Islamic Horizons November/December 2021

FEATURE

Are Dogs Still Man’s Best Friend?

The pros and cons of dog ownership

BY MOHAMMAD ABDULLAH the death of his dog Bo, former President Obama described him as a “true friend and loyal companion.” But in addition to being “man’s best friend,” dogs are also big business. PetKeenit estimates that $109.6 billion will be spent on pets in the U.S. during 2021 (https://petkeen.com/ pet-food-industry-stats/).

Muslims often ask if they can own dogs.

The Shafi‘i and Hanbali schools contend that as a dog’s nasal area is often wet, it is considered najis (impure) and that you must perform ablution before praying if it touches you or your clothes. The Maliki school, however, considers a dog’s nasal area to be pure thus it’s no big deal if it touches you.

In a 2016 advisory, Dubai’s Grand Mufti Dr. Ahmed Al Haddad told the Khaleej Times that keeping a dog at home is not advisable, as affirmed by Prophet Muhammad (salla Allahu ‘alayhi wa sallam); however, “If a dog is needed for guarding, herding, or hunting, it must be kept in a proper place and as per need.” The Qur’an mentions dogs in 5:4, 18:18 and 18:22.

DOGS’ IMPACT ON THE ENVIRONMENT

President Biden pets the family dog Champ in the Oval Office (Official White House photo by Adam Schultz; Feb. 24, 2021)

D

ogs are never off the media circuit. And with the departure of “no-dogs” Trump, dogs continue to make news in the Biden White House, even viciously – one of them, after biting a staffer, had to be sent back to their Delaware home for training.

The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (https://www.aspca. org) said, on May 23, that 23 million American households acquired a pet — usually a dog — during the Covid-19 pandemic’s enforced isolation and that most of them will not consider rehoming their pet in the near future.

This rush to seek companionship, however, has not gone well for all. Fortune reported on July 26, “Shelters in New York and Los Angeles are nearing capacity as more and more people who got pets during the

pandemic are dumping them as the world inches back to normal” (https://dearpandemic.org/update-on-pandemic-pets/). It added that “intakes at the Humane Society of Dallas County are twice as high as they were before the pandemic.”

Not all shelters have the resources to bar euthanizing unwanted pets. On July 8, Reuters cited Chloe Esperiquette of the Los Angeles’ Wags and Walks adoption center, who noted that “Every year in the United States, 1.5 million shelter animals are euthanized, including 670,000 dogs” (https:// www.mercurynews.com/2021/07/08/dogsfill-shelters-as-pandemic-lockdowns-ease/).

“If you want a friend in Washington, get a dog” has become a popular saying. It’s believed that dogs were the first animal to be domesticated and became “man’s best friend” many centuries ago. Announcing

56 ISLAMIC HORIZONS NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2021

The book “One Nation Under Dog: America’s Love Affair with Our Dogs” (2010) claims that 83% of American pet owners referred to themselves as their animal’s “mommy” or “daddy.” Around the world too, most people regard their dogs as part of the family and do everything possible to keep them healthy and comfortable. Some even provide them with endless services, such as taking them to members-only dog runs and dog swim therapists, dressing them up in various outfits and fighting over pet custody when getting divorced.

Dog love keeps getting more expensive.

Although dogs will eat anything offered to them, three years ago Petco signed a deal with JustFoodForDogs™, a Southern California purveyor of handcrafted meals with human-quality ingredients.

Many owners feel that no one understands them better than their dogs. But some reports paint a different picture. For example, a commentary in The San Diego Union-Tribune (July 11, 2018) stated, “Let’s be honest, America: Dogs are parasites, not