Is it a good idea to have a dog

Do you think it’s a good idea for me to keep a dog at home? I am terribly confused about this, so I’m going to ask for a detailed and well-argued response, permitted or prohibited, recommended or not recommended, and why.

Dear …!

The answer to your question consists of two parts, depending on whether we’re talking about a dog that could be dangerous, or a regular dog. If this is a dangerous dog, there is a halachic prohibition in keeping one. If it’s a regular dog, there is no prohibition, but keeping one is not recommended. Thus, if this is a dog that might bite a stranger, or even to bark at one and scare him, it’s forbidden to keep it, unless it’s kept on a chain. (And then, even when it barks, it should be made known or obvious that it’s chained, so its barking won’t frighten people.) The only way that it would be permitted to keep such a dog without tying it is when there is real danger, and the dog is needed to guard the house. Then one might be allowed to let it roam freely within confines of the house.

On the other hand, the letter of the law is that one is permitted to keep a dog that is not dangerous, and doesn’t scare people. However, I will now provide a number of reasons why this is not recommended.

1. You have to know really well how one is permitted to take care of animals on Shabbos.
2. Judaism sees a dog as an animal that symbolizes very negative qualities and traits.
3. Every human being, and especially a Jew, has a burning desire to give to others. The Western world has all but lost such values as giving to one’s family or to community. Nonetheless, inside each human there is tremendous natural pent-up energy for doing good. If this energy goes unused, the person will eventually release it by taking care of dogs or other animals. My advice is that you keep that energy for your family and kids, and not waste it on dogs.

You almost don’t see Torah-observant people owning dogs. On the other hand, you do see so much energy invested into caring for others, into being devoted to one’s family. There are so many organizations for helping the poor, giving to others, volunteering.

On the other hand, you see that most animal-rights organizations are antisemitic and anti-Israel. Overall, they give so much less to others than religious families do!

It's important to note that there are undoubtedly certain individuals who a are very devoted to animals or to the preservation of nature, and at the same time give much to other people. They are an exception. What I described to you are general trends.

To summarize: there is no prohibition in keeping a dog that cannot cause damage to the people in your neighborhood. Keeping one is allowed, but not recommended. I tried to explain the main reasons why not, as per your request.

Shulchan Oruch, section Choshen Mishpat, chapter 409, §3