1. Information We Collect
We collect information you provide voluntarily when submitting an adoption application, scheduling a visit, making a donation, or signing up to volunteer. This includes contact details (name, email, phone number, address) and adoption preferences.
2. How We Use Your Information
Personal information is used solely to process adoption inquiries, manage volunteer shifts, process tax-deductible donations, and send shelter updates. We never sell, trade, or rent donor or applicant information to third parties.
3. Payment Security
Online donations are processed directly through secure payment platforms (PayPal and Venmo). Alaska Humane Society does not store or process credit card numbers on our website servers.
4. Adoption Application Data & Document Security
When submitting an application to adopt, foster, or volunteer, you provide sensitive personal information including contact details, home address, household composition, veterinarian history, and potentially landlord permission letters or lease documents.
- Access Control: Access to applicant submissions is strictly restricted to designated AHS volunteer adoption coordinators and intake leadership. Information is never accessed by unauthorized volunteers or external parties.
- Document Storage & Encryption: Uploaded documents (lease verifications or permission letters) are transmitted via encrypted HTTPS directly to private, access-controlled shelter storage. Documents are never stored in public directories, are never publicly indexed or enumerable, and are protected by randomized filenames.
- File Security & MIME Allowlisting: Our submission processor enforces strict server-side validation. Only valid PDF documents and JPEG/PNG/WebP images up to 10MB are permitted. Executables, scripts, and non-whitelisted file formats are rejected automatically.
5. Data Retention & Deletion Requests
- Active Evaluation: Applications are retained during the active review and counseling process (typically 1–30 days).
- Non-Approved or Withdrawn Applications: Applications that do not proceed to an finalized adoption are automatically purged from our screening systems after 12 months.
- Approved Adopter Records: Because Alaska Humane Society provides a lifetime return policy and ongoing support for every cat adopted from our shelter, essential adopter contact details and adoption contracts are preserved in private records to honor microchip registration and lifetime care guarantees.
- Right to Deletion: You may request the review, correction, or deletion of your submitted application data and uploaded documents at any time by emailing ahscatshelter@gmail.com with the subject line "Application Data Deletion Request". Requests are fulfilled within 14 business days.
6. Form Processors & Third Parties
Website form submissions are securely processed through Cloudflare Pages Functions and forwarded to our private, two-factor authenticated Google Workspace shelter administrative infrastructure. We do not use third-party marketing tracking pixels or sell applicant data to commercial pet registries.
7. Contact Us
If you have questions regarding our privacy practices or data policies, please contact our Board and Care Team at ahscatshelter@gmail.com or write to: Alaska Humane Society, P.O. Box 240587, Anchorage, AK 99524-0587.