Source standards
Every number on this site carries one of three labels. This page explains exactly what each one means, what we check before assigning it, and what we deliberately choose not to use as a source.
The three labels
| Label | What it means |
|---|---|
| Verified | Confirmed against a primary source — a national kennel club’s published breed standard (e.g. AKC) or an equivalent authoritative registry document. |
| Estimated | Derived from the parent breeds’ verified ranges, used for designer/hybrid crosses that have no official breed standard of their own (no kennel club writes a standard for a cross). |
| No Data | We could not find a primary source or a reasonable parent-breed estimate. Shown explicitly rather than left blank or guessed. |
What counts as a primary source
- A national kennel club’s official breed standard page (e.g. the American Kennel Club).
- Peer-reviewed veterinary literature, for health and physiology claims.
- A hybrid/designer-breed registry’s own published documentation, for cross-specific claims — clearly labelled as a registry claim, not a breed-standard claim, since registries do not set graded conformation standards the way kennel clubs do.
What we do not use as a source
- Other content sites’ unsourced figures. A number repeated across a dozen pet blogs with no citation is not a source — it is just repetition.
- AI-generated statistics with no underlying data. If a figure cannot be traced to something real, it is not published as fact.
- Stock-photo captions or marketing copy as a basis for factual claims.
When we can’t verify something
If a claim already published on this site turns out to lack a solid source, we mark it unsourced — needs review internally rather than deleting it outright or inventing a citation to cover the gap. That tracking currently lives in our internal build notes; readers who spot an unsourced claim are welcome to flag it via Contact.
Editorial vs. commercial content
This site earns revenue through affiliate links (see the Privacy Policy). No affiliate relationship changes a Verified/Estimated/No Data label, and no product review is written in exchange for payment or free product without disclosure.
Health content
Pages that discuss health conditions are researched from public veterinary information but are not currently reviewed by a licensed veterinarian before publication — this is disclosed in the byline of each article rather than implied otherwise. Nothing on this site is a substitute for an actual veterinary exam; when a page says “see a vet,” it means it.