Privacy policy

Last updated:  June 2026

Hot Paws® ("we," "us," or "our") is committed to protecting your privacy. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, and safeguard your personal information when you visit our website hotpawscanada.com or purchase our products. It applies to all personal information collected through this website and through our marketing activities.

Hot Paws® is based in Quebec, Canada and operates in compliance with Quebec's Act Respecting the Protection of Personal Information in the Private Sector (Law 25 / Bill 64), Canada's Anti-Spam Legislation (CASL), and Canada's Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA), as applicable.

By using our website or providing information to us, you agree to the terms of this Privacy Policy.

 

1. Personal Information We Collect

1.1 Information You Provide Directly

When you place an order, create an account, or interact with us, we may collect:

•       Full name, billing address, and shipping address

•       Email address and telephone number

•       Payment and financial information (e.g., credit card number and expiry date)

•       Gender, date of birth, and personal interests (where provided voluntarily)

•       Recipient information when shipping a gift to a third party

•       Messages, comments, or reviews you submit to us

 

1.2 Information Collected Automatically

When you visit our website, we automatically collect certain technical information, including:

•       IP address and approximate geographic location

•       Browser type, device type, and operating system

•       Pages visited, time spent on pages, and referring URLs

•       Clickstream and navigation data

•       Cookie identifiers and similar tracking data

 

1.3 Information from Third Parties

We may receive information about you from third-party sources, including:

•       Social media platforms (e.g., Facebook, Instagram), when you interact with our ads or pages

•       Third-party analytics and advertising partners

•       Demographic and interest data to improve targeting and personalization

 

2. How We Use Your Personal Information

We use the personal information we collect for the following purposes:

•       Processing and fulfilling your orders, including payment and shipping

•       Sending transactional communications such as order confirmations and shipping updates

•       Providing customer service and responding to your inquiries or complaints

•       Sending marketing emails and promotional communications about our products, services, and events (with your consent, as required by CASL)

•       Building and targeting custom audiences for digital advertising on platforms such as Meta (Facebook/Instagram) and Google — including by uploading your email address to create matched or lookalike audiences

•       Serving interest-based and behavioural advertising on third-party platforms and websites

•       Personalizing your shopping experience and making product recommendations

•       Analyzing website traffic, user behaviour, and campaign performance

•       Administering contests, promotions, and loyalty programs

•       Detecting and preventing fraud, unauthorized access, and security incidents

•       Complying with legal obligations and enforcing our Terms of Use

 

Marketing emails: You may receive promotional emails from us only where you have provided consent, or where permitted by law. You may withdraw your consent at any time by clicking "Unsubscribe" in any marketing email or by contacting us at info@hotpawscanada.com. Withdrawing consent does not affect transactional communications related to your existing orders.

Email use for advertising: We may provide your email address to third-party advertising platforms (such as Meta and Google) in a hashed or encrypted form to create custom audiences or lookalike audiences for ad targeting. This use is governed by the platforms’ own privacy policies. If you do not wish your email to be used in this manner, please contact us at info@hotpawscanada.com.

 

3. Tracking Technologies & Cookies

We use cookies, web beacons, pixel tags, and similar technologies to collect data about how you use our website. These tools help us improve the site, measure marketing effectiveness, and deliver personalized advertising.

3.1 Types of Tracking Technologies

•       Browser cookies: small text files stored on your device that remember preferences and session data

•       Pixel tags / web beacons: small transparent images embedded in pages or emails that signal when content is viewed

•       Flash cookies and similar persistent local storage technologies

 

3.2 Third-Party Tools We Use

Google Analytics: Tracks how visitors interact with our website (pages visited, session duration, traffic sources). Data may be processed in the United States. See Google’s Privacy Policy for details.

Google Tag Manager: Manages and deploys tracking code on our website without requiring direct code edits.

Meta (Facebook) Pixel: Tracks conversions from our Facebook and Instagram ads, enables ad optimization, and supports custom and lookalike audience building. Works by setting cookies when you visit our site or interact with our ads. You can manage your ad preferences in the Facebook Ad Preferences centre.

Google Ads: Enables remarketing and conversion tracking for ads served across Google’s network and partner sites.

 

3.3 Managing Cookies

You may disable or delete cookies through your browser settings. Note that disabling cookies may affect the functionality of our website. You may also opt out of interest-based advertising by visiting:

•       Your Online Choices (youronlinechoices.com)

•       Network Advertising Initiative (optout.networkadvertising.org)

•       Digital Advertising Alliance of Canada (youradchoices.ca)

 

4. How We Share Your Information

We do not sell or rent your personal information to third parties. We may share your information only in the following circumstances:

•       Service providers: companies that perform functions on our behalf (e.g., payment processors, shipping carriers, email platforms, hosting providers), who are contractually required to use your data only for the services they provide to us

•       Advertising platforms: we may share hashed email addresses with platforms such as Meta and Google for custom audience creation and ad targeting, as described in Section 2

•       Legal compliance: where required by law, court order, or governmental authority

•       Protection of rights: where disclosure is necessary to protect our rights, property, employees, or customers

•       Business transfers: in connection with a merger, acquisition, sale of assets, or restructuring, in which case the receiving party will be required to honour this Privacy Policy

 

All third-party service providers we work with are required to protect your information and to use it only for the purposes we specify.

 

5. Data Retention

We retain your personal information for as long as necessary to fulfill the purposes described in this policy, to maintain our business records, and to comply with applicable legal obligations. When personal information is no longer needed, we securely delete or anonymize it.

In Quebec, we comply with the data retention requirements under Law 25, including obligations to destroy personal information that is no longer necessary for its original purpose.

 

6. Data Security

We use industry-standard security measures to protect your personal information from unauthorized access, use, disclosure, alteration, or destruction. These include secure socket layer (SSL) encryption for data transmission and restricted access to personal information within our organization.

In the event of a confidentiality incident (data breach) involving your personal information that presents a risk of serious harm, we will notify you and the Commission d’accès à l’information (CAI) in accordance with Quebec’s Law 25.

 

7. International Data Transfers

Our primary operations are based in Quebec, Canada. Some of our service providers and advertising partners (including Google and Meta) may process your data in the United States or other countries. Where your data is transferred outside of Canada, we take steps to ensure it receives appropriate protection, including through contractual safeguards.

By using our website, you consent to the transfer, processing, and storage of your personal information in Canada and, where applicable, in other countries, in accordance with this Privacy Policy.

 

8. Your Rights

Depending on your location and applicable law, you may have the following rights with respect to your personal information:

•       Right of access: request a copy of the personal information we hold about you

•       Right to rectification: request that we correct inaccurate or incomplete information

•       Right to erasure: request that we delete your personal information (subject to legal obligations)

•       Right to withdraw consent: withdraw consent for marketing emails or email-based ad targeting at any time

•       Right to data portability: request your personal information in a structured, commonly used format

•       Right to lodge a complaint: file a complaint with the Commission d’accès à l’information (CAI) if you believe your privacy rights have been violated

 

To exercise any of these rights, please contact us at info@hotpawscanada.com. We will respond to your request within the timeframes required by applicable law (30 days under Quebec Law 25).

 

9. Children’s Privacy

Our website is not directed to children under the age of 14. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 14 without verified parental consent. If you believe we have inadvertently collected such information, please contact us immediately at info@hotpawscanada.com and we will take steps to delete it.

 

10. Links to Third-Party Websites

Our website may contain links to third-party websites or social media platforms. This Privacy Policy does not apply to those external sites, and we are not responsible for their privacy practices. We encourage you to review the privacy policies of any third-party sites you visit.

 

11. Testimonials and User-Generated Content

We may display customer reviews or testimonials on our website. We will only publish your name and testimonial with your consent. To update or remove a published testimonial, please contact us at info@hotpawscanada.com.

 

12. Privacy Officer & Contact Information

If you have any questions, concerns, or requests regarding this Privacy Policy or the handling of your personal information, please contact our Privacy Officer:

 

Hot Paws® — Privacy Officer

Email: info@hotpawscanada.com

Website: hotpawscanada.com

 

You also have the right to contact the Commission d’accès à l’information (CAI) if you have concerns about our privacy practices:

Commission d’accès à l’information du Québec

Website: cai.gouv.qc.ca

Telephone: 1-888-528-7741

 

13. Updates to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, technology, or applicable law. The most current version will always be posted on our website with the effective date noted at the top. We encourage you to review this policy periodically. Where required by law, we will notify you of material changes by email or through a prominent notice on our website.