Answer
Asalamu Alaikum,
Thank you for contacting About Islam with your question.
Dr. Shabir Ally addresses this question in the video below:
Transcript:
Aisha Khaja: So, Dr. Shabir, the question today is about, a viewer asking if they can keep a dog because they love this pet, but also for guarding purposes and does this reduce their daily good deeds in reference to a hadith?
Dr. Shabir Ally: Mm-hmm, so very quickly, assuming that the hadith which prohibits keeping dogs is authentic—even the hadith itself says that if you’re keeping a guard dog—and this is exempt. So, it doesn’t say you can’t love the guard dog.
I mean it doesn’t matter. So, as to assuage the viewer, no, you will not be losing your reward. But you may also want to stay tuned for a wider discussion on hadith, the series which we are discussing on this show.
Because our insights on hadiths may actually help us to put this whole thing into perspective.
I hope this helps answer your question. Please keep in touch.
Walaikum Asalam.
Please continue feeding your curiosity, and find more info in the following links:
https://aboutislam.net/reading-islam/about-muhammad/learning-prophets-kindness-compassion/