely secure, however, and we cannot guarantee absolute security.

10. Children's Privacy

The Website is intended for adults and is not directed to children under 18. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children. If you believe a child has provided us personal information, please contact us and we will delete it.

11. Third-Party Links

The Website may link to third-party sites, such as external genetics databases. We are not responsible for their privacy practices; please review their policies before providing any information.

12. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. When we do, we will post the updated version here and revise the effective date shown above.

13. Contact Us

For questions about this Privacy Policy or the personal information we hold about you, contact Canine Genetic Services, LLC, Attn: Eldin A. Leighton, P.O. Box 274, Clayton, NM 88415; by phone at 703-757-0725; or by email at eldin@caninegeneticservices.com.