Is It Permissible to Keep Dogs?

Is it haram to keep dogs at home? If it is, are there any circumstances where it is permissible?

Hadiths state that it is not permissible to keep dogs unless they are kept for some purposes

It is not completely haram to keep dogs, some circumstances make it permissible
Narrated Abu Hurayrah (ra)
“Whoever keeps a dog that is not a dog for hunting, herding livestock or farming, two qiraats will be deducted from his reward each day.” (Muslim)

However, even though dogs are kept for the valid purposes, it is not permissible to keep them at home

Narrated Ali ibn Abi Taalib (ra)
“The angels do not enter a house in which there is a dog or an image.”( Ibn Maajah)

Circumstances in which keeping a dog is permissible

There is a consensus on the idea that it is permissible to keep dogs for the purposes of hunting, farming and herding
Scholars’ opinions on the issue of keeping a dog are as following:
Imam Nawawi who is a

Shafee

scholar says that:
“It is haram to keep a dog if it is not needed. It is permissible to keep a dog for hunting, farming and herding. There are two points of view on keeping a dog for guarding the house and the streets. One says that it is permissible; while the other does not. The essential idea is that whereas the hadith allows keeping dogs for three purposes, in comparison with this permission, it can be permissible to keep dogs for other purposes if they are really needed.”
Imam Nawawi’s idea is that if it permissible to keep dogs for the three purposes mentioned in the hadith, it can be permissible in similar such as guarding a house. Because if it is permissible to keep dogs to guard farms and animals, it is more appropriate that it should be permissible to keep dogs to guard houses.
Ibn-ul Humam, from

Hanafis,

says that there is a consensus that it is permissible to keep dogs for the purposes of hunting, farming and herding. However it is not permissible to keep dogs if there is no fear of thief and enemy (if it is just for entertainment and fashion). He also says that they should not be kept at home.
The

Malikis

are a bit more tolerant on this issue. According to them, dogs which are kept for specific reasons are regarded as clean. However, other schools of thoughts criticize this idea considering the hadith which orders to wash the cup seven times which a dog drinks from.