Terms of Service

Enrollment Requirements

Entrance requirements are as follows for all online program applicants:

• Must be a minimum of 16 years old.
• Must have access to a computer or phone with stable internet.
• Must have basic computer and internet skills.
• Must have a portable device that can record videos (cell phone, camera, etc.)
• Must be able to communicate and read in English.
• Must have access to a friendly, untrained dog that meets our Minimum Requirements. (Training Programs Only, see page 20)
• Must be able to meet all physical requirements for the chosen program.
• Must live in one of the eligible states for distance learning education.

Physical Requirements

Participation of any of the programs at The Academy of Pet Careers requires students to meet a minimum standard of physical condition. Because you will be working directly with live animals and caring for their wellbeing, these physical requirements are to protect both the student and the animals in their care.

Students will be expected to work with dogs of varying breeds, sizes, and temperaments. Some animals may be stressed, fearful or aggressive and can act unpredictably. Because of this, it is essential for pet professionals to meet the following requirements.

Students who are unable to meet the following requirements should notify The Academy of Pet Careers immediately. The APC welcomes the opportunity to provide reasonable accommodation to students who do not meet one or more of the physical requirements.

Pregnancy Disclaimer

Students enrolled in any APC program may be exposed to substances such as chemicals, anesthetic agents, pharmaceutical agents, x-radiation and zoonotic diseases and parasites (such as toxoplasmosis), which can cause harm to an unborn fetus, resulting in birth defects and/or miscarriage. All programs include the handling of animals and have potential risk of injury to the student and/or unborn child.

Any student who is pregnant or becomes pregnant while enrolled in any of the programs offered by APC is advised to speak with her physician and make an informed decision on whether to start/continue the program or to elect to be placed on a temporary leave of absence.

Minimum Requirements for Dogs (Training Programs Only)

For students in the online Professional Dog Trainer Program (APC-PDT), it is important that you have a dog that is friendly and untrained. Students with dogs who do not possess the right qualities will struggle to graduate on time. On the flip side, students who have a dog that is already well behaved and well trained may have an easier time, but those students will not learn the necessary qualities to succeed as a professional dog trainer.

With a goal of helping students succeed and getting the most out of their education, we recommend the following guidelines for choosing the right dog for your program. Your dog may not possess all of these qualities, but the more they do, the better off you will be.

Recommended Qualities

• Dog does not know more than a couple basic obedience skills. Most dogs pick up on skills like Sit and Down pretty quickly so it’s okay if they have a few skills. We want to avoid a dog that has already attended an obedience program and knows half a dozen or more skills. This will make training them seem simple but in reality, you aren’t learning to deal with the common troubleshooting that happens when you train a new dog.
• Dog is between 6 months and 8 years. This is not a hard rule and may vary based on breed, but you want a dog that is in good health and is not a puppy. Puppies are cute and fun to train, but they lack the ability to work for more than a few minutes at a time and typically deal with distracting behaviors such as puppy biting and soiling in the house. You will have an easier time working with a more mature dog.
• Dog is highly motivated by treats and/or toys. Most dogs will be trained using treats and the more your dog gets excited about food, the faster and easier they will learn. Some dogs may not work for treats, but a toy or ball works just as well. This adds a bit of complexity to the training but is totally doable.
• Dog gives good attention. If your dog looks to you for direction, that is a good sign that you have already built a connection and they will be more willing to work with you. A dog who ignores you and seems generally uninterested in you will be much harder to work with. To test this, walk around your dog and talk to them and see what level of engagement they give.
• Dog is comfortable in different environments. Throughout your program, you will do most of your training at home but there are a few skills that may require more space. You may decide to work in your back yard or go to the park. In this case, the dog should enjoy the adventure and not be nervous about the new environment.
• Dog doesn’t shown aggression towards dogs or people. Although this program is online and the chances of interacting with other people or animals is slim, a dog that has aggressive or reactive tendencies has underlying issues of fear, anxiety, or stress. These dogs can be great one moment but in a different environment shut down and stop working. To help set yourself up for success, you should work with a dog that is generally confident and friendly with strangers.

Dog is in good health and likes to be active. You should avoid using a dog that has mobility issues or problems with energy. You will benefit from working with a dog that enjoys being active and is wanting to engage, versus a dog that is in pain and would prefer to rest.   

Non-Discrimination Policy

The Academy does not discriminate on the basis of sex, race, color, religion, creed or national origin in the enlistment or admission of students to The Academy of Pet Careers.

Enrollment Status & Changes

Program Change

Students currently enrolled at the APC may change programs at any time. Program changes must follow all refund and transfer of credit rules described in this catalog.

Equipment Refunds and Replacements

Equipment costs will only be refunded if student has yet to receive their equipment package. Once received, the equipment can no longer be returned. Students will have 14 calendar days from the date they receive their equipment to replace any damaged, broken, or malfunctioning equipment by returning it to the APC. If being shipped, the shipping date will determine if it falls within the 14-day return window. Students will be responsible for any shipping costs associated with the return of equipment. After 14 calendar days, students will be responsible for replacements.

Some equipment is covered under manufacturer’s warranty. If so, it is the student’s responsibility to contact the manufacturer for replacement.

Cancellation Of Contract

If the Academy of Pet Careers rejects a student, the Application Fee, Tuition Registration Deposit, and any tuition paid will be refunded. In addition, the Tuition Registration Deposit and any tuition paid will be refunded if the student gives notice of cancellation within three (3) days (exclusive of Saturday, Sunday, and holidays) after the date of execution of the contract.

Withdrawal Policy

Once a student has begun classes, and then wishes to withdraw, notice of intent to withdraw must be communicated with the admissions office. Notice may be verbal, but it is preferred that it is in writing by submitting a copy of the Withdrawal Form which is available in the student lounge. Any applicable refund of tuition (as described above) will be calculated once notice is received by the academy. 

Leave Of Absence

The Academy of Pet Careers recognizes that certain personal situations may arise which makes it necessary for a student to take time away from their schooling. The Leave of Absence policy is designed to be flexible in response to these needs. A leave of absence is considered any significant amount of time in which a student needs to be removed from class due to personal emergencies that would prevent their attendance or progress. The leave may not exceed 180 days in a 12-month period.

A Leave of Absence must be coordinated with the Admissions Director and not your program instructor. Returning from a leave of absence is based upon availability and should be discussed before departure with the Admissions Director. Arrangements may be made for the student to make up time missed or to be re-enrolled in the future.

Students attending an online program will put their education on pause. Access to the student portal will be removed. Upon return to the program, the students end date will be adjusted accordingly, so long as it doesn’t exceed the maximum time to graduate (1.5 times the length of the program).  

Maximum Time to Graduate

There are many things that could prevent a student from graduating on time. If a student graduation is delayed for any reason, except for a leave of absence, time to graduate cannot exceed 1.5 times the length of the program. For a 100-day program (140 calendar days), a student cannot take more than 50 additional class days, or 70 calendar days to pass the program.

Alternative Certificate

If a student is unable to pass their enrolled program, their progress will be assessed and if it meets the minimum requirement for a different program, the student may receive a certificate from that program.

Drop Window

It is the APC’s goal to set students up for success. To do this, we believe students deserve a chance to experience a program or career path without obligation. Online students will have the ability to drop their program within this 14-day period or up until the completion of Chapter 1, whichever is longer. Students may withdraw from their online program for a full refund of tuition, excluding the $50 application fee, and cost of equipment. Verbal or written notice must be received prior to the end of the 14^th day or before starting Chapter 2.

Refund Policies

An online student may cancel their contract at any time. The effective date of cancellation will be the date that verbal or written notice was received by The Academy of Pet Careers.

If the student is dismissed for violation of academy policies, the termination date will be that of the notice of infraction that resulted in the expulsion. No refund applies for determined expulsion. 

Application fees are not refundable. Any notice of cancellation prior to a student’s first day of class will trigger a full refund less the Application Fee.

Once received by student, opened or unopened, equipment kits are non-refundable.

Refunds calculated after the start of class are based on completion and vary per program. Students will receive a refund based on the chapter their current progress. When notice of withdrawal is submitted, the chapter they are on, completed or not, will determine the refund amount.

Refunds after the start of class will be calculated as follows:

• Total Cost includes all tuition, application fees, equipment, and taxes made by a student (see Equipment Refunds and Replacements for more details on eligibility for an equipment refund).
• The Total Refundable Tuition will be determined by taking Total Cost less the application fee and equipment.
• If student is within their Drop Window, the Total Refundable Tuition will be paid back to the student.
• After the Drop Window, refunds will be prorated based on the rules of each program. Total Refundable Tuition will be multiplied by the determined Refund Percentage to calculate the Total Refund.

Professional Dog Trainer (APC-PDT)

• Chapter 0-1 (or 2 weeks, whichever is longer): Full Refund
• Chapters 2-6: 50% Refund
• Chapters 7+: No Refund

School Calendar

Online programs are offered with rolling enrollment. Students may enroll in any online program on the date of their choosing (excluding weekends and holidays). Online programs will have a fixed start and end date, but students will be allowed to graduate early if they complete all of their program requirements.

The APC headquarters will be closed on weekends and for the following calendar days: 

Office Hours

Instructors are available for communication during regular Headquarters hours of operations. Students may communicate via direct message through the student portal or attend group or one-on-one zoom calls with their instructor during these hours. Messages received on weekends or outside regular hours will be responded to at the earliest convenience once the Headquarters is open.  Regular operating hours are Monday – Friday: 8:30am – 4:00pm CST.

Grading Process

Online students will not receive a grade to track their program progress. All requirements will be graded on a pass/fail basis and all requirements must be completed to graduate and receive their Certificate of Completion. Certain criteria will halt the progress of their program, so as long as they complete the tasks assigned to them and they reach the end of the program, they will graduate.

Student Transcripts

Student transcripts documenting each student’s enrollment information, progress report and date of graduation or termination are maintained by the school in the form of a permanent school record. This transcript is available to the student and will be issued upon request.

Employment Assistance

The APC offers employment assistance for no additional fee. The employment assistance program is voluntary and includes meetings with the school’s Director of Student Services to prepare students for obtaining a job. Meetings include helping the students to create their resumes, prepare them for the interviewing process through roleplaying, and connecting them with known employers in their area. Employers who participate in the employment assistance program include grooming salons, kennels, veterinary clinics, and pet shops. Students will also have access to the APC Alumni page on Facebook where local pet businesses post job opportunities.

The employment assistance program is a job assistance program. Participation in the program is not a guarantee of employment.

School Use of Personal Photos and Videos

Students understand that during their enrollment at The Academy of Pet Careers there will be various reasons for submitting photos and videos (or have them taken by faculty).

They agree to allow The APC to use these photos/videos for internal and external use in both online and paper publication, during their enrollment and in the future.

They also give permission to The Academy of Pet Careers to record calls and video meetings between Instructors and themselves.

They understand that I will not be compensated in any way for these photos or videos.

Student Conduct

Etiquette & Professionalism

In an effort to make sure we provide the best learning environment, all students and faculty will be held to a high standard of professionalism and personal etiquette. The following is a list of standards that are expected of all students. This is not an exhaustive list and at the discretion of APC faculty, a student may be given warnings for additional behaviors that do not represent them in a positive, professional manner.

Consecutive violations of conduct may result in academic probation for a month. Students on academic probation are expected to receive no more conduct warnings during this time or else it may result in the removal from their program.

Standards of Conduct

• Be emotionally and physically prepared to participate in your program, including one-on-one calls with your instructor, group zoom classes, and discussion forums.
• Communication with Instructors is restricted to the online portal (via direct messages, one-on-one Zoom calls, and group Zoom classes). No student should contact an instructor or faculty via their personal phones, email, or social media pages.
• Students are not allowed to solicit products, equipment, or services for personal gain to other students or faculty.
• Students are expected to exercise self-control. A lack of emotional control that jeopardizes any person or animal, disrupts zoom classes, or interferes with the ability of other students to learn will not be tolerated.
• No foul language or raising of voice to staff, students, or pets.
• Students are expected to follow directions from their instructor or school leadership. 
• Observe personal hygiene and grooming. Students should always present a neat and professional appearance when in the presence of other students, faculty, or the general public.
• Cheating of any kind is not tolerated and at the discretion of the admissions director may lead to probation or expulsion. This includes taking online assessments with open notes or with additional browsers open.
• Abusive handling of ANY animal is not allowed and is grounds for immediate probation or expulsion.  Abusive handling includes physical mishandling, striking, shouting or use of foul language.
• Students are encouraged to bring problems to the attention of the Academy Administrator. Discussing grievances with other students is unproductive and unprofessional.

Attendance Policy

Programs that do not have a required externship component have no fixed attendance schedule. Students will progress on a schedule that best fits their needs.

If a student goes 14 days without logging into the student portal, a warning will be initiated by their instructor and resources may be offered to help get the student back on track.

If a student goes 30 days without logging into the student portal, they will be put on Academic Probation. Failing to log into the student portal and progress with course curriculum a minimum of once every 14 days may result in expulsion of the student. Leave of absences will not impact this policy and will be excluded from the calculation.

Drugs And Alcohol

It is the policy of the academy that students shall not be involved in the use, consumption, possession, sale, distribution or transfer of mind or behavior altering or illegal substances while on the academy premises or while in attendance of virtual classes/meetings. While in attendance, students may not use alcohol, drugs (including marijuana) or narcotics in any manner as this may impair their ability to safely perform assigned tasks.

This policy does not prohibit the use of prescription drugs in a manner approved by the prescribing physician, but if such use could possibly impair the student’s ability to safely perform assigned tasks, specifically those that involve the use of equipment and/or handling of animals, the student should report such use to the instructor.

Curriculum And Proprietary Information

Students should never share school curriculum or proprietary information with outside sources without permission from the school President. Included in this information are class notes, power points, tests and quizzes, or any other information that directly relates to the student’s education. Sharing or selling such information will be cause for dismissal from class and in some cases, expulsion.

Probation And Expulsion

The Academy of Pet Careers reserves the right to dismiss any student for violation of one or more academy policies or standards. The seriousness of the violation will be determined by APC Leadership and may result in probation or expulsion. In addition, each in-person student’s academic progress, professionalism, and attendance will be evaluated monthly and could be the cause of academic probation.

Student Grievances/Complaints

When a student has a complaint or grievance, they should first discuss it with their instructor to find a resolution.  If the student is dissatisfied with the outcome, they have the additional option of presenting this grievance to the Director of Admissions or to the school President.  Upon doing so, if the grievance is considered fixable, a plan of action will be created by Leadership and put into place new policies to correct any issues within the power of the school or the class.

However, if a student has a grievance or complaint that is not resolved within the APC, the student has the right to submit their issue to the Missouri Coordinating Board for Higher Education. Forms are available from your instructor or the Academy Admissions Director. In addition, we request any student complete an Advising Form that will be kept in their file. The purposes of these forms are to assist the student in satisfactorily resolving student grievances, complaints, questions, and concerns.

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Privacy Policy

Privacy Policy

Last updated: January 02, 2023

This Privacy Policy describes The Academy of Pet Careers LLC’s policies and procedures on the collection, use and disclosure of Your information when You use the Service and tells You about Your privacy rights and how the law protects You.

We use Your Personal data to provide and improve the Service. By using the Service, You agree to the collection and use of information in accordance with this Privacy Policy.

Interpretation and Definitions

Interpretation

The words of which the initial letter is capitalized have meanings defined under the following conditions. The following definitions shall have the same meaning regardless of whether they appear in singular or in plural.

Definitions

For the purposes of this Privacy Policy:

• Account means a unique account created for You to access our Service or parts of our Service.

• Business, for the purpose of the CCPA (California Consumer Privacy Act), refers to the Company as the legal entity that collects Consumers’ personal information and determines the purposes and means of the processing of Consumers’ personal information, or on behalf of which such information is collected and that alone, or jointly with others, determines the purposes and means of the processing of consumers’ personal information, that does business in the State of California.

• Company (referred to as either "the Company", "We", "Us" or "Our" in this Agreement) refers to The Academy of Pet Careers LLC, 3550 W Clay St., St. Charles, MO 63301.

• Consumer, for the purpose of the CCPA (California Consumer Privacy Act), means a natural person who is a California resident. A resident, as defined in the law, includes (1) every individual who is in the USA for other than a temporary or transitory purpose, and (2) every individual who is domiciled in the USA who is outside the USA for a temporary or transitory purpose.

• Cookies are small files that are placed on Your computer, mobile device or any other device by a website, containing the details of Your browsing history on that website among its many uses.

• Country refers to: Missouri, United States

• Device means any device that can access the Service such as a computer, a cellphone or a digital tablet.

• Do Not Track (DNT) is a concept that has been promoted by US regulatory authorities, in particular the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC), for the Internet industry to develop and implement a mechanism for allowing internet users to control the tracking of their online activities across websites.

• Personal Data is any information that relates to an identified or identifiable individual.

  For the purposes of the CCPA, Personal Data means any information that identifies, relates to, describes or is capable of being associated with, or could reasonably be linked, directly or indirectly, with You.

• Sale, for the purpose of the CCPA (California Consumer Privacy Act), means selling, renting, releasing, disclosing, disseminating, making available, transferring, or otherwise communicating orally, in writing, or by electronic or other means, a Consumer’s personal information to another business or a third party for monetary or other valuable consideration.

• Service refers to the Website.

• Service Provider means any natural or legal person who processes the data on behalf of the Company. It refers to third-party companies or individuals employed by the Company to facilitate the Service, to provide the Service on behalf of the Company, to perform services related to the Service or to assist the Company in analyzing how the Service is used.

• Third-party Social Media Service refers to any website or any social network website through which a User can log in or create an account to use the Service.

• Usage Data refers to data collected automatically, either generated by the use of the Service or from the Service infrastructure itself (for example, the duration of a page visit).

• Website refers to The Academy of Pet Careers, accessible from https://www.theacademyofpetcareers.com/

• You means the individual accessing or using the Service, or the company, or other legal entity on behalf of which such individual is accessing or using the Service, as applicable.

Collecting and Using Your Personal Data

Types of Data Collected

Personal Data

While using Our Service, We may ask You to provide Us with certain personally identifiable information that can be used to contact or identify You. Personally identifiable information may include, but is not limited to:

• Email address

• First name and last name

• Phone number

• Address, State, Province, ZIP/Postal code, City

• Usage Data

Usage Data

Usage Data is collected automatically when using the Service.

Usage Data may include information such as Your Device’s Internet Protocol address (e.g. IP address), browser type, browser version, the pages of our Service that You visit, the time and date of Your visit, the time spent on those pages, unique device identifiers and other diagnostic data.

When You access the Service by or through a mobile device, We may collect certain information automatically, including, but not limited to, the type of mobile device You use, Your mobile device unique ID, the IP address of Your mobile device, Your mobile operating system, the type of mobile Internet browser You use, unique device identifiers and other diagnostic data.

We may also collect information that Your browser sends whenever You visit our Service or when You access the Service by or through a mobile device.

Tracking Technologies and Cookies

We use Cookies and similar tracking technologies to track the activity on Our Service and store certain information. Tracking technologies used are beacons, tags, and scripts to collect and track information and to improve and analyze Our Service. The technologies We use may include:

• Cookies or Browser Cookies. A cookie is a small file placed on Your Device. You can instruct Your browser to refuse all Cookies or to indicate when a Cookie is being sent. However, if You do not accept Cookies, You may not be able to use some parts of our Service. Unless you have adjusted Your browser setting so that it will refuse Cookies, our Service may use Cookies.
• Web Beacons. Certain sections of our Service and our emails may contain small electronic files known as web beacons (also referred to as clear gifs, pixel tags, and single-pixel gifs) that permit the Company, for example, to count users who have visited those pages or opened an email and for other related website statistics (for example, recording the popularity of a certain section and verifying system and server integrity).

Cookies can be "Persistent" or "Session" Cookies. Persistent Cookies remain on Your personal computer or mobile device when You go offline, while Session Cookies are deleted as soon as You close Your web browser. You can learn more about cookies on TermsFeed website article.

We use both Session and Persistent Cookies for the purposes set out below:

• Necessary / Essential Cookies

  Type: Session Cookies

  Administered by: Us

  Purpose: These Cookies are essential to provide You with services available through the Website and to enable You to use some of its features. They help to authenticate users and prevent fraudulent use of user accounts. Without these Cookies, the services that You have asked for cannot be provided, and We only use these Cookies to provide You with those services.

• Cookies Policy / Notice Acceptance Cookies

  Type: Persistent Cookies

  Administered by: Us

  Purpose: These Cookies identify if users have accepted the use of cookies on the Website.

• Functionality Cookies

  Type: Persistent Cookies

  Administered by: Us

  Purpose: These Cookies allow us to remember choices You make when You use the Website, such as remembering your login details or language preference. The purpose of these Cookies is to provide You with a more personal experience and to avoid You having to re-enter your preferences every time You use the Website.

• Tracking and Performance Cookies

  Type: Persistent Cookies

  Administered by: Third-Parties

  Purpose: These Cookies are used to track information about traffic to the Website and how users use the Website. The information gathered via these Cookies may directly or indirectly identify you as an individual visitor. This is because the information collected is typically linked to a pseudonymous identifier associated with the device you use to access the Website. We may also use these Cookies to test new pages, features or new functionality of the Website to see how our users react to them.

• Targeting and Advertising Cookies

  Type: Persistent Cookies

  Administered by: Third-Parties

  Purpose: These Cookies track your browsing habits to enable Us to show advertising which is more likely to be of interest to You. These Cookies use information about your browsing history to group You with other users who have similar interests. Based on that information, and with Our permission, third party advertisers can place Cookies to enable them to show adverts which We think will be relevant to your interests while You are on third party websites.

For more information about the cookies we use and your choices regarding cookies, please visit our Cookies Policy or the Cookies section of our Privacy Policy.

Use of Your Personal Data

The Company may use Personal Data for the following purposes:

• To provide and maintain our Service, including to monitor the usage of our Service.
• To manage Your Account: to manage Your registration as a user of the Service. The Personal Data You provide can give You access to different functionalities of the Service that are available to You as a registered user.
• For the performance of a contract: the development, compliance and undertaking of the purchase contract for the products, items or services You have purchased or of any other contract with Us through the Service.
• To contact You: To contact You by email, telephone calls, SMS, or other equivalent forms of electronic communication, such as a mobile application’s push notifications regarding updates or informative communications related to the functionalities, products or contracted services, including the security updates, when necessary or reasonable for their implementation.
• To provide You with news, special offers and general information about other goods, services and events which we offer that are similar to those that you have already purchased or enquired about unless You have opted not to receive such information.
• To manage Your requests: To attend and manage Your requests to Us.
• To deliver targeted advertising to You: We may use Your information to develop and display content and advertising (and work with third-party vendors who do so) tailored to Your interests and/or location and to measure its effectiveness.
• For business transfers: We may use Your information to evaluate or conduct a merger, divestiture, restructuring, reorganization, dissolution, or other sale or transfer of some or all of Our assets, whether as a going concern or as part of bankruptcy, liquidation, or similar proceeding, in which Personal Data held by Us about our Service users is among the assets transferred.
• For other purposes: We may use Your information for other purposes, such as data analysis, identifying usage trends, determining the effectiveness of our promotional campaigns and to evaluate and improve our Service, products, services, marketing and your experience.

We may share Your personal information in the following situations:

• With Service Providers: We may share Your personal information with Service Providers to monitor and analyze the use of our Service, to show advertisements to You to help support and maintain Our Service, to advertise on third party websites to You after You visited our Service, for payment processing, to contact You.
• For business transfers: We may share or transfer Your personal information in connection with, or during negotiations of, any merger, sale of Company assets, financing, or acquisition of all or a portion of Our business to another company.
• With Affiliates: We may share Your information with Our affiliates, in which case we will require those affiliates to honor this Privacy Policy. Affiliates include Our parent company and any other subsidiaries, joint venture partners or other companies that We control or that are under common control with Us.
• With business partners: We may share Your information with Our business partners to offer You certain products, services or promotions.
• With other users: when You share personal information or otherwise interact in the public areas with other users, such information may be viewed by all users and may be publicly distributed outside. If You interact with other users or register through a Third-Party Social Media Service, Your contacts on the Third-Party Social Media Service may see Your name, profile, pictures and description of Your activity. Similarly, other users will be able to view descriptions of Your activity, communicate with You and view Your profile.
• With Your consent: We may disclose Your personal information for any other purpose with Your consent.

Retention of Your Personal Data

The Company will retain Your Personal Data only for as long as is necessary for the purposes set out in this Privacy Policy. We will retain and use Your Personal Data to the extent necessary to comply with our legal obligations (for example, if we are required to retain your data to comply with applicable laws), resolve disputes, and enforce our legal agreements and policies.

The Company will also retain Usage Data for internal analysis purposes. Usage Data is generally retained for a shorter period of time, except when this data is used to strengthen the security or to improve the functionality of Our Service, or We are legally obligated to retain this data for longer time periods.

Transfer of Your Personal Data

Your information, including Personal Data, is processed at the Company’s operating offices and in any other places where the parties involved in the processing are located. It means that this information may be transferred to — and maintained on — computers located outside of Your state, province, country or other governmental jurisdiction where the data protection laws may differ than those from Your jurisdiction.

Your consent to this Privacy Policy followed by Your submission of such information represents Your agreement to that transfer.

The Company will take all steps reasonably necessary to ensure that Your data is treated securely and in accordance with this Privacy Policy and no transfer of Your Personal Data will take place to an organization or a country unless there are adequate controls in place including the security of Your data and other personal information.

Delete Your Personal Data

You have the right to delete or request that We assist in deleting the Personal Data that We have collected about You.

Our Service may give You the ability to delete certain information about You from within the Service.

You may update, amend, or delete Your information at any time by signing in to Your Account, if you have one, and visiting the account settings section that allows you to manage Your personal information. You may also contact Us to request access to, correct, or delete any personal information that You have provided to Us.

Please note, however, that We may need to retain certain information when we have a legal obligation or lawful basis to do so.

Disclosure of Your Personal Data

Business Transactions

If the Company is involved in a merger, acquisition or asset sale, Your Personal Data may be transferred. We will provide notice before Your Personal Data is transferred and becomes subject to a different Privacy Policy.

Law enforcement

Under certain circumstances, the Company may be required to disclose Your Personal Data if required to do so by law or in response to valid requests by public authorities (e.g. a court or a government agency).

Other legal requirements

The Company may disclose Your Personal Data in the good faith belief that such action is necessary to:

• Comply with a legal obligation
• Protect and defend the rights or property of the Company
• Prevent or investigate possible wrongdoing in connection with the Service
• Protect the personal safety of Users of the Service or the public
• Protect against legal liability

Security of Your Personal Data

The security of Your Personal Data is important to Us, but remember that no method of transmission over the Internet, or method of electronic storage is 100% secure. While We strive to use commercially acceptable means to protect Your Personal Data, We cannot guarantee its absolute security.

Detailed Information on the Processing of Your Personal Data

The Service Providers We use may have access to Your Personal Data. These third-party vendors collect, store, use, process and transfer information about Your activity on Our Service in accordance with their Privacy Policies.

Analytics

We may use third-party Service providers to monitor and analyze the use of our Service.

• Google Analytics

  Google Analytics is a web analytics service offered by Google that tracks and reports website traffic. Google uses the data collected to track and monitor the use of our Service. This data is shared with other Google services. Google may use the collected data to contextualize and personalize the ads of its own advertising network.

  You can opt-out of having made your activity on the Service available to Google Analytics by installing the Google Analytics opt-out browser add-on. The add-on prevents the Google Analytics JavaScript (ga.js, analytics.js and dc.js) from sharing information with Google Analytics about visits activity.

  For more information on the privacy practices of Google, please visit the Google Privacy & Terms web page: https://policies.google.com/privacy

Advertising

We may use Service Providers to show advertisements to You to help support and maintain Our Service.

• Google AdSense & DoubleClick Cookie

  Google, as a third party vendor, uses cookies to serve ads on our Service. Google’s use of the DoubleClick cookie enables it and its partners to serve ads to our users based on their visit to our Service or other websites on the Internet.

  You may opt out of the use of the DoubleClick Cookie for interest-based advertising by visiting the Google Ads Settings web page: https://www.google.com/ads/preferences/

• Bing Ads

  Bing Ads is an advertising service provided by Microsoft Inc.

  You can opt-out from Bing Ads by following the instructions on Bing Ads Opt-out page: https://advertise.bingads.microsoft.com/en-us/resources/policies/personalized-ads

  For more information about Bing Ads, please visit their Privacy Policy: https://privacy.microsoft.com/en-us/PrivacyStatement

• Meta (Facebook/Instagram)

  Their Privacy Policy can be viewed at https://www.facebook.com/privacy/policy/

Email Marketing

We may use Your Personal Data to contact You with newsletters, marketing or promotional materials and other information that may be of interest to You. You may opt-out of receiving any, or all, of these communications from Us by following the unsubscribe link or instructions provided in any email We send or by contacting Us.

We may use Email Marketing Service Providers to manage and send emails to You.

• AWeber

  AWeber is an email marketing sending service provided by AWeber Communications.

  For more information on the privacy practices of AWeber, please visit their Privacy policy: https://www.aweber.com/privacy.htm

• Hubspot

  Their Privacy Policy can be viewed at https://legal.hubspot.com/privacy-policy

Payments

We may provide paid products and/or services within the Service. In that case, we may use third-party services for payment processing (e.g. payment processors).

We will not store or collect Your payment card details. That information is provided directly to Our third-party payment processors whose use of Your personal information is governed by their Privacy Policy. These payment processors adhere to the standards set by PCI-DSS as managed by the PCI Security Standards Council, which is a joint effort of brands like Visa, Mastercard, American Express and Discover. PCI-DSS requirements help ensure the secure handling of payment information.

• Stripe

  Their Privacy Policy can be viewed at https://stripe.com/us/privacy

Behavioral Remarketing

The Company uses remarketing services to advertise to You after You accessed or visited our Service. We and Our third-party vendors use cookies and non-cookie technologies to help Us recognize Your Device and understand how You use our Service so that We can improve our Service to reflect Your interests and serve You advertisements that are likely to be of more interest to You.

These third-party vendors collect, store, use, process and transfer information about Your activity on Our Service in accordance with their Privacy Policies and to enable Us to:

• Measure and analyze traffic and browsing activity on Our Service
• Show advertisements for our products and/or services to You on third-party websites or apps
• Measure and analyze the performance of Our advertising campaigns

Some of these third-party vendors may use non-cookie technologies that may not be impacted by browser settings that block cookies. Your browser may not permit You to block such technologies. You can use the following third-party tools to decline the collection and use of information for the purpose of serving You interest-based advertising:

• The NAI’s opt-out platform: https://www.networkadvertising.org/choices/
• The EDAA’s opt-out platform https://www.youronlinechoices.com/
• The DAA’s opt-out platform: https://optout.aboutads.info/?c=2&lang=EN

You may opt-out of all personalized advertising by enabling privacy features on Your mobile device such as Limit Ad Tracking (iOS) and Opt Out of Ads Personalization (Android). See Your mobile device Help system for more information.

We may share information, such as hashed email addresses (if available) or other online identifiers collected on Our Service with these third-party vendors. This allows Our third-party vendors to recognize and deliver You ads across devices and browsers. To read more about the technologies used by these third-party vendors and their cross-device capabilities please refer to the Privacy Policy of each vendor listed below.

The third-party vendors We use are:

• Google Ads (AdWords)

  Google Ads (AdWords) remarketing service is provided by Google Inc.

  You can opt-out of Google Analytics for Display Advertising and customise the Google Display Network ads by visiting the Google Ads Settings page: https://www.google.com/settings/ads

  Google also recommends installing the Google Analytics Opt-out Browser Add-on – https://tools.google.com/dlpage/gaoptout – for your web browser. Google Analytics Opt-out Browser Add-on provides visitors with the ability to prevent their data from being collected and used by Google Analytics.

  For more information on the privacy practices of Google, please visit the Google Privacy & Terms web page: https://policies.google.com/privacy

• Bing Ads Remarketing

  Bing Ads remarketing service is provided by Microsoft Inc.

  You can opt-out of Bing Ads interest-based ads by following their instructions: https://advertise.bingads.microsoft.com/en-us/resources/policies/personalized-ads

  You can learn more about the privacy practices and policies of Microsoft by visiting their Privacy Policy page: https://privacy.microsoft.com/en-us/PrivacyStatement

• Facebook

  Facebook remarketing service is provided by Facebook Inc.

  You can learn more about interest-based advertising from Facebook by visiting this page: https://www.facebook.com/help/516147308587266

  To opt-out from Facebook’s interest-based ads, follow these instructions from Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/help/568137493302217

  Facebook adheres to the Self-Regulatory Principles for Online Behavioural Advertising established by the Digital Advertising Alliance. You can also opt-out from Facebook and other participating companies through the Digital Advertising Alliance in the USA https://www.aboutads.info/choices/, the Digital Advertising Alliance of Canada in Canada https://youradchoices.ca/ or the European Interactive Digital Advertising Alliance in Europe https://www.youronlinechoices.eu/, or opt-out using your mobile device settings.

  For more information on the privacy practices of Facebook, please visit Facebook’s Data Policy: https://www.facebook.com/privacy/explanation

Usage, Performance and Miscellaneous

We may use third-party Service Providers to provide better improvement of our Service.

• Invisible reCAPTCHA

  We use an invisible captcha service named reCAPTCHA. reCAPTCHA is operated by Google.

  The reCAPTCHA service may collect information from You and from Your Device for security purposes.

  The information gathered by reCAPTCHA is held in accordance with the Privacy Policy of Google: https://www.google.com/intl/en/policies/privacy/

CCPA Privacy

This privacy notice section for California residents supplements the information contained in Our Privacy Policy and it applies solely to all visitors, users, and others who reside in the State of California.

Categories of Personal Information Collected

We collect information that identifies, relates to, describes, references, is capable of being associated with, or could reasonably be linked, directly or indirectly, with a particular Consumer or Device. The following is a list of categories of personal information which we may collect or may have been collected from California residents within the last twelve (12) months.

Please note that the categories and examples provided in the list below are those defined in the CCPA. This does not mean that all examples of that category of personal information were in fact collected by Us, but reflects our good faith belief to the best of our knowledge that some of that information from the applicable category may be and may have been collected. For example, certain categories of personal information would only be collected if You provided such personal information directly to Us.

• Category A: Identifiers.

  Examples: A real name, alias, postal address, unique personal identifier, online identifier, Internet Protocol address, email address, account name, driver’s license number, passport number, or other similar identifiers.

  Collected: Yes.

• Category B: Personal information categories listed in the California Customer Records statute (Cal. Civ. Code § 1798.80(e)).

  Examples: A name, signature, Social Security number, physical characteristics or description, address, telephone number, passport number, driver’s license or state identification card number, insurance policy number, education, employment, employment history, bank account number, credit card number, debit card number, or any other financial information, medical information, or health insurance information. Some personal information included in this category may overlap with other categories.

  Collected: Yes.

• Category C: Protected classification characteristics under California or federal law.

  Examples: Age (40 years or older), race, color, ancestry, national origin, citizenship, religion or creed, marital status, medical condition, physical or mental disability, sex (including gender, gender identity, gender expression, pregnancy or childbirth and related medical conditions), sexual orientation, veteran or military status, genetic information (including familial genetic information).

  Collected: No.

• Category D: Commercial information.

  Examples: Records and history of products or services purchased or considered.

  Collected: Yes.

• Category E: Biometric information.

  Examples: Genetic, physiological, behavioral, and biological characteristics, or activity patterns used to extract a template or other identifier or identifying information, such as, fingerprints, faceprints, and voiceprints, iris or retina scans, keystroke, gait, or other physical patterns, and sleep, health, or exercise data.

  Collected: No.

• Category F: Internet or other similar network activity.

  Examples: Interaction with our Service or advertisement.

  Collected: Yes.

• Category G: Geolocation data.

  Examples: Approximate physical location.

  Collected: No.

• Category H: Sensory data.

  Examples: Audio, electronic, visual, thermal, olfactory, or similar information.

  Collected: No.

• Category I: Professional or employment-related information.

  Examples: Current or past job history or performance evaluations.

  Collected: No.

• Category J: Non-public education information (per the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (20 U.S.C. Section 1232g, 34 C.F.R. Part 99)).

  Examples: Education records directly related to a student maintained by an educational institution or party acting on its behalf, such as grades, transcripts, class lists, student schedules, student identification codes, student financial information, or student disciplinary records.

  Collected: No.

• Category K: Inferences drawn from other personal information.

  Examples: Profile reflecting a person’s preferences, characteristics, psychological trends, predispositions, behavior, attitudes, intelligence, abilities, and aptitudes.

  Collected: No.

Under CCPA, personal information does not include:

• Publicly available information from government records
• Deidentified or aggregated consumer information
• Information excluded from the CCPA’s scope, such as:
  • Health or medical information covered by the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) and the California Confidentiality of Medical Information Act (CMIA) or clinical trial data
  • Personal Information covered by certain sector-specific privacy laws, including the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FRCA), the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act (GLBA) or California Financial Information Privacy Act (FIPA), and the Driver’s Privacy Protection Act of 1994

Sources of Personal Information

We obtain the categories of personal information listed above from the following categories of sources:

• Directly from You. For example, from the forms You complete on our Service, preferences You express or provide through our Service, or from Your purchases on our Service.
• Indirectly from You. For example, from observing Your activity on our Service.
• Automatically from You. For example, through cookies We or our Service Providers set on Your Device as You navigate through our Service.
• From Service Providers. For example, third-party vendors to monitor and analyze the use of our Service, third-party vendors to provide advertising on our Service, third-party vendors to deliver targeted advertising to You, third-party vendors for payment processing, or other third-party vendors that We use to provide the Service to You.

Use of Personal Information for Business Purposes or Commercial Purposes

We may use or disclose personal information We collect for "business purposes" or "commercial purposes" (as defined under the CCPA), which may include the following examples:

• To operate our Service and provide You with our Service.
• To provide You with support and to respond to Your inquiries, including to investigate and address Your concerns and monitor and improve our Service.
• To fulfill or meet the reason You provided the information. For example, if You share Your contact information to ask a question about our Service, We will use that personal information to respond to Your inquiry. If You provide Your personal information to purchase a product or service, We will use that information to process Your payment and facilitate delivery.
• To respond to law enforcement requests and as required by applicable law, court order, or governmental regulations.
• As described to You when collecting Your personal information or as otherwise set forth in the CCPA.
• For internal administrative and auditing purposes.
• To detect security incidents and protect against malicious, deceptive, fraudulent or illegal activity, including, when necessary, to prosecute those responsible for such activities.

Please note that the examples provided above are illustrative and not intended to be exhaustive. For more details on how we use this information, please refer to the "Use of Your Personal Data" section.

If We decide to collect additional categories of personal information or use the personal information We collected for materially different, unrelated, or incompatible purposes We will update this Privacy Policy.

Disclosure of Personal Information for Business Purposes or Commercial Purposes

We may use or disclose and may have used or disclosed in the last twelve (12) months the following categories of personal information for business or commercial purposes:

• Category A: Identifiers
• Category B: Personal information categories listed in the California Customer Records statute (Cal. Civ. Code § 1798.80(e))
• Category D: Commercial information
• Category F: Internet or other similar network activity

Please note that the categories listed above are those defined in the CCPA. This does not mean that all examples of that category of personal information were in fact disclosed, but reflects our good faith belief to the best of our knowledge that some of that information from the applicable category may be and may have been disclosed.

When We disclose personal information for a business purpose or a commercial purpose, We enter a contract that describes the purpose and requires the recipient to both keep that personal information confidential and not use it for any purpose except performing the contract.

Sale of Personal Information

As defined in the CCPA, "sell" and "sale" mean selling, renting, releasing, disclosing, disseminating, making available, transferring, or otherwise communicating orally, in writing, or by electronic or other means, a consumer’s personal information by the business to a third party for valuable consideration. This means that We may have received some kind of benefit in return for sharing personal information, but not necessarily a monetary benefit.

Please note that the categories listed below are those defined in the CCPA. This does not mean that all examples of that category of personal information were in fact sold, but reflects our good faith belief to the best of our knowledge that some of that information from the applicable category may be and may have been shared for value in return.

We may sell and may have sold in the last twelve (12) months the following categories of personal information:

• Category A: Identifiers
• Category B: Personal information categories listed in the California Customer Records statute (Cal. Civ. Code § 1798.80(e))
• Category D: Commercial information
• Category F: Internet or other similar network activity

Share of Personal Information

We may share Your personal information identified in the above categories with the following categories of third parties:

• Service Providers
• Payment processors
• Our affiliates
• Our business partners
• Third party vendors to whom You or Your agents authorize Us to disclose Your personal information in connection with products or services We provide to You

Sale of Personal Information of Minors Under 16 Years of Age

We do not knowingly collect personal information from minors under the age of 16 through our Service, although certain third party websites that we link to may do so. These third-party websites have their own terms of use and privacy policies and we encourage parents and legal guardians to monitor their children’s Internet usage and instruct their children to never provide information on other websites without their permission.

We do not sell the personal information of Consumers We actually know are less than 16 years of age, unless We receive affirmative authorization (the "right to opt-in") from either the Consumer who is between 13 and 16 years of age, or the parent or guardian of a Consumer less than 13 years of age. Consumers who opt-in to the sale of personal information may opt-out of future sales at any time. To exercise the right to opt-out, You (or Your authorized representative) may submit a request to Us by contacting Us.

If You have reason to believe that a child under the age of 13 (or 16) has provided Us with personal information, please contact Us with sufficient detail to enable Us to delete that information.

Your Rights under the CCPA

The CCPA provides California residents with specific rights regarding their personal information. If You are a resident of California, You have the following rights:

• The right to notice. You have the right to be notified which categories of Personal Data are being collected and the purposes for which the Personal Data is being used.
• The right to request. Under CCPA, You have the right to request that We disclose information to You about Our collection, use, sale, disclosure for business purposes and share of personal information. Once We receive and confirm Your request, We will disclose to You:
  • The categories of personal information We collected about You
  • The categories of sources for the personal information We collected about You
  • Our business or commercial purpose for collecting or selling that personal information
  • The categories of third parties with whom We share that personal information
  • The specific pieces of personal information We collected about You
  • If we sold Your personal information or disclosed Your personal information for a business purpose, We will disclose to You:
    • The categories of personal information categories sold
    • The categories of personal information categories disclosed
• The right to say no to the sale of Personal Data (opt-out). You have the right to direct Us to not sell Your personal information. To submit an opt-out request please contact Us.
• The right to delete Personal Data. You have the right to request the deletion of Your Personal Data, subject to certain exceptions. Once We receive and confirm Your request, We will delete (and direct Our Service Providers to delete) Your personal information from our records, unless an exception applies. We may deny Your deletion request if retaining the information is necessary for Us or Our Service Providers to:
  • Complete the transaction for which We collected the personal information, provide a good or service that You requested, take actions reasonably anticipated within the context of our ongoing business relationship with You, or otherwise perform our contract with You.
  • Detect security incidents, protect against malicious, deceptive, fraudulent, or illegal activity, or prosecute those responsible for such activities.
  • Debug products to identify and repair errors that impair existing intended functionality.
  • Exercise free speech, ensure the right of another consumer to exercise their free speech rights, or exercise another right provided for by law.
  • Comply with the California Electronic Communications Privacy Act (Cal. Penal Code § 1546 et. seq.).
  • Engage in public or peer-reviewed scientific, historical, or statistical research in the public interest that adheres to all other applicable ethics and privacy laws, when the information’s deletion may likely render impossible or seriously impair the research’s achievement, if You previously provided informed consent.
  • Enable solely internal uses that are reasonably aligned with consumer expectations based on Your relationship with Us.
  • Comply with a legal obligation.
  • Make other internal and lawful uses of that information that are compatible with the context in which You provided it.
• The right not to be discriminated against. You have the right not to be discriminated against for exercising any of Your consumer’s rights, including by:
  • Denying goods or services to You
  • Charging different prices or rates for goods or services, including the use of discounts or other benefits or imposing penalties
  • Providing a different level or quality of goods or services to You
  • Suggesting that You will receive a different price or rate for goods or services or a different level or quality of goods or services

Exercising Your CCPA Data Protection Rights

In order to exercise any of Your rights under the CCPA, and if You are a California resident, You can contact Us:

• By email: admin@theacademyofpetcareers.com

Only You, or a person registered with the California Secretary of State that You authorize to act on Your behalf, may make a verifiable request related to Your personal information.

Your request to Us must:

• Provide sufficient information that allows Us to reasonably verify You are the person about whom We collected personal information or an authorized representative
• Describe Your request with sufficient detail that allows Us to properly understand, evaluate, and respond to it

We cannot respond to Your request or provide You with the required information if We cannot:

• Verify Your identity or authority to make the request
• And confirm that the personal information relates to You

We will disclose and deliver the required information free of charge within 45 days of receiving Your verifiable request. The time period to provide the required information may be extended once by an additional 45 days when reasonably necessary and with prior notice.

Any disclosures We provide will only cover the 12-month period preceding the verifiable request’s receipt.

For data portability requests, We will select a format to provide Your personal information that is readily usable and should allow You to transmit the information from one entity to another entity without hindrance.

Do Not Sell My Personal Information

You have the right to opt-out of the sale of Your personal information. Once We receive and confirm a verifiable consumer request from You, we will stop selling Your personal information. To exercise Your right to opt-out, please contact Us.

The Service Providers we partner with (for example, our analytics or advertising partners) may use technology on the Service that sells personal information as defined by the CCPA law. If you wish to opt out of the use of Your personal information for interest-based advertising purposes and these potential sales as defined under CCPA law, you may do so by following the instructions below.

Please note that any opt out is specific to the browser You use. You may need to opt out on every browser that You use.

Website

You can opt out of receiving ads that are personalized as served by our Service Providers by following our instructions presented on the Service:

• The NAI’s opt-out platform: https://www.networkadvertising.org/choices/
• The EDAA’s opt-out platform https://www.youronlinechoices.com/
• The DAA’s opt-out platform: https://optout.aboutads.info/?c=2&lang=EN

The opt out will place a cookie on Your computer that is unique to the browser You use to opt out. If you change browsers or delete the cookies saved by your browser, You will need to opt out again.

Mobile Devices

Your mobile device may give You the ability to opt out of the use of information about the apps You use in order to serve You ads that are targeted to Your interests:

• "Opt out of Interest-Based Ads" or "Opt out of Ads Personalization" on Android devices
• "Limit Ad Tracking" on iOS devices

You can also stop the collection of location information from Your mobile device by changing the preferences on Your mobile device.

"Do Not Track" Policy as Required by California Online Privacy Protection Act (CalOPPA)

Our Service does not respond to Do Not Track signals.

However, some third party websites do keep track of Your browsing activities. If You are visiting such websites, You can set Your preferences in Your web browser to inform websites that You do not want to be tracked. You can enable or disable DNT by visiting the preferences or settings page of Your web browser.

Children’s Privacy

Our Service does not address anyone under the age of 13. We do not knowingly collect personally identifiable information from anyone under the age of 13. If You are a parent or guardian and You are aware that Your child has provided Us with Personal Data, please contact Us. If We become aware that We have collected Personal Data from anyone under the age of 13 without verification of parental consent, We take steps to remove that information from Our servers.

If We need to rely on consent as a legal basis for processing Your information and Your country requires consent from a parent, We may require Your parent’s consent before We collect and use that information.

Your California Privacy Rights (California’s Shine the Light law)

Under California Civil Code Section 1798 (California’s Shine the Light law), California residents with an established business relationship with us can request information once a year about sharing their Personal Data with third parties for the third parties’ direct marketing purposes.

If you’d like to request more information under the California Shine the Light law, and if You are a California resident, You can contact Us using the contact information provided below.

California Privacy Rights for Minor Users (California Business and Professions Code Section 22581)

California Business and Professions Code Section 22581 allows California residents under the age of 18 who are registered users of online sites, services or applications to request and obtain removal of content or information they have publicly posted.

To request removal of such data, and if You are a California resident, You can contact Us using the contact information provided below, and include the email address associated with Your account.

Be aware that Your request does not guarantee complete or comprehensive removal of content or information posted online and that the law may not permit or require removal in certain circumstances.

Links to Other Websites

Our Service may contain links to other websites that are not operated by Us. If You click on a third party link, You will be directed to that third party’s site. We strongly advise You to review the Privacy Policy of every site You visit.

We have no control over and assume no responsibility for the content, privacy policies or practices of any third party sites or services.

Changes to this Privacy Policy

We may update Our Privacy Policy from time to time. We will notify You of any changes by posting the new Privacy Policy on this page.

We will let You know via email and/or a prominent notice on Our Service, prior to the change becoming effective and update the "Last updated" date at the top of this Privacy Policy.

You are advised to review this Privacy Policy periodically for any changes. Changes to this Privacy Policy are effective when they are posted on this page.

Contact Us

If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy, You can contact us:

• By email: admin@theacademyofpetcareers.com

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