Privacy Policy

Last updated: August 10, 2026

The Skeptical Hound ("we," "us," or "our") respects your privacy. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, and protect information when you visit:

• The Skeptical Hound website;
• the First-Year Dog Cost Calculator;
• our articles, forms, downloads, and other pages or services that link to this Privacy Policy.

By using our websites, you acknowledge the practices described below.

1. Information We Collect

Information you provide

We may collect information that you voluntarily provide, including:

• your email address when you request a worksheet or subscribe to our newsletter;
• your first or last name, if you choose to provide it;
• the page, form, or source through which you subscribed;
• information included in messages, questions, tips, or other communications you send to us.

You are not required to provide personal information merely to browse the websites.

Calculator information

The cost and insurance-reimbursement calculators allow you to enter estimated dog-related expenses or policy values to generate an estimate.

The calculators are not intended for sensitive personal information. Do not enter payment-card details, bank-account information, government identification numbers, passwords, veterinary records, diagnoses, or other confidential information.

For the reimbursement calculator, analytics may record that the tool was started or completed, a broad bill-value range, the selected reimbursement percentage and deductible-order setting, and whether a benefit limit affected the result. The event does not send the exact bill, excluded-expense, deductible, limit, reimbursement, or owner-cost amounts. We do not intentionally associate calculator entries with your identity unless you separately provide personal information, such as by submitting your email address through a subscription form.

Technical and usage information

When you visit the websites, we and our service providers may automatically receive limited technical information, including:

• IP address;
• browser and device type;
• operating system;
• referring page or website;
• pages visited;
• selected internal decision-path clicks, including topic, placement, and destination;
• outbound commercial-link clicks, including the provider, page placement, destination, and whether the link is marked affiliate or ordinary;
• calculator start and completion events with the limited settings described above;
• date and time of access;
• security, error, and diagnostic information.

This information may be collected through server logs, cookies, scripts, and similar technologies.

Email engagement information

When you subscribe, our email service provider may collect information about delivery, opens, link clicks, confirmation status, unsubscribe requests, bounces, and spam complaints.

2. How We Use Information

We may use the information we collect to:

• provide the First-Year Dog Cost Worksheet or other requested resources;
• send The Skeptical Hound newsletter and related content;
• send occasional product guides and recommendations;
• respond to messages and support requests;
• operate, secure, and improve the websites and calculator;
• measure subscription-form and email performance;
• understand which content is useful to readers;
• detect fraud, spam, bots, abuse, and security threats;
• protect our legal rights and comply with applicable requirements.

3. Email Subscriptions

We use EmailOctopus to manage subscriptions and send emails. When you submit an email address, your information may be processed by EmailOctopus and its delivery providers on our behalf.

We may record a source value showing which page or form was connected to your subscription. We use double opt-in: you must confirm your email address before the subscription becomes active.

You may unsubscribe using the link in each email. We may retain a limited suppression record so that we can honor the request.

4. Google reCAPTCHA

Our subscription forms may use Google reCAPTCHA to detect automated submissions, spam, fraud, and abuse. Google may receive technical information such as IP address, browser or device information, page activity, and cookies or similar identifiers.

Your use of reCAPTCHA is subject to the Google Privacy Policy and Google Terms of Service.

5. Analytics, Cookies, and Similar Technologies

We use Google Tag Manager to deploy measurement tags and may use Google Analytics to understand page visits, guide-button clicks, selected internal decision-path clicks, calculator use, and outbound commercial-link clicks. These services may process device, browser, IP-address, referrer, page-path, and interaction information and may use cookies or similar identifiers. The websites and embedded services may also use scripts, local storage, and pixels for basic functionality, security, abuse prevention, preferences, and performance measurement. You can usually control cookies through your browser, but blocking scripts may prevent forms or measurement features from working.

6. External and Commercial Links

Our websites may link to retailers, insurers, veterinary resources, manufacturers, social platforms, or other third-party websites. As of August 10, 2026, insurer quote links on this site are ordinary outbound links and do not pay The Skeptical Hound for clicks, quotes, or purchases.

If a link becomes an affiliate or referral link, we will update this Privacy Policy and our Funding & Disclosure page, identify the relationship close to the link, and explain material attribution cookies or identifiers used.

Third parties process information under their own privacy policies after you leave our websites.

7. How We Share Information

We may share limited information with service providers that help us operate the websites and communications, including email delivery, hosting, infrastructure, domain, security, anti-abuse, analytics when enabled, and professional advisers. We may also disclose information when legally required or reasonably necessary to protect rights, users, property, or safety.

We do not sell or rent our email subscriber list, and we do not permit EmailOctopus to use our subscriber list for its own promotional emails.

8. International Data Processing

Our readers and service providers may be located in different countries. Personal information may therefore be processed outside the country in which you live, where data-protection laws may differ.

9. Data Retention

We retain personal information only for as long as reasonably necessary to provide requested content, maintain subscriptions, respond to communications, maintain security and operational records, honor unsubscribe requests, comply with legal obligations, and establish or defend legal claims. When information is no longer required, we may delete, anonymize, or aggregate it.

10. Your Choices and Rights

Depending on applicable law, you may ask to access, correct, delete, restrict, or object to certain processing of your personal information, or withdraw consent where processing is based on consent. We may need to verify your identity before completing a request.

11. Data Security

We use reasonable administrative, organizational, and technical measures intended to protect personal information. No website, transmission method, storage system, or third-party service can be guaranteed completely secure.

12. Children's Privacy

The websites are intended for a general adult audience and are not directed to children under 13. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13.

13. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this policy as our websites, providers, or legal obligations change. The revised version will be posted here with a new “Last updated” date.

14. Contact Us

For questions or privacy requests, contact hello@theskepticalhound.com.