Privacy and Cookies Policy

Worset Dogs, Urban Wildlife Centre, Beacon Hill Lane, Corfe Mullen, Dorset BH21 3RX

Telephone: 01202 642786

Please refer to Dorset Council privacy notice and below for Dorset Dogs Services

Dorset Dogs understands that your privacy is important to you and that you care about how your personal data is used. We respect and value the privacy of everyone who visits this website, www.dorsetdogs.org.uk (“Our Site”) and will only collect and use personal data in ways that are described here, and in a way that is consistent with our obligations and your rights under the law.

Please read this Website Privacy Policy carefully and ensure that you understand it. Your acceptance of this Website Privacy Policy is deemed to occur upon your first use of Our Site at which point you will be required to read and accept this Website Privacy Policy. If you do not accept and agree with this Website Privacy Policy, you must stop using Our Site immediately.

1. Definitions and Interpretation
In this Policy the following terms shall have the following meanings:
“Cookie” means a small text file placed on your computer or device by Our Site when you visit certain parts of Our Site and/or when you use certain features of Our Site. Details of the Cookies used by Our Site are set out in Part 7 and the Privacy and Cookie Policy.
“Cookie Law” means the relevant parts of the Privacy and Electronic Communications (EC Directive) Regulations 2003.

2. Information About Us
Our Site is owned and operated by Dorset Dogs

Our address is:
Dorset Dogs
Urban Wildlife Centre
Beacon Hill Lane
Corfe Mullen
Dorset
BH21 3RX
Email address: dorsetdogs@dorsetcouncil.gov.uk
Telephone number: 01202 228837

Who are we?
Dorset Dogs was set up by a group of land managers who were also dog owners. We recognised from our own experience that there are issues to do with dogs out and about on their walks (eg fouling, or disturbance to wildlife, grazing animals or other people) but we wanted to find more positive ways to manage those issues and also to recognise the benefits that dog owners can bring. We champion positive access management for dog owners whilst promoting responsible ownership, especially in terms of access to countryside and greenspaces. We work together with other dog owners and land managers to do this, as well as dog, conservation and countryside organisations, charities and businesses. We are a small team comprising of 1 full time and 3 part time staff working as part of the Dorset Heaths Partnership (DHP) core team, line managed by the DHP Team Manager.

Dorset Dogs is a not-for-profit organisation. We are hosted by Dorset Council as of 8 partners of the Dorset Heaths Partnership for staffing and procurement purposes and are funded from heathland mitigation funds.

3. What Does This Policy Cover?
This Website Privacy Policy applies only to your use of Our Site. Our Site may contain links to other websites, for example the videos on Our Site are hosted on YouTube. Please note that we have no control over how your data is collected, stored, or used by other websites and we advise you to check the privacy policies of any such websites before providing any data to them.

4. What is Personal Data?
Personal data is defined by the General Data Protection Regulation (EU Regulation 2016/679) (the “GDPR”) as ‘any information relating to an identifiable person who can be directly or indirectly identified in particular by reference to an identifier’.
Personal data is, in simpler terms, any information about you that enables you to be identified. Personal data covers obvious information such as your name and contact details, but it also covers less obvious information such as identification numbers, electronic location data and other online identifiers.

5. What Are My Rights?
Under the GDPR, you have the following rights, which we will always work to uphold:

a) The right to be informed about our collection and use of your personal data. This Website Privacy Policy should tell you everything you need to know, but you can always contact us to find out more or to ask any questions using the details in Part 12.

b) The right to access the personal data we hold about you. Please use the contact details in Part 12.

c) The right to have your personal data rectified if any of your personal data held by us is inaccurate or incomplete. Please use the contact details in Part 12.

d) The right to be forgotten, i.e. the right to ask us to delete or otherwise dispose of any of your personal data that we have. Please contact us using the details in Part 12 to find out more.

e) The right to restrict (i.e. prevent) the processing of your personal data.

f) The right to object to us using your personal data for a particular purpose or purposes.

g) The right to data portability. This means that, if you have provided personal data to us directly, we are using it with your consent or for the fulfilment of a contract, and that data is processed using automated means. You can ask us for a copy of that personal data to re-use with another service or business in many cases.

h) Rights relating to automated decision-making and profiling. We do not use your personal data in this way.

For more information about our use of your personal data or exercising your rights as outlined above, please contact us using the details provided in Part 12.

Further information about your rights can also be obtained from the Information Commissioner’s Office or your local Citizens Advice Bureau.

If you have any cause for complaint about our use of your personal data, you have the right to lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioner’s Office.

Our commitment to your privacy
Dorset Dogs is committed to keeping the personal details of our members and supporters safe. This policy explains how and why we use your personal data, to ensure that you remain informed and in control of your information.

Dorset Dogs use three key definitions to describe people mentioned in this policy. These are definitions used by the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO), the UK’s independent body set up to uphold information rights (www.ico.org.uk)

  • ‘Data subject’: this is you, one of our members and supporters. As the data subject, we respect your right to control your data.
  • ‘Data controller’: this is us, Dorset Dogs. With your permission, we determine why and how your personal data is used (as outlined in this policy).
  • ‘Data processor’: this is a person who processes your data on our behalf, with your permission. For example, this might be a trained, checked member of staff or volunteer who needs your name and address to send out your new members pack.

Dorset Dogs will never sell your personal data.

Why do we collect your personal data?

We use your personal data to keep in touch with you.

We will only ever collect, store and use your personal data when we have an identified purpose and reason to do so. The ICO refers to this as a ‘lawful basis’. Further information about why we collect your personal data is outlined below.

a) To administer your Dorset Dogs membership
We collect your personal data to administer your membership, which may involve:

Sending you your membership welcome pack when you first join us
Sending you a Dorset Dogs members email newsletter 1 or 2 times a year.

The ICO define the lawful basis for processing your data for these purposes as ‘contractual’.

b) To ask for your opinion and to give other organisations who we work with advice about best practice canine access management and promoting responsible canine access.

Dorset Dogs asks if you are happy to receive future news and information when you join. If you say yes we may contact you by email to ask for feedback about our work or work connected to dogs and access management or to discuss dog access management issues and opportunities.

The information you give us about your walks and your dogs is used to inform us and organisations we work with on how better to manage access for people with dogs and promote responsible ownership, for example by providing information about the sort of places where people enjoy walking their dogs, so more places like this can be provided. You can choose not to have your email address stored with this information, which is then anonymous and can not be traced back to you.

c) To enable you to volunteer with us

If you are a Dorset Dogs volunteer, we collect your personal data so that we can keep in touch with you about, for example:

  • Information and changes to volunteer work
  • dedicated volunteer thank-you events

As defined by the ICO, the lawful basis for processing your data for these purposes is ‘legitimate interest’ (b) when sending you information about our work and ‘contractual’ (c) where administering your volunteer record.

6. What Data Do We Collect?
Depending upon your use of our site, we may collect some or all of the following non-personal data (please also see Part 7 on our use of Cookies and similar technologies and our Cookie Policy):

  • IP Address
  • Web browser type and version
  • Operating system
  • A list of URL’s starting with a referring site, your activity on our site and the site you exit to.

What kind of personal data do we collect?

How do we collect it?

a) Basic information
Dorset Dogs membership form asks for basic information about you, including your name, postal address, telephone number and email address plus information you would like to tell us about the places where you walk and about your dog(s).

The membership form is sent via the website direct to the Dorset Dogs Membership inbox. This information is then stored on a secure database held password-protected on the Dorset Council system and is only available to Dorset Dogs staff and the DHP Project Support Officer. Your surname, house number and street name will only be used to send out your new members pack, we will not store that information once the pack has been sent, which anonymises your data apart from your email address. You can ask for this to be removed from the database at any time.

We also store your email address securely in email groups so that we can send out the Dorset Dogs newsletter to you. You can ask for your email address to be removed at any time.

We also may store questions, queries or feedback you leave, including your email address in secure email folders.

b) Getting to know you better

We also collect information about you that helps us to get to know you better. This may include:

  • your preferences of how you would like us to contact you
  • ways you’ve helped us through volunteering your time
  • records of events you’ve attended, or campaigns or activities that you’ve been involved in

c) Children and young people

In line with data protection law, we will not collect, store or process your personal details if you are under 13 years of age; unless we have the express permission from your parent or guardian to do so.

Links from our site

Our website contains links to other websites. Please note that we have no control of websites outside the Dorset Dogs website. If you provide information to a website to which we link, we are not responsible for its protection and privacy.

 7. How Do We Use Cookies?
Our Site may place and access certain Cookies on your computer or device. We use Cookies to facilitate and improve your experience of Our Site and to provide and improve our services.

In addition to the controls that we provide, you can choose to enable or disable Cookies in your internet browser. Most internet browsers also enable you to choose whether you wish to disable all Cookies or only third-party Cookies. By default, most internet browsers accept Cookies, but this can be changed. For further details, please consult the help menu in your internet browser or the documentation that came with your device.

You can choose to delete Cookies on your computer or device at any time, however you may lose any information that enables you to access Our Site more quickly and efficiently including, but not limited to, login and personalisation settings.

It is recommended that you keep your internet browser and operating system up-to-date and that you consult the help and guidance provided by the developer of your internet browser and manufacturer of your computer or device if you are unsure about adjusting your privacy settings.

8. How Do We Store Your Data?
a) Security
All of the personal data we process is processed by Dorset Dogs staff and the DHP Project Support Officer. However, for the purposes of IT hosting and maintenance your information may be situated outside of the European Economic Area (EEA). This will be done in accordance with guidance issued by the Information Commissioner’s Office.
Electronic data and databases are stored on secure computer systems and we control who has access to information (using both physical and electronic means). Our staff receive data protection training and we have a set of detailed data protection procedures which personnel are required to follow when handling personal data.

b) CCTV
Dorset Dogs is a project under the Dorset Heaths Partnership which has an office base at the Urban Heath Wildlife Centre on Beacon Hill Lane, leased from the Dorset Wildlife Trust. There is CCTV there so you may be recorded when you enter or leave the building. CCTV is there to help provide security and to protect both you and Dorset Wildlife Trust who manage the building. CCTV will only be viewed when necessary (e.g. to detect or prevent crime) and footage is only stored temporarily. Unless it is flagged for review CCTV will be recorded over.

Dorset Wildlife Trust complies with the Information Commissioner’s Office CCTV Code of Practice, and put up notices, so you know when CCTV is in use.

c) Data retention policy
We will only use and store information for as long as it required for the purposes it was collected for and for as long as you are happy for us to keep it. We continually review what information we hold and delete what is no longer required. This is why we no longer keep your surname and address record once we have sent you your new members pack.

9. Your Rights
We respect your right to control your data.

Your rights include:

a) The right to be informed: This privacy notice outlines how we capture, store and use your data. If you have any questions about any elements of this policy, please contact us.

b) The right of access: If you wish to obtain a record of the personal data we hold about you, through a Subject Access Request, we will respond within one month.

c) The right to rectification: If we have captured information about you that is inaccurate or incomplete, we will update it.
d) The right to erase: You can ask us to remove or randomise your personal details from our records.

e) The right to restrict processing: You can ask us to stop using your personal data.

f) The right to data portability: You can ask to obtain your personal data from us for your own purposes.

g) The right to object: You can ask to be excluded from marketing activity.

h) Rights in relation to automated decision making and profiling: We respect your right not to be subject to a decision that is based on automated processing.

For more information on your individual rights, please see the Information Commissioner’s Office.

10. Making A Complaint
Dorset Dogs wants to work to the highest standards at all times. However, we are a very small team with a high workload and know that there may be times when we do not meet our own high standards. When this happens, we want to hear about it, in order to deal with the situation as quickly as possible and put measures in place to stop it happening again.

We take complaints very seriously and we treat them as an opportunity to develop our approach. This is why we are always very grateful to hear from people who are willing to take the time to help us improve.

Our complaints policy is:

  • To provide a fair complaints procedure that is clear and easy to use for anyone wishing to make a complaint.
  • To publicise the existence of our complaints procedure so that people know how to contact us to make a complaint.
  • To make sure everyone in our organisation knows what to do if a complaint is received.
  • To make sure all complaints are investigated fairly and in a timely way.
  • To make sure that complaints are, wherever possible, resolved and that relationships are repaired.
  • To learn from complaints and feedback to help us to improve what we do.

If you wish to make a complaint you may contact the Dorset Dogs Senior Project Officer, or the Manager of the Dorset Heaths Partnership team, Paul Attwell. Alternatively, you may wish to make a complaint through the Dorset Council complaints process.

Contact details for Paul Attwell:
Email: dorsetheathspartnership@dorsetcouncil.gov.uk
Telephone: 01305 224655
Address: Dorset Heaths Partnership, Urban Wildlife Centre, Beacon Hill Lane, Corfe Mullen, BH21 3RX.

Confidentiality
All complaint information will be handled sensitively, in line with relevant data protection requirements.

Responsibility
Overall responsibility for this policy and its implementation lies with Dorset Council.

Information Commissioner’s Office
For further assistance with complaints regarding your data, please contact the Information Commissioner’s Office, whose remit covers the UK.
Information Commissioner’s Office
Wycliffe House
Water Lane
Wilmslow
SK9 5AF
Telephone: 0303 123 1113
Email: casework@ico.org.uk

11. Changes to this Privacy Policy
We may change this Privacy Notice from time to time. This may be necessary, for example, if the law changes, or if we change our business in a way that affects personal data protection. Any changes will be immediately posted on our Site and you will be deemed to have accepted the terms of the Privacy Policy on your first use of our Site following the alterations. We recommend that you check this page regularly to keep up-to-date.

Leaving our website
We are not responsible for the privacy practices, or the content of any other websites linked to our website. If you have followed a link from this website to another website, you may be supplying information to a third party.

12. Get in touch
Should you wish to find out more about the information we hold about you, or about our privacy policy, please contact us:
Dorset Dogs, Urban Wildlife Centre, Beacon Hill Lane, Corfe Mullen, BH21 3RX.
Telephone: 01202 228837
Email: dorsetdogs@dorsetcouncil.gov.uk

Last updated: Jan 2024