Privacy policy

Effective November 14, 2026

Lost Dog Alerts is a free iPhone app that helps find lost dogs in New Hampshire. This policy explains what the app collects, who can see it, and how to delete it. We collect as little as we can.

If you report a sighting

The first time you send a sighting, the app creates an anonymous account for your phone. It has no name, email address, or password. It lets you see the sightings you sent.

A sighting includes:

• When you saw the dog, and the spot you mark on the map
• Which way the dog went and what it was doing
• Whether it’s still there and whether anyone approached it
• Any notes you write
• A photo, if you add one. The app makes a fresh copy of the photo before sending it, which removes the location and camera details stored inside the original.

Who can see it: you, the dog’s owners, and the people running Lost Dog Alerts. Sightings aren’t shown to the public.

If you’re a dog owner

Owners sign in with their email address. We email a one-time code each time you sign in, so there’s no password. When we list a dog, we add the owners’ email addresses so they can sign in. A dog can have up to 2 owners, and each can see the other’s email address.

Owners see every sighting of their dog, including exact spots and photos. They can mark their dog found and choose whether to get alerts.

For each listed dog, we keep what the owner tells us: the dog’s name, breed, color, size, sex, temperament, photo, and where and when it was last seen.

The people running Lost Dog Alerts sign in the same way, or with a password.

Your location

• Near me. If you choose to see dogs near you, the app checks your phone’s location when it opens and when you refresh. It downloads the list of lost dogs in New Hampshire and picks the ones within 10 miles on your phone. Your location isn’t sent anywhere.
• A town, road, or address. If you type a place instead, the app saves it on your phone only. Apple Maps receives what you type so it can find the place. The app then picks the dogs near that place on your phone, the same way.
• Reporting a sighting. “Use my location” fills in where you saw the dog. That spot is sent only if you send the sighting.
• Alerts near lost dogs. These are off unless you turn them on. When they’re on, the app picks up to 20 listed dogs and asks your iPhone to let you know when you come within about half a mile of where one was last seen. Your iPhone watches for those spots itself and shows the alert. The app isn’t told where you are, and your location isn’t sent anywhere. Alerts need notifications and location “While Using the App” with Precise Location on. Turn them off with the bell on the app’s Nearby screen, or in your iPhone’s Settings.
• No background tracking. The app doesn’t use your location in the background.

You can turn off location for Lost Dog Alerts at any time in your iPhone’s Settings. The app still works: type a town or road instead.

What the public can see

Anyone using the app can see each listed dog’s name, description, photo, and when and in what area it was last seen. The dog’s spot on the public map is rounded to about a quarter mile. When a dog is found, it comes off the public list.

Services we use

• Supabase stores the app’s data and photos and handles sign-in.
• Resend sends sign-in emails.
• Apple Maps finds places you type and draws the maps.
• DreamHost hosts this website.

These companies handle data on our behalf to run their services. Like most online services, they keep short-term technical logs, such as IP addresses, to keep things working and secure.

What we don’t do

• We don’t show ads.
• We don’t sell your data or share it for advertising.
• We don’t track you across other apps or websites.
• This website doesn’t use cookies, analytics, or trackers.

Keeping and deleting your data

We keep dogs and sightings so owners and searchers have the full history of a search.

To delete your account or your data, email help@lostdogalerts.com from the address you sign in with. If you reported a sighting without an account, tell us roughly when and where, and we’ll find it. We’ll confirm when it’s done.

Deleting an account removes its email address and sign-in. Sightings you sent stay with the dog’s search, with no link to you, unless you ask us to remove them too.

Children

Lost Dog Alerts isn’t meant for children under 13, and we don’t knowingly collect their information.

Changes to this policy

When the app changes what it collects, we’ll update this page and the date at the top.

Contact

Questions about privacy? Email help@lostdogalerts.com.