Last updated: 28 October 2026
This policy explains what personal information Royal Retreat collects, why we collect it, how we look after it and the choices you have. We keep it short and only collect what we need to care for your dog safely.
Who we are
Royal Retreat is a trading name of Royale Retreat (North East) Limited, a company registered in England and Wales (company no. 17532946). We provide dog boarding and day care in Middlesbrough. For the purposes of UK data protection law we are the “controller” of the personal information described in this policy.
You can contact us about this policy or your information at hello@royalretreat.co.uk or on 07448 126212.
What we collect
When you register your dog using the form on this website, we collect:
- your name, address, post code, phone numbers and email address;
- the dates of your dog’s stay;
- the name and contact details of an emergency contact;
- your dog’s details, including breed, age, microchip number, vaccinations, flea and worming treatment, insurance, health, diet, allergies and behaviour;
- your vet’s practice name and contact details;
- your choices about exercise, veterinary treatment while your dog is with us, and any other comments you give us.
When you contact us by phone, text, WhatsApp or email, we keep the details you send so we can reply and arrange your booking.
When you visit this website, our hosting provider and our website security software record technical information such as your IP address, browser type and the pages you request. This is used to keep the site running and protect it from attacks. When you submit the registration form, a scrambled (hashed) version of your IP address is kept for one hour so we can block repeated automated submissions.
How we use it, and our legal basis
- To provide our service: confirming your dates and deposit, caring for your dog, feeding and exercising them as you’ve asked, and getting in touch with you during the stay. We do this because it is necessary to carry out our agreement with you (or to take steps before entering into it).
- In an emergency: contacting your emergency contact or your vet if your dog is unwell or injured, or if we can’t reach you. This is in our and your legitimate interests in your dog’s welfare, and follows the choices you give us on the form.
- To run our business: keeping records of stays, payments and any incidents, and meeting our legal, licensing, insurance and accounting obligations. This is based on legal obligation and our legitimate interests.
- To keep this website secure: preventing spam and malicious activity, based on our legitimate interests.
We do not use your information for marketing, we do not sell it, and we do not make automated decisions about you.
Your emergency contact
If you give us someone else’s details as an emergency contact, please let them know and point them to this policy. We only use their details to contact them about your dog.
Who we share it with
- Your vet, or an emergency vet, if your dog needs treatment while staying with us.
- Service providers who help us run the business and this website, such as our web and email hosting provider (Namecheap) and our website security service (Wordfence). They may only use the information to provide their service to us.
- WhatsApp (Meta), if you choose to contact us that way. Your use of WhatsApp is covered by WhatsApp’s own privacy policy.
- The local authority, police or other official bodies, if we are legally required to, for example as part of our animal boarding licence inspections.
Where your information is stored
Registration forms are saved securely in our website’s database and sent to our business email inbox. Some of our service providers may store or process information outside the UK. Where that happens, we make sure appropriate protections are in place, such as UK adequacy regulations or the UK’s approved data transfer agreements.
How long we keep it
- Registration and booking records: for two years after your dog’s last stay with us, so we have their details if you book again and can deal with any queries. We then delete them, unless we need to keep something longer for a legal, insurance or licensing reason.
- Payment and accounting records: for six years, as required by law.
- Enquiries that don’t lead to a booking: for up to 12 months.
- Website security logs: for a short period, normally no more than a few weeks.
Cookies
This website does not use advertising, tracking or analytics cookies. The only cookies used are ones that are strictly necessary, for example to keep our own staff logged in when they manage the website.
Your rights
You have the right to ask for a copy of the information we hold about you, and to ask us to correct it, delete it, or restrict or object to how we use it. You can also ask us to transfer information you gave us to another organisation. Some rights depend on the circumstances, and we will explain if one doesn’t apply. To make a request, email hello@royalretreat.co.uk. We will reply within one month.
If you are unhappy with how we have handled your information, please talk to us first. You also have the right to complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) at ico.org.uk/make-a-complaint or on 0303 123 1113.
Changes to this policy
We may update this policy from time to time. The date at the top shows when it was last changed.