The short version
Mind A Dog is free to read. It is paid for by display advertising and by affiliate links, which means that if you click certain links and buy something, we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. Commission never decides what we recommend, and any article containing affiliate links says so at the top.
What an affiliate link actually is
An affiliate link is an ordinary link with a tracking code attached. If you click it and go on to buy something, the retailer pays the referring site a small percentage of the sale.
Three things follow from that, and they are the three things worth knowing:
- You pay exactly the same price. The commission comes out of the retailer’s margin, not out of your pocket. There is no surcharge for using our link.
- We do not see who you are or what you bought. We receive aggregate reporting from the programme, not your identity or your basket.
- You are never obliged to use them. Search for the product yourself if you would rather. The article is the same either way.
Current status of affiliate links on this site
At the time of writing, Mind A Dog carries no affiliate links. We are in the process of applying to affiliate programmes. This page is published in advance so that the disclosure is in place before the first link ever appears, rather than being bolted on afterwards.
When affiliate links do go live, this page will be updated to name the programmes we participate in, and every article containing them will carry a clear notice at the top.
The rules we hold ourselves to
These are not aspirations. They are the standard, and if we ever fail it we would want a reader to hold us to it.
- The recommendation comes first, the link second. We decide what is worth suggesting, then check whether a programme exists. Never the reverse.
- We will not recommend something we would not suggest to a friend with the same dog and the same problem.
- Commission rate never breaks a tie. If two options are equally good and one pays more, we say they are equally good.
- We describe categories, not just brands. Wherever possible we explain what to look for, so that you can buy well anywhere, including places that pay us nothing.
- We say when we do not know. If we have not used something, we will not imply that we have.
- Free is a valid answer. A large part of this site is about what you can do with a towel, a cardboard box and ten minutes. That will not change because links exist.
Display advertising
This site also carries, or intends to carry, display advertising served by third-party ad networks. Those adverts are chosen by the network, not by us. We do not control which advertisers appear, an advert is not an endorsement, and advertising revenue has no influence on our editorial content. See our Privacy Policy for how advertising cookies work.
Amazon and similar programme notices
Where we join a programme that requires specific wording, that wording will appear here and, where required, on the pages carrying the links. This includes the standard disclosure required of Amazon Associates participants, which will be published on this page and in the site footer as soon as any such participation begins.
Why we tell you all this
Partly because advertising regulators in most countries require clear disclosure of material commercial relationships, and we intend to comply with that everywhere we are read.
Mostly, though, because a dog website that hides how it makes money is asking you to trust it about something more important than money.
Questions
If anything here is unclear, or you think a particular recommendation looks commercially motivated, tell us through the contact page and say so. We will answer you straight.
A note on this page
This disclosure covers commercial relationships only. It does not change the standing position that everything on Mind A Dog is general educational information about dogs, and never veterinary advice or a substitute for a professional who knows your individual animal.