Red River Valley Pet Election 2026
Privacy
Last updated September 9, 2026
Who we are
The Red River Valley Pet Election is run by Fargo Home Company LLC, doing business as Novel Design + Build, a home builder in West Fargo, North Dakota. This policy covers this site — pets.buildwithnovel.com — and the emails and text messages the election sends. Our company privacy policy at buildwithnovel.com/privacy-policy covers everything else.
What we collect
When you nominate a pet, you give us:
- Your pet's name, city, species, pronoun, the lines you pick for their platform, and the photos you upload.
- Your first name, last name and email address.
- Your mobile number, only if you choose to give it.
When you vote, we store a random identifier in your browser so the same device cannot vote twice in one day for one pet. It is not your name, your email or your phone number, and we cannot work backwards from it to you.
Our host keeps ordinary server logs — the page requested, a timestamp, a rough location and device type. We do not run advertising pixels or conversion tags on this site.
Why we use it
To put your pet on the ballot and make their poster and campaign pictures. To tell you when something happens to your pet — certified, a milestone reached, a new picture earned. To count votes honestly. To answer you when you write to us.
We do not sell your information, and we do not rent it.
Votes
A vote records which pet, which city, which day, and the random device identifier described above. It does not record who you are. You do not need an account to vote, and we do not ask you for one.
If you nominate a pet, we email you about that pet: their poster, the moment they are on the ballot, and each new picture or clip they earn. That is the whole list, and you get it because you entered.
Separately, you can tick a box to hear from Novel about building a home. That box is unticked by default, we record the moment you tick it, and it is the only thing on this site that asks for that permission. Every email we send carries our postal address and a way to stop.
Text messages
We will never share your mobile number with third parties or affiliates for marketing or promotional purposes.
Text messages are optional and separate from email. We only text you if you tick the box asking for it and give us your number — entering a pet does not sign you up.
Message frequency varies — about six to ten messages a month during the campaign, which runs September 18 to October 17, 2026.
Message and data rates may apply.
Reply STOP to any message to stop receiving them. Reply HELP for help, or reach us at the address below. Carriers are not liable for delayed or undelivered messages.
Who we share it with
Only the services that make this thing work, and only what they need:
- Netlify — hosting, and storage for the photos and the pictures we make.
- Notion — where entries live so a person at Novel can review them.
- Resend — sends the email.
- Creatomate — renders the poster and the campaign cards from your photo.
- Google — an AI model makes the illustrated portrait from your photo.
- Cloudflare — checks that a vote came from a person, not a script.
- Sentry — tells us when something breaks. It is configured not to collect personal information.
- Twilio — will send the text messages, if and when we turn them on.
We also share with professional advisors where we have to, and with anyone you ask us to. We do not give your information to the shelters — the adoption offer runs through the shelter directly, and they know you only if you go to them.
How long we keep it
Entries, photos and the pictures we make stay while the campaign runs and for a reasonable period afterwards, so the pages people shared keep working. Vote records are kept in aggregate. If you want your entry and its photos removed, write to us and we will remove them.
Security
We use reputable providers, and access is limited to people at Novel who need it. No site can promise perfect security, and we will not pretend otherwise.
Children
This site is not directed at children under 13 and we do not knowingly collect their information. A parent or guardian should enter on a child's behalf. If you believe a child has given us information, write to us and we will delete it.
Your choices
- Email about your pet: every message has a way to stop.
- Email from Novel: untick the box, or tell us any time.
- Texts: reply STOP.
- Your entry: ask us and we will correct or remove it.
We honour Do Not Track by not tracking you across other sites in the first place.
Contact
Fargo Home Company LLC d/b/a Novel Design + Build3262 Oak Ridge Loop E, West Fargo, ND 58078
info@buildwithnovel.com · 701.306.9995
If we change this policy we will change the date at the top.