Privacy Policy
1. Introduction
2. Information We Collect
2.1 Information You Provide Directly
We collect information you provide when you:
- Complete an online appointment request or new client registration form
- Submit a contact, feedback, or inquiry form on our website
- Sign up for text message communications
- Place an order through our online store
- Call our clinic or leave a voicemail
- Communicate with us by email
This information may include your name, mailing address, email address, phone number, pet name and species, and the nature of your inquiry. We do not collect payment card information directly — payment processing for online store purchases is handled by our third-party online store provider.
2.2 Information Collected Automatically
When you visit our website, certain information is collected automatically through cookies, pixels, and similar technologies. This may include:
- Your IP address and approximate geographic location
- Browser type and version
- Device type and operating system
- Pages visited and time spent on each page
- Referring website or search engine
- Date and time of your visit
This information is collected using analytics platforms and tag management tools described in Section 5 and Section 6. It is used to understand how visitors use our website and to improve our content and services.
2.3 Communication Platforms
When you contact us by phone, text message, or online form, we collect the content of that communication and any information you include. Phone calls to our clinic may be recorded and transcribed as described in Section 7.
3. How We Use Your Information
We use the information we collect for the following purposes:
- To respond to appointment requests, inquiries, and service questions
- To schedule and confirm appointments and send appointment reminders
- To send text messages you have opted in to receive
- To process online store orders and communicate about order status
- To improve our website, services, and client communications
- To analyze website traffic and user behavior for business and marketing purposes
- To deliver relevant advertising to users who have previously visited our website, where consent has been obtained
- To comply with applicable legal obligations
- To maintain the security of our systems and prevent fraud
We do not sell your personal information to third parties for their own marketing purposes.
4. SMS and Text Message Communications
Sedro-Woolley Veterinary Clinic may send text messages to clients who have opted in to receive communications. By providing your mobile phone number and consenting to receive text messages, you agree to receive informational and appointment-related text messages from us.
Message frequency varies. Standard message and data rates may apply.
You may opt out of text messages at any time by replying STOP to any message. You may reply HELP for assistance. You may also opt out by contacting us by phone or email using the contact information in Section 16. Opt-out requests are processed within 10 business days.
We do not share your mobile number with third parties for their own marketing purposes. Your consent to receive text messages is not a condition of receiving veterinary services from us.
5. Cookies and Tracking Technologies
5.1 Types of Cookies We Use
Our website uses the following categories of cookies and similar tracking technologies:
Essential Cookies: These cookies are required for the website to function. They enable core features such as security, network management, and accessibility. These cookies cannot be disabled.
Statistics Cookies: These cookies help us understand how visitors interact with our website by collecting and reporting information anonymously. This includes cookies set by our website analytics platform. These cookies are only set with your consent.
Marketing Cookies: These cookies are used to deliver advertising that is relevant to your interests and to measure the effectiveness of our advertising campaigns. They may be set by us or by our advertising partners. These cookies are only set with your consent.
5.2 Cookie Consent
When you first visit our website, a cookie consent banner is presented allowing you to accept or decline non-essential cookies. The consent infrastructure is configured and maintained by VSA Vet Media Inc. on our behalf. Your preferences are stored and applied on subsequent visits. You may update your cookie preferences at any time using the Cookie Settings link in our website footer.
5.3 Global Privacy Control and Universal Opt-Out Mechanism
Our website recognizes the Global Privacy Control (GPC) signal. If your browser or browser extension transmits a GPC signal, we will treat it as a request to opt out of the sale or sharing of your personal information for cross-context behavioral advertising, to the extent required by applicable law. We also honor other universal opt-out mechanisms (UOOM) as required under applicable state privacy laws.
5.4 Online Advertising and Remarketing
We use online advertising services that may display our advertisements to users who have previously visited our website. This is commonly referred to as remarketing or retargeting. These services use cookies and similar technologies to recognize your browser or device across websites.
You may opt out of interest-based advertising by visiting:
- Google Ads Settings: https://google.com/settings/ads
- Network Advertising Initiative opt-out: https://networkadvertising.org/managing/opt_out.asp
Opting out does not mean you will stop seeing advertisements. It means the advertisements you see will not be based on your prior visit to our website.
6. Third-Party Services
We work with third-party service providers to operate our website and deliver our services. We share information with these providers only to the extent necessary to perform services on our behalf. These providers are prohibited from using your information for their own independent purposes.
Third-party service providers are organized by functional category:
- Website analytics platforms: We use analytics software to understand website traffic and visitor behavior. These platforms collect anonymized usage data.
- Tag management platforms: We use a tag management system to deploy and manage tracking scripts on our website.
- Online form and appointment providers: Appointment requests and contact forms are processed through third-party form platforms. Submissions are delivered to our team by email and are not stored in a third-party database on an ongoing basis.
- Communication and scheduling platforms: We use third-party platforms for appointment reminders, client communications, voicemail management, and SMS messaging.
- Website hosting providers: Our website is hosted by a third-party hosting provider that stores and delivers website files.
- Online store providers: Our online store for veterinary product orders is operated by a third-party e-commerce provider. When you place an order, your order and payment information is processed by that provider subject to their own privacy policy.
- Advertising platforms: We use third-party advertising platforms to deliver and measure online advertising campaigns, including remarketing to prior website visitors.
We do not name specific third-party vendors in this policy. If you wish to understand the privacy practices of any technology we use, please contact us using the information in Section 16.
7. AI-Assisted Tools
7.1 No AI Is Used for Medical Decisions
No AI is used for medical decisions at our clinic. All clinical assessments, veterinary recommendations, and care decisions are made exclusively by our licensed veterinary professionals. AI tools used by our clinic are limited to administrative and communication functions only.
7.2 Call Recording
Calls to and from Sedro-Woolley Veterinary Clinic may be recorded and transcribed for quality assurance, staff training, and client service improvement purposes. Washington is a two-party consent state under RCW 9.73.030. By calling our clinic, you consent to the recording of that call. If you do not consent, please inform our staff at the beginning of the call.
Call recordings and transcriptions may be processed by AI-assisted tools for purposes including voicemail transcription, call categorization, and review response suggestions. This processing is performed by our communication platform provider acting as a service provider on our behalf.
7.3 Automated Communications
We may use AI-assisted automation for appointment reminders, follow-up communications, and client outreach. These communications are generated based on your appointment records and contact preferences. You may opt out of automated communications by contacting us.
7.4 AI Interaction Disclosure
Our website or phone system may include an automated assistant or interactive voice response system. Where an AI-powered assistant is used, we disclose its use in compliance with applicable law. Any AI-generated responses in administrative contexts are subject to review by our staff.
7.5 Your Rights Regarding AI Processing
You have the right to request that automated or AI-assisted processing of your personal information be reviewed by a human. You may exercise this right by contacting us using the information in Section 16.
8. Data Protection and Security
We implement reasonable administrative, technical, and physical safeguards to protect personal information against unauthorized access, loss, misuse, alteration, or destruction. Our website uses SSL encryption for data transmitted between your browser and our servers.
No method of electronic transmission or storage is completely secure. While we strive to use commercially reasonable measures to protect your information, we cannot guarantee absolute security.
8.1 Data Breach Notification
In the event of a data breach that affects your personal information, we will notify you as required by applicable law.
9. Your Privacy Rights
Depending on your state of residence, you may have the following rights regarding your personal information under applicable US state consumer privacy laws:
- The right to know what personal information we have collected about you
- The right to access a copy of your personal information
- The right to correct inaccurate personal information
- The right to request deletion of your personal information, subject to certain exceptions
- The right to opt out of the sale or sharing of your personal information for cross-context behavioral advertising
- The right to non-discrimination for exercising your privacy rights
To exercise any of these rights, please contact us using the information in Section 16. We will respond within the timeframe required by the applicable state statute. We may need to verify your identity before processing your request.
We do not sell your personal information to third parties. We may share personal information with advertising platforms as described in Section 5.4 for the purpose of delivering relevant advertising, which may constitute “sharing” under applicable state privacy laws. You may opt out of this sharing at any time by visiting the opt-out links in Section 5.4 or by contacting us directly.
A “Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information” link is provided in our website footer as required by applicable law.
10. Sharing of Information
We do not sell your personal information. We may share your information in the following circumstances:
- With service providers acting on our behalf, as described in Section 6, under contractual obligations to protect your information
- With our digital marketing agency, VSA Vet Media Inc., which provides website development, search engine optimization, digital advertising, and social media management services to our clinic, acting as a service provider under applicable privacy laws
- With advertising platforms for the purpose of remarketing and campaign measurement, where you have provided consent through our cookie consent banner
- When required by law, court order, or legal process
- To protect the rights, property, or safety of our clinic, clients, or the public
- In connection with a business transaction such as a merger, acquisition, or sale of assets, in which case the recipient will be required to honor this Privacy Policy
11. Children's Privacy
Our website is not directed to children under 13 years of age. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If we become aware that we have inadvertently collected personal information from a child under 13 without verifiable parental consent, we will delete that information as promptly as practicable. If you believe a child under 13 has provided us with personal information, please contact us using the information in Section 16.
12. Links to External Websites
13. Data Retention
We retain personal information for as long as necessary to fulfill the purposes described in this Privacy Policy, to comply with applicable legal obligations, to resolve disputes, and to enforce our agreements. The specific retention period for a category of information depends on the nature of that information and the purpose for which it was collected.
Appointment and contact form submissions are retained for the period reasonably necessary to manage our client relationships and comply with legal requirements. Website analytics data is retained in accordance with the settings of our analytics platform. Call recordings are retained for the period reasonably necessary for quality assurance and training purposes.
14. Changes to This Privacy Policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, services, 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 following the posting of changes constitutes your acceptance of those changes.
15. Website Design and Management
The Sedro-Woolley Veterinary Clinic website is designed, developed, and maintained by VSA Vet Media Inc., a veterinary-focused digital marketing agency based in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. VSA Vet Media Inc. acts as a service provider with respect to website-related data and does not use client data for its own independent purposes.
VSA Vet Media Inc. provides the following services in connection with this website: website design and development, search engine optimization, digital advertising management, and social media management. In providing these services, VSA Vet Media Inc. may access website analytics data and form submissions solely to fulfill its service obligations.
For the purposes of the California Consumer Privacy Act and other applicable US state consumer privacy laws, VSA Vet Media Inc. is a service provider. VSA Vet Media Inc. is prohibited from selling, retaining, using, or disclosing personal information it receives in connection with its services to us for any purpose other than performing those services.
Cookie consent infrastructure on this website is configured and maintained by VSA Vet Media Inc.
16. Contact Information
If you have questions about this Privacy Policy, wish to exercise your privacy rights, or have a concern about how your personal information is being handled, please contact us:
Sedro-Woolley Veterinary Clinic
207 Carter Street, Sedro-Woolley, WA 98284, United States
Phone: (360) 856-6890
Email: [email protected]
Website: sedrowoolleyveterinaryclinic.com
For privacy-related requests, please write “Privacy Request” in the subject line of your email to help us route your inquiry promptly.