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Let's say a Muslim wants to touch, pet, and play with a cute dog. They intend to purify themselves afterwards, even if they have to do it several times a day.

Some people say this is haram because it is a sin to purposely touch something impure, much more play with it. Some people even go so far as to propose killing people who encourage others to touch dogs.

Please note that this has nothing to do with owning dogs, just touching and playing with them.

So, it is forbidden to touch and play with dogs on purpose?

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                                   بسم الله الرحمن الرحیم

It won’t be counted as a haram (forbidden) act. In truth, it is not haram to touch dogs, but Islam emphasizes in order to preventing form being Najis (impure). Since as you possibly are aware, you should wash (by its conditions) your hand if you touch a dog(s) if:

You as a person who touches the dog or the dog be wet (one of them, or even both of them), then the Nijasah will be transferred from the dog to the individual(s). Afterwards, it would be considered as Nejasah that ought to be washed. For more info. You can refer to the reference below.

Conclusion:

It is not counted as a haram practice as you inquired

So, it is forbidden to touch and play with dogs on purpose?

Reference:

www.islamquest.net

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There's nothing wrong with touching and playing with a dog. They are pure animals and no need for purifying yourself afterward.

It's a cultural stigma that has made dogs into filthy animals and it's not related to Islam.

So it's not haraam and it's not even disliked. Dogs use to wonder around and urinate in the masjid (mosque) during the time of Rasolullah (the apostle of Allah) and no one chased them away.

Ibn Umar said:

"I used to sleep in the masjid in the lifetime of Allah's Messenger when I was young and bachelor. The dogs would urinate frequently and visit the masjid, and no one would sprinkle [water] over it."

(Sahih al-Bukhari) (Sunan Abi Dawud)

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    Thanks for the answer. But the hadith doesn't say it's fine to touch the dog itself, just that they are welcome in the masjid. There is another hadith that says that if a dog drinks from a water container, the container must be washed thoroughly before it is suited for drinking.
    – Muz
    Oct 28, 2014 at 2:12
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It is said that every act of kindness towards any living thing is rewarded. A dog is also included. Also many say that there was one an old person in a desert with a dog and it was really hot. When this old person finally found water, they did not drink it all but gave some to the dog. For this act, it is believed that they are rewarded heaven.

To treat animals well, we will sometimes need to touch them. Therefore it is not haram to touch the animal.

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