Privacy Policy

Last updated: October 30, 2026

This Privacy Policy explains how The Pet’s Sphere at thepetssphere.com (the “Site”, “we”, “us”, or “our”) collects, uses, and shares information when you visit. The Site is operated by The Pets Sphere (“the Owner”). For data protection law purposes, the Owner is the “controller” of the personal data described here, except where a service provider acts as its own controller.

Questions or requests? Email [email protected].

1. The short version

The Site is a free pet information blog. There is no store, no user accounts, no comments, and no forms.
We do not ask you to give us personal information to read the Site.
The Site may show ads served by Google AdSense. Google may use cookies to serve and measure those ads, including personalized ads. See Section 5 for how to opt out.
We use Google Analytics 4 to understand how the Site is used. See Section 6 for what it collects and how to opt out.
The Site is hosted and delivered through Cloudflare, which processes technical data (such as IP addresses) to deliver and protect the Site.
If you email us, we receive whatever you choose to send.
You can manage cookies in your browser, opt out of Analytics with the tools in Section 6, and opt out of personalized ads with the tools in Section 5.

2. Information we collect

2.1 Information you give us

We only receive personal information from you if you choose to send it, for example when you:

Email us at [email protected] (your name, email address, and anything in your message or attachments).
Pitch or submit a guest post through our Write for Us process (your name, email, bio, author photo, website or social links, and the content you submit). If your post is published, the author name, bio, photo, and links you provide will be public.

Please do not send sensitive information (such as health, financial, or government ID details) by email.

2.2 Information collected automatically

When you visit the Site, some information is collected automatically by us and by our service providers, including:

Device and connection data: IP address, browser type and version, operating system, device type, screen size, language, and time zone.
Usage data: pages viewed, the page that referred you, links clicked, time spent on pages, scroll depth, and date/time of visits.
Approximate location: country, region, or city inferred from your IP address (not precise GPS location).
Cookie and online identifiers: cookie IDs and similar identifiers set by us, by our service providers, or by Google (including Google Analytics 4, and Google AdSense when ads are on).
Ad measurement (when ads are on): which ads were shown, viewed, or clicked.
Security and server logs: request logs used to keep the Site running, detect abuse and bots, and block attacks.

3. Cookies and similar technologies

Cookies are small text files stored on your device. “Similar technologies” include pixels, web beacons, local storage, and scripts that read device information.

We, our service providers, and Google use them for:

Type	What it does	Who sets it
Strictly necessary	Delivers the Site securely, and protects against bots and attacks.	Us, Cloudflare
Analytics	Counts visits and measures how pages are used so we can improve the guides.	Google Analytics 4
Advertising	Serves and measures ads, limits how often you see the same ad, helps prevent ad fraud, and (where allowed) personalizes ads based on your interests.	Google AdSense, when advertising is on

Managing cookies:

Browser settings: Most browsers let you block or delete cookies. Blocking cookies will not stop the Site from working. Blocking third-party cookies limits personalized ads and can limit Analytics.
Analytics: Use the opt-out tools in Section 6, including the Google Analytics opt-out add-on and your browser’s cookie settings.
Personalized ads: Use the opt-out links in Section 5, including Google Ad Settings.
Global Privacy Control (GPC): Where required by law, we treat a valid GPC browser signal as a request to opt out of the sale or sharing of your personal information for that browser.

4. How we use information

We use information to:

Run, host, secure, and deliver the Site.
Show and measure ads that support the free guides, when advertising is turned on.
Understand which articles are useful and improve our content, using Google Analytics 4 (Section 6).
Reply to your emails and handle guest post submissions.
Comply with law, enforce our Terms of Use, and protect our rights and our readers.

We do not sell your email address or other information you send us directly. We do not use your information to make decisions that have legal or similarly significant effects on you.

Legal bases (EU/EEA and UK readers)

Under the GDPR and UK GDPR, we rely on:

Consent where we ask for it: to publish a guest post with your details, and for personalized advertising cookies where the law requires consent. You can withdraw consent at any time by emailing us, or by using the opt-out tools in Sections 5 and 6.
Legitimate interests for keeping the Site secure, basic server logs, measuring how the Site is used with Google Analytics 4 where the law allows that without consent, and replying to emails you send us. You can object to analytics measurement as described in Section 6.
Contract / steps before a contract when we work with you on a guest post.
Legal obligation where we must keep or disclose information by law.

The Site may show advertisements served by Google AdSense, a service of Google LLC. Ads help pay for the free guides. We do not choose each ad you see, and an ad is not an endorsement of the advertiser, product, or service.

When advertising is on, Google and its advertising partners may collect and use device, usage, and identifier information (see Section 2), including with cookies and similar technologies, to:

Serve ads on the Site and measure which ads are shown, viewed, or clicked.
Limit how often you see the same ad, and help prevent invalid or fraudulent ad activity.
Show personalized ads based on your visits to this Site and other websites, where that is allowed. Personalized ads use cookies (or similar identifiers) to remember your browser across sites.
Show non-personalized ads, which are chosen from the content of the page and a general location (such as country or region inferred from your IP address), not from a profile of your interests. Non-personalized ads can still use a cookie to cap frequency and fight fraud.

Google decides which ad to show. Google is an independent controller of the personal data it collects for advertising. Google’s own privacy policy applies to that processing.

Google’s policies

How to opt out of personalized ads

Opting out does not remove ads. It means ads you see should not be based on your inferred interests. You can also block or delete cookies in your browser (Section 3).

Google Ad Settings, also available through My Ad Center
Digital Advertising Alliance opt-out (United States)
Network Advertising Initiative opt-out
Your Online Choices (EU)
A Global Privacy Control signal, which we honor as an opt-out of sale or sharing where the law requires (Sections 3 and 10)

Where the law requires a choice before advertising cookies are stored (including in the EU, EEA, and UK), personalized ads should run only after that consent. You can withdraw consent or opt out at any time with the tools above.

ads.txt. We publish thepetssphere.com/ads.txt. It lists the companies allowed to sell ad space on this Site, which helps stop other people from selling fake inventory on our domain.

The Site is a general-audience pet site and is not directed at children. We do not knowingly ask Google to build advertising profiles of children under 13.

6. Google Analytics 4

We use Google Analytics 4 (GA4), a service of Google LLC, to see how the Site is used and to improve the guides. The Google Analytics property is named The Pets Sphere. Its measurement ID is G-0WN5EDVQFG. This measurement has been on the Site since October 25, 2026.

When you visit, GA4 collects information with cookies and similar technologies, including:

Pages you view, the page that referred you, and roughly how long you stay.
Device and browser details, such as browser type, operating system, device type, screen size, and language.
Approximate location (country, region, or city inferred from your IP address). GA4 does not store your full IP address.
Interactions such as links clicked and how far you scroll, plus the date and time of the visit.
A cookie ID, and similar identifiers, that let Google recognize your browser on later visits to this Site.

We use the reports in aggregate: which articles people read, where visits come from, and what is hard to use. We do not use GA4 to identify you by name, and we do not sell this information.

Google processes this analytics data for us. Google’s privacy policy and Analytics terms apply to that processing. If advertising features or Google signals are turned on in the property, Google may also use some of this activity in connection with ads. Ad choices are described below and in Section 5.

Google’s policies

How to opt out of Google Analytics

Opting out does not stop you from reading the Site. It stops or limits this measurement in the browser you are using.

Install the Google Analytics opt-out browser add-on. It tells the GA4 tag on this Site not to send measurement data from that browser.
Use your browser settings to block or delete cookies. GA4 uses cookies such as _ga and _ga_0WN5EDVQFG. Blocking them limits measurement. The Site still works.
To control whether Google uses your activity for personalized ads, use Google Ad Settings or My Ad Center. That choice is separate from turning Analytics off. The same ad controls are listed in Section 5.
A Global Privacy Control signal is honored as an opt-out of sale or sharing where the law requires (Sections 3 and 10). It is not, by itself, a switch that turns GA4 off in every browser.

You can also object to this measurement by emailing [email protected]. Where the law requires consent before analytics cookies are stored, you can refuse them with the add-on and your browser settings.

Separately, Cloudflare gives us basic aggregate statistics (such as the number of visits and which pages are popular) from its server logs. Those statistics do not identify individual visitors to us. They are in addition to GA4, not a substitute for it. See Section 7.

7. Hosting and security: Cloudflare

The Site is hosted and delivered by Cloudflare, Inc. (including its content delivery network and security services). To deliver pages quickly and protect the Site from attacks, spam, and bots, Cloudflare processes technical information such as IP addresses, request headers, and may set strictly necessary security cookies. See Cloudflare’s Privacy Policy.

8. Embedded content and links

Articles may include embedded content (such as videos, images, or social posts) or links to other websites. Embedded content behaves as if you visited the other site, and that site may collect data, set cookies, and track your interaction, especially if you are logged in there. We are not responsible for third-party sites’ privacy practices; please review their policies.

We share information only as described in this policy:

Service providers who help us run the Site (such as Cloudflare for hosting/security, and Cloudflare Email Routing, which forwards emails sent to [email protected] to our inbox).
Google Analytics 4, as described in Section 6. Google processes that analytics data for us.
Google, when advertising is on, as described in Section 5. Google acts as its own controller for advertising data it collects through AdSense.
Legal and safety: when required by law, court order, or to protect rights, safety, and property.
Business transfers: if the Site is sold, merged, or transferred, information may transfer to the new owner, who must continue to protect it under this policy or tell you about changes.

10. US state privacy rights (including California CCPA/CPRA)

This section applies to residents of California and other US states with comprehensive privacy laws (such as Colorado, Connecticut, Virginia, Utah, Texas, Oregon, and others), to the extent those laws apply to us.

Categories collected in the past 12 months: identifiers (IP address and cookie IDs, including Analytics cookie IDs; name and email if you email us), internet or network activity (pages viewed, and ads shown or clicked when advertising is on), and approximate geolocation. Sources: you, your device, our service providers, and Google (Analytics, and AdSense when ads are on). Purposes: those listed in Section 4.

“Selling” and “sharing”: We do not sell personal information for money, and we do not sell or share information you email to us. When personalized ads are on, allowing Google to use cookies for interest-based ads may be “sharing” of personal information for cross-context behavioral advertising under California and similar state laws. You can opt out with the tools in Section 5, including Global Privacy Control. We do not knowingly sell or share personal information of consumers under 16.

Your rights (subject to legal limits): to know/access what personal information we collect and how we use it; to delete it; to correct it; to opt out of the sale or sharing of personal information and of targeted advertising; to limit use of sensitive personal information (we do not intentionally collect it); and not to be discriminated against for using your rights.

Global Privacy Control: We honor valid GPC browser signals where the law requires.

Other requests: Email [email protected] with the subject “Privacy Request”. We may need to verify your request and may ask for information to match it to data we hold. An authorized agent may submit a request with your signed permission. If we deny your request, you may appeal by replying to our decision with “Appeal” in the subject line. If you are unhappy with the result, you may contact your state attorney general.

Retention: see Section 13.

If you are in the EU, EEA, or UK, you have the right to:

Access the personal data we hold about you and get a copy.
Rectify inaccurate or incomplete data.
Erase your data in certain cases.
Restrict processing in certain cases.
Object to processing based on legitimate interests, and to direct marketing at any time.
Data portability, to receive data you gave us in a machine-readable format.
Withdraw consent at any time, without affecting earlier processing.
Not be subject to decisions based solely on automated processing that significantly affect you. We do not make such decisions.
Complain to a supervisory authority, such as your local data protection authority in the EU/EEA or the UK Information Commissioner’s Office (ico.org.uk).

To use these rights, email [email protected]. We will reply within one month (extendable where the law allows).

International transfers: Our service providers, and Google (for Analytics, and for ads when they are on), may process data in the United States and other countries. Where required, transfers rely on appropriate safeguards such as the EU-U.S. Data Privacy Framework (and its UK extension), Standard Contractual Clauses, or the UK International Data Transfer Addendum.

12. Canadian readers (PIPEDA)

If you are in Canada, we handle personal information in line with the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA) and applicable provincial laws. By using the Site, you consent to the uses described here, and you can withdraw consent at any time (see Section 3). You can ask to access and correct the personal information we hold about you by emailing [email protected]. Our privacy contact can be reached at [email protected]. If you are not satisfied with our response, you may contact the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada (priv.gc.ca). As noted in Section 11, your information may be processed outside Canada (mainly in the United States), where it may be accessible to authorities under local law.

13. How long we keep information

Emails: kept as long as needed to respond and handle the matter, then deleted when no longer needed, unless we need them longer for legal reasons.
Guest post records: kept while the post is published and for a reasonable period after removal, for our records.
Strictly necessary cookies: security cookies set by Cloudflare are short-lived.
Analytics data and cookies: Google keeps GA4 event data for the retention period set on our property. Google’s choices are 2 months or 14 months. The main Analytics cookie usually lasts up to 2 years. See How Google uses cookies.
Advertising cookies: when ads are on, Google sets these and keeps them for the periods described in Google’s cookie policy (often up to about 13 months).
Server and security logs: kept by Cloudflare under its own retention practices.

14. Security

We use reputable providers and reasonable measures (HTTPS encryption, Cloudflare security, limited access to our email inbox) to protect information. No website or transmission is 100% secure, so we cannot guarantee absolute security. If a data breach affects your rights, we will notify you and the relevant authorities where the law requires.

15. Children’s privacy

The Site is a general-audience pet information site. It is not directed to children under 13, and we do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13 (or under 16 in the EU/EEA/UK, or the relevant age of digital consent where you live). This is in line with the US Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA). If you are a parent or guardian and believe a child has sent us personal information, email [email protected] and we will delete it. See Section 5 for advertising and children.

16. Do Not Track

Browsers’ “Do Not Track” signals have no common standard, so the Site does not respond to them. We do honor Global Privacy Control signals as described in Sections 3 and 10.

17. Changes to this policy

We may update this policy from time to time, for example when we change providers or the law changes. We will change the “Last updated” date at the top, and where changes are significant we may show a notice on the Site.

18. Contact us

The Pets Sphere Email: [email protected]