> ## Knowledge Base Index
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> Use this file to discover available pages before exploring further.
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# How does BreedBuddies protect breeder home privacy and security?

For registered dog breeders, physical privacy is a matter of paramount safety. Breeding kennels, high-profile show champions, and upcoming litters are increasingly targeted by theft rings, commercial scouts, and online scammers.

At BreedBuddies, our platform is built with **privacy-by-design** principles to ensure that your dedication to breeding does not compromise your family's personal safety or your dogs' security.

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## 1. Why Your Exact Street Address is Never Displayed

When you register a location on BreedBuddies:
* **Private to the Woof Team**: Your exact street number and address are stored securely and used solely by our team to verify local council zoning and state registry jurisdiction.
* **Public Masking**: On all public search listings, dog profiles, and match cards, only your **suburb, post code, and state** are visible (e.g., *Mornington Peninsula, VIC* or *Camden, NSW*).
* **Distance Radius Matching**: Potential matches calculate travel distances based on general geographical centroids, not your precise property coordinates.


**Protecting Valuable Dogs from Theft**  
Displaying exact property locations online makes kennels vulnerable to targeted break-ins. BreedBuddies strictly safeguards your address so you control who knows where your dogs sleep.

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## 2. Best Practices for Safe Dog Showcasing

While taking photos of your dogs and kennel facilities is vital for building peer trust, keep these visual privacy tips in mind:
1. **Disable Geotagging**: Turn off GPS location tagging in your camera or smartphone settings before taking photos for your online profile.
2. **Obscure Distinctive Landmarks**: Avoid photographing your dogs against house numbers, distinctive street signs, unique gate entrances, or vehicle registration plates.
3. **Keep Whelping Areas Private**: Do not post wide-angle photos showing internal home security layouts or property access points.

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## 3. Controlling Contact Unlock

Unlike open classified portals where phone numbers and emails are scraped by web bots:
* Your contact information (phone, full legal name, email) is completely hidden behind our **Mutual Match Unlock** gate.
* Only after both you and the prospective mate's owner have mutually agreed to connect and completed the match unlock process are direct communication channels shared.

This two-tier privacy system ensures you only share sensitive details with verified, serious peer breeders who have invested in a genuine breeding collaboration.