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Privacy Policy
Last updated: 14 June 2026
At Veldhound, your dog is family — and so is your trust. This policy explains, in plain language, what personal information we collect when you visit veldhound.co.za or place an order, why we collect it, who we share it with, and the rights you have over it. We've written it to comply with South Africa's Protection of Personal Information Act, 2013 (POPIA).
If anything here is unclear, email us at zanegrobler10@gmail.com and we'll walk you through it.
1. Who we are
Veldhound is a South African online pet store ("we", "us", "our"), trading at veldhound.co.za.
- Trading name: Veldhound
- Trading name: Veldhound (sole proprietor)
- Physical address: 35 Werksaam, White River, 1240
- Email: zanegrobler10@gmail.com
- Phone / WhatsApp: 060 967 2054
We are the Responsible Party for your personal information under POPIA. This means we decide why and how your information is processed, and we're accountable for keeping it safe.
Information Officer
Our registered Information Officer (responsible for POPIA compliance and for handling your privacy requests) is:
- Name: Veldhound
- Email: zanegrobler10@gmail.com
- Postal/physical address: 35 Werksaam, White River, 1240
2. What personal information we collect
We only collect what we need to run the store, fulfil your order, and improve your experience. Depending on how you interact with us, this may include:
| Category | Examples |
|---|---|
| Identity & contact | Your name, email address, phone/WhatsApp number |
| Delivery details | Shipping and billing address, and any delivery instructions you give us |
| Order information | Products ordered, order history, returns/refund requests, and your communications with us |
| Payment information | Card or EFT details are entered directly into our payment provider's secure checkout — we never see or store your full card number. We may receive a confirmation that payment succeeded and the last few digits / payment reference |
| Account information | If you create an account: your login email and saved preferences |
| Browsing & device data | IP address, device and browser type, pages viewed, and how you found us — collected via cookies and tracking pixels (see Section 8) |
| Marketing data | Whether you've opted in to emails/WhatsApp, and how you engage with our messages and ads |
We do not knowingly collect information from anyone under 18. If you're under 18, please ask a parent or guardian to make any purchase on your behalf.
3. Why we collect it (purpose) and our lawful basis
Under POPIA we may only process your information for a lawful reason. Here's why we process yours, and the legal basis we rely on:
| What we do | Why | Lawful basis under POPIA |
|---|---|---|
| Process and deliver your order | To fulfil the sale and get your gear to your dog | Performance of our contract with you |
| Take payment | To get paid securely | Performance of our contract |
| Send order, shipping and tracking updates | To keep you informed about your purchase | Performance of our contract |
| Handle returns, refunds and support | To meet your consumer rights and resolve queries | Contract + our legal obligations (CPA/ECTA) |
| Send marketing emails / WhatsApp messages | To tell you about new products, offers and content | Your consent (you can opt out anytime) |
| Run and measure ads (Meta, TikTok, Google) | To reach the right people and improve our marketing | Your consent (cookies/pixels) and our legitimate interest in growing the business |
| Improve our website and prevent fraud | To keep the store working, secure and fast | Our legitimate interest |
| Meet legal/tax/record-keeping duties | To comply with South African law | Compliance with a legal obligation |
We will not use your information for a new, unrelated purpose without telling you and, where required, getting your consent.
4. Who we share it with (third-party operators)
To run Veldhound we rely on trusted service providers ("operators" under POPIA). They may only process your information on our instructions, for the purposes above. We share the minimum necessary with each:
| Operator | What they do | What they receive |
|---|---|---|
| Shopify | Hosts our online store, checkout and order/account system | Order, account, contact and delivery details |
| Yoco | Processes card / EFT / Apple Pay & Google Pay payments and settles to our SA bank account | Payment details (entered directly with them) and order amount |
| Aramex | Delivers your parcel | Name, delivery address, phone number |
| Meta (Facebook / Instagram) | Advertising and the tracking pixel on our site | Browsing/pixel data and ad engagement |
| TikTok | Advertising and the tracking pixel on our site | Browsing/pixel data and ad engagement |
| Analytics and advertising services | Browsing/pixel data and usage statistics |
We may also share information where the law requires it (e.g. to SARS, regulators or law enforcement), or to a buyer if our business is ever sold or transferred — in which case your information stays protected by this policy.
We never sell your personal information.
5. Cross-border (offshore) transfer notice
Some of our operators — including Shopify, Meta, TikTok and Google — are based outside South Africa or store data on servers abroad. This means your personal information may be transferred to and processed in other countries (such as the United States, Ireland and others).
As required by section 72 of POPIA, we only transfer your information offshore where at least one of the following applies:
- the recipient is bound by laws, binding rules or agreements that provide an adequate level of protection similar to POPIA;
- the transfer is necessary to perform our contract with you (e.g. to host the store or deliver your order); or
- you have consented to the transfer.
We take reasonable steps to ensure these providers protect your information to a standard comparable to South African law.
6. Marketing consent and opting out
We'll only add you to our marketing list (email and/or WhatsApp) if you've opted in — for example, by ticking a subscribe box or asking us to keep you posted.
You can opt out at any time, free of charge, by:
- clicking "unsubscribe" at the bottom of any marketing email;
- replying STOP to a marketing WhatsApp/SMS; or
- emailing zanegrobler10@gmail.com with the subject "Unsubscribe".
Opting out of marketing won't stop essential service messages (like order confirmations and tracking) — those are part of fulfilling your order, not marketing.
7. How long we keep your information (retention)
We keep your personal information only for as long as we need it for the purposes above, and as the law requires:
- Order, payment and tax records: retained for at least 5 years to meet South African tax and financial record-keeping laws.
- Account information: kept while your account is active. Ask us to close it and we'll delete or anonymise it, except where we must keep certain records by law.
- Marketing data: kept until you opt out, after which we suppress your details so we don't contact you again.
- Browsing/pixel data: retained per the settings and policies of our analytics and advertising operators (see Section 8).
When we no longer need your information, we securely delete or de-identify it.
8. Cookies and tracking pixels
Our website uses cookies and tracking pixels — small files and snippets of code that help the store work and let us understand how it's used.
- Essential cookies keep the site, cart and checkout working. The store can't function properly without these.
- Analytics cookies (e.g. Google) help us see which pages and products people like, so we can improve.
- Marketing/advertising pixels (Meta and TikTok) let us measure our ads and show relevant content to people likely to love Veldhound.
You can control or block cookies through your browser settings, and you can opt out of personalised advertising in your Meta, TikTok and Google ad settings. Blocking some cookies may affect how parts of the site work.
9. How we protect your information
We take reasonable, appropriate technical and organisational steps — as required by section 19 of POPIA — to keep your information secure, including using reputable, security-vetted providers (Shopify, Yoco) and encrypted checkout. No system is ever 100% secure, but if a breach affecting your information ever occurs, we'll notify you and the Information Regulator as the law requires.
10. Your rights under POPIA
You have the right to:
- Be told what personal information we hold about you and request a copy of it;
- Correct or update information that's inaccurate, outdated or incomplete;
- Delete or destroy information we no longer have a lawful reason to keep;
- Object to processing based on legitimate interest, and to withdraw consent for marketing or non-essential cookies at any time;
- Not be subject to direct marketing you didn't agree to; and
- Lodge a complaint with the Information Regulator (see Section 12).
To exercise any of these rights, email our Information Officer at zanegrobler10@gmail.com. We'll respond within a reasonable time, and may need to verify your identity first to protect your information. These requests are free, unless they are clearly excessive or repetitive.
11. Changes to this policy
We may update this policy from time to time as our business, the law or our providers change. The latest version will always be posted on this page with a revised "Last updated" date. Significant changes will be communicated where appropriate.
12. Complaints — the Information Regulator
If you believe we've mishandled your personal information, please contact us first at zanegrobler10@gmail.com — we'll do our best to put it right.
You also have the right to lodge a complaint with South Africa's data protection authority:
The Information Regulator (South Africa)
- Website: inforegulator.org.za
- Email (complaints): POPIAComplaints@inforegulator.org.za
- General enquiries: enquiries@inforegulator.org.za
- Address: JD House, 27 Stiemens Street, Braamfontein, Johannesburg, 2001 (P.O. Box 31533, Braamfontein, 2017)
13. Contact us
Questions about this policy or your information? We're real people in Mbombela and we'll help.
- Email: zanegrobler10@gmail.com
- WhatsApp / Phone: 060 967 2054
- Information Officer: Zane Grobler — zanegrobler10@gmail.com
- Address: 35 Werksaam, White River, 1240
Veldhound — made for the trail.