Does a question have to specify a specific pet, or can it pertain to pets in general?

Question

I asked a question here: What are good techniques for coping with the loss of a dog?

Originally it pertained to just "pets" rather than "dogs", and I was told it was too broad, so I changed it.

There has been a small amount of controversy about whether this change was necessary.

So...Does a question have to specify a specific pet, or can it pertain to pets in general?

Answer 1

I think this depends entirely on the question.

Some questions are too broad because without a specific pet, or even a specific type (or breed) of the pet (like small dogs, or Golden Retrievers) to provide a frame of reference you could write novels about it. How you would respond about a dog is different than how you would respond if the question was about a cat or a goldfish.

However, there are some questions that are less about the pet and more about the human relationship with the animal, in which I don't necessarily think can or should necessarily be confined to a specific animal.

I've asked one myself:

• What signs should I look for in my children to know they are ready for a pet

And I wasn't told that it should be about a specific pet, because it is not about the specific pet but about getting the insight of animal lovers on how they recommend telling if my kids are ready for the responsibility of a pet (any pet)

Answer 2

The first question was originally about reptiles generally, it was flagged as too broad.

How do I determine when my tortoise is sated?

I've tried to give a cross sample of the variety of our posts to date:

What age of snake is best for a pet?

Would my fish benefit from snails in their pot pond?

What means do rabbits use to mark and defend their territory?

How to prepare a pond for crayfish?

When is declawing a viable option for cats?

Possible sign of dog-to-dog aggression in a 3 dog household

Abscess in horses hoof

I have posted this:

https://pets.stackexchange.com/questions/723/is-it-safe-for-me-to-use-human-medication-on-my-pet

in response to these:

Can I give human medicine to chickens?

Can I use human medicine on dogs?

Given such an eclectic collection of pets, and the various permutations per pet species, I'd say generalized questions about pets that would be a fit for our site would be far and few between and generally should not be encouraged.