Privacy

Short version: we collect what we need to send you treats and answer your messages, we don't run advertising trackers, and we don't sell your information to anyone.

Who we are

This site is operated by Potomac Fur Mama, LLC, a family-owned business based in Potomac, Maryland. Use our contact form for questions about this policy or requests to correct or delete your personal information.

What we collect

When you place an order

Your name, email, phone number, shipping and billing address, and what you ordered. Payment is taken by Stripe: your card details are typed into fields Stripe hosts and travel from your browser to Stripe directly, so they never reach our server and we never see or store your card number.

Your delivery address does reach our server, because it is what we price the shipping against and what goes on the label.

As you type your address at checkout, the suggestions that appear come from Google, through Stripe: what you have typed into the address field so far is sent to Google to produce them, and nothing else is.

We keep an order record on our server so we can prepare your parcel, answer questions and reconcile payments. It includes the items and prices at purchase, your delivery and contact details, payment references, and shipping history. Delivery/contact snapshots and archived order emails are encrypted at rest. We do not store card numbers.

When you contact us

Your name, email, and your message. We keep these so we can reply and so we have a record of the conversation. The contact form does not accept file uploads.

When you join the mailing list

Your email address, signup date, source page and signup notice are recorded when you submit the newsletter form. You are subscribed immediately, without a confirmation email. Contact messages and purchases do not subscribe you.

Automatically

Our web server keeps standard access logs containing your IP address, the timestamp, the page requested, and your browser’s user-agent string. These are used to keep the site running and to investigate abuse.

Your browser stores your cart and a random checkout identifier so a reload or interrupted connection can recover the same checkout. These contain no name, address or card details. Clearing browser storage removes them.

We do not use analytics or advertising trackers. No Google Analytics, no Meta pixel, nothing that builds a profile of you or follows you to other sites.

Stripe’s payment script uses cookies and device signals to help prevent fraud. We load it on checkout, product pages and cart surfaces that offer payment. It is used for payment and fraud prevention, not advertising. Stripe’s privacy policy explains its processing.

If you pay with Apple Pay or Google Pay, the wallet supplies Stripe with payment details and the contact/delivery details needed to complete your order. We receive the same order details as through the checkout form. The wallet’s own terms and privacy policy also apply.

Who we share it with

Only the services needed to actually run the shop:

• Stripe processes your payment and keeps a transaction record. Your card details go to Stripe directly from your browser; what comes back to us is the last four digits, the card brand, and whether it worked.
• ShipStation receives your name, address, and phone number to calculate shipping rates at checkout and again when we purchase your label and set up tracking.
• Our website receives contact messages and newsletter signups directly. These records are encrypted on our server. Contact messages notify us through Resend; newsletter signup does not send a confirmation email.
• FedEx or UPS receives your name, address, and phone number through ShipStation to deliver your order.
• Resend delivers order confirmations, shipping updates, store-managed refund or cancellation messages, and owner alerts. To do that it receives your email address, your name, what you ordered, the amounts, and the city and state the parcel is going to. We keep an encrypted copy of the message and recipient, plus its send and delivery status, in our order archive.
• Google receives the address text you enter at checkout through Stripe to provide autocomplete suggestions. No other part of the site sends information to Google.

Each of these has its own privacy policy governing what it does with that data. We do not sell, rent, or trade your personal information, and we do not share it for anyone else's advertising.

How long we keep it

We retain order and accounting records, including the order email archive, for order support and tax/accounting purposes, generally up to seven years. We review older records for deletion when they are no longer needed, except where an unresolved payment, dispute or legal obligation requires longer retention. Contact messages are kept for up to two years. Newsletter records are kept while subscribed; after unsubscribing we retain your address and unsubscribe record to prevent further marketing mail. Provider retention follows each provider’s policy. Server logs rotate automatically to limit retained data.

Your choices

You can ask us to show you what we hold about you, correct it, or delete it. Send the request through the contact form and we'll respond within 45 days. If a request is complicated enough to need longer, we'll tell you why before that deadline passes rather than after.

Depending on where you live, you may have additional rights under laws such as the California Consumer Privacy Act or the GDPR, including the right to opt out of the sale of personal information. We do not sell personal information. You can use our contact form to ask questions or make a request about your privacy rights.

Every marketing email carries an unsubscribe link. Using it stops marketing mail immediately; we'll still send order-related messages such as shipping confirmations.

Children

This site is meant for adults. We don't knowingly collect information from children under 13. If you believe a child has sent us information, contact us and we'll delete it.

Security

Our site uses HTTPS. You enter your card details in payment fields hosted by Stripe, and those details go directly to Stripe. We do not receive or store your full card number. No method of transmission or storage is completely secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security.

Changes

If this policy changes we'll update the date at the top of this page. Material changes will be announced with a notice on the site, and by email to anyone on the mailing list.