How Animalso ranks

Animalso is about breeds first. How its lists are put in order, and who appears on its pages.

Breed lists: A to Z, never ranked

Every dog, cat and horse breed list is in alphabetical order. A breed is not "better" for being higher up: no breed list is a ranking, and no place on one is for sale.

Each breed's facts (the countries it comes from, what it was bred as, its height, weight and life expectancy) are read from Wikidata, and its description from Wikipedia. The breed's page links to both, with the date they were read. Photographs come from Wikimedia Commons, with the author and licence shown under each one.

Breeders, clubs and rescues on a breed page

The "Breeders, clubs and rescues" box on a breed page lists businesses that keep that breed. An editor checks each one before it appears: a real kennel, club, rescue or shelter with its own website that keeps the breed named. They are listed, not ranked, and they never change a breed's facts. We do not inspect kennels: visit, meet the animals and ask questions before you buy or adopt.

For pet professionals: software, by Animalso's score

Software for vet clinics, grooming salons and animal shelters is ordered by a score Animalso works out from what each maker publishes about itself. It answers one question: what can a clinic, a groomer or a shelter see and do before talking to sales?

• Its prices are on its own pages.
• It has a free plan, or failing that a free trial.
• It has an iPhone app and an Android app, for people who work on their feet.
• Clients can book themselves online.
• It sends owners reminders and messages.
• It keeps the animal's records.
• How fully the maker documents it, and how recently its pages were read.

A tie keeps the research's own order, then the one with more published facts. Every fact a score uses is on the software's page with the address it was read from.

What money can and cannot buy

Some numbered places at the top of a software list can be bought: a bought place stands at the number bought and the rest of the list moves down one. A brand can also sponsor a whole list, take the rotating featured slot, or (for software) a place beside a rival's page. Breeders, clubs and rescues pay to be listed on the pages of the breeds they keep. The facts on a page are not for sale, and neither is any place on a breed list.

More on how Animalso is paid for: the disclosure.