We take the protection of your personal data seriously. This notice informs you, in accordance with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), about the nature, scope and purpose of the data processing on this website.
1. Controller
Shield of Dogs – Verein zur Hunderettung
Register number (ZVR): 1385603213
Prechtlerstraße 7/1/1, 4030 Linz, Austria
Email: info@shieldofdogs.at · Phone: +43 667 786 2881
Represented by: Chairman Mst. Daniel Hodzic
2. Contact form
If you send us an inquiry via the contact form, we process the data you provide (first name, last name, email address, phone number, location/area, interest, selected dog, experience with dogs and message) exclusively to handle your inquiry.
- Purpose: processing and responding to your inquiry
- Legal basis: pre-contractual measures (Art. 6(1)(b) GDPR) for adoption, foster-care and sponsorship inquiries; for general inquiries our legitimate interest in responding (Art. 6(1)(f) GDPR)
- Storage period: inquiries from the contact form are stored for a maximum of 30 days and then automatically deleted, unless legal retention obligations apply.
Name and email address are required. Without them we cannot respond. All other information is voluntary. If an inquiry leads to an adoption or foster-care process, the necessary data is transferred to an internal record. Rejected or completed applicant and adoption records are generally deleted three years after closure unless legal obligations, ongoing claims or a documented exception require longer storage.
3. Online sponsorships and sponsor photos
For an online sponsorship we process first and last name, email address, optional phone number, selected dog, amount, payment method, start and status of the sponsorship, and payment-related identifiers. The purpose is to initiate, perform and administer the sponsorship, including payment allocation and certificate delivery. The legal basis is Art. 6(1)(b) GDPR and, for legally required financial records, Art. 6(1)(c) GDPR. Recipients are responsible association staff and, depending on the payment method, PayPal, the relevant bank and the QR provider named in section 8.
Unconfirmed sponsorship registrations are deleted after 30 days. Data for ongoing sponsorships is processed for their duration. The sponsorship record is generally deleted three years after termination; separate financial records are retained in accordance with statutory retention obligations.
We publish the first name and sponsor photo only with separate, voluntary consent under Art. 6(1)(a) GDPR. The date, version and source of the consent are stored as evidence. Consent can be withdrawn at any time by email. Public display ends after withdrawal or termination of the sponsorship, and the photo uploaded solely for this purpose is deleted within 30 days.
4. Hosting & server log files
When you visit the website, the hosting provider automatically processes technical data (e.g. IP address, date/time, page accessed, browser type) in server log files. The legal basis is our legitimate interest in secure operation (Art. 6(1)(f) GDPR).
Hosting provider: World4You Internet Services GmbH, Hafenstraße 35, 4020 Linz, Austria. According to the provider, web server, error and mail log files are automatically deleted after two weeks.
5. Fonts
This website uses the font "Inter", which is hosted locally on our server. No data is transmitted to third parties (e.g. Google Fonts).
6. External links, platforms and videos
We link to external platforms. Externally embedded videos are loaded only after your active consent via the load button. Only then is a connection made to the relevant provider, which may process your IP address, browser data, time and page visited. The legal bases are your consent (Art. 6(1)(a) GDPR) and section 165(3) of the Austrian Telecommunications Act 2021. Providers may process data outside the EEA; information on recipients, risks and safeguards is available in their privacy policies. The privacy policy of the respective provider applies:
- Teaming (donation platform) — teaming.net
- Instagram — instagram.com
- TikTok — tiktok.com
- YouTube — policies.google.com
- Vimeo — vimeo.com
Donations by bank transfer are processed through our bank; the privacy policy of the respective bank additionally applies. Teaming is only accessed via an external link.
7. Donations, PayPal and donation receipts
If you donate or request a donation receipt, we process the data necessary for this, such as name, address, email address, amount, date, payment method, purpose, and internal receipt number. We use this data to allocate the donation, for internal association documentation, for transparency reports, and to issue or send a donation receipt.
The legal bases are compliance with legal obligations (Art. 6(1)(c) GDPR) and our legitimate interest in correct payment allocation and association documentation (Art. 6(1)(f) GDPR). Recipients may include the relevant bank, PayPal and association staff entrusted with bookkeeping and delivery.
For PayPal donations and sponsorships, the payment is processed by PayPal. Our website may receive information such as payment status, amount, currency, transaction or subscription ID, name and email address via a server notification. PayPal may also process data outside the EEA and uses the safeguards described in its privacy policy.
Donation and financial records are generally retained for seven years from the end of the relevant calendar year. Pending proceedings or additional legal duties may require longer retention.
8. GiroCode / QR code for bank transfer
To create the GiroCode, our server transmits the QR content in encrypted form to the QR code API operated by foundata GmbH, Steinhäuserstraße 20, 76135 Karlsruhe, Germany (api.qrserver.com). For general donations the content includes bank details, amount and payment reference. For sponsorships the payment reference additionally includes the sponsor’s name and the dog’s name. The legal bases are performance of the requested payment or sponsorship (Art. 6(1)(b) GDPR) and our legitimate interest in simple and accurate payment allocation (Art. 6(1)(f) GDPR).
Transmission is server-to-server using TLS; the browser does not connect directly to the QR provider. According to the provider, QR content is not logged or permanently stored and the generated image is cached only briefly. Further information: QR API privacy information.
9. Email notifications
Contact, adoption and donation inquiries may be forwarded by email to responsible association or staff addresses for processing. Donation receipts may likewise be sent by email if a valid email address was provided.
The automatic 30-day deletion in the website administration affects only the contact inquiries stored there. Related emails are also deleted within 30 days unless their content has been transferred into an ongoing adoption, sponsorship or financial process. The periods stated above apply to transferred content. Responsible association staff carry out mailbox deletion as an organisational measure.
10. Cookies and local storage
This website does not use tracking cookies or analytics or advertising services. When you choose a language, we set the technically necessary cookie sod_lang for one year. It stores only the selected language and is sent to our server on page requests. The legal basis is section 165(3) of the Austrian Telecommunications Act 2021; consent is not required for this explicitly requested function. App installation notices and previously displayed construction-progress popups may be stored only in the browser’s local or session storage.
11. Push notifications for staff
In the password-protected administration area, staff can voluntarily enable push notifications for new inquiries. For this purpose we store only the technical push subscription of the respective device. It is not publicly displayed and is used only for notifications about new inquiries. This permission can be revoked at any time in the browser or via the app settings.
12. Your rights
You have the following rights regarding your personal data:
- Right of access (Art. 15 GDPR)
- Right to rectification (Art. 16 GDPR)
- Right to erasure (Art. 17 GDPR)
- Right to restriction of processing (Art. 18 GDPR)
- Right to data portability (Art. 20 GDPR)
- Right to withdraw consent and to object (Art. 7(3), Art. 21 GDPR)
To exercise these rights, a message to info@shieldofdogs.at is sufficient.
13. Right to complain
You have the right to lodge a complaint with the Austrian data protection authority: Österreichische Datenschutzbehörde, Barichgasse 40–42, 1030 Vienna, dsb.gv.at.
Last updated: 17.07.2026