Is it permissible to keep a dog as a pet at home?

See the related question on cats and dogs. Summary: dogs are permitted for utility (guarding livestock, hunting, herding, service) per Sahih Bukhari 5481. Keeping them as indoor pets is discouraged by most scholars based on the hadith that angels do not enter a house with a dog (Sahih Bukhari 3322), and dog saliva requires specific ritual washing (Sahih Muslim 279).

Maliki view: More accommodating, considers the dog itself not impure during life.

If you have or want a dog: - Ideal: keep it primarily outdoors or in a defined area not used for prayer. - Maintain cleanliness; treat the animal kindly (Islam strictly forbids cruelty to animals). - Wash hands and clothes if saliva contacts them. - Service dogs for the blind/disabled are permitted by contemporary scholars under necessity.