Are pets Muktzeh on Shabbos?
Question:
A relative has a pet dog. Are we allowed to visit on Shabbos? I know the kids will want to pet and play with the dog, and the dog will obviously run to them for hugs and whatnot when we get there. What are the rules?
Answer:
All animals are Muktzah Gamur, meaning that they may not be touched (moved) for any reason on Shabbos. (There are certain exceptions with animals when it comes to Tzar Baalei Chaim, but that’s only in extreme cases.)
Therefore, it would be prohibited to play with your relative’s dog on Shabbos.
See here for the parameters and what is permissible:
I wouldn’t say it’s prohibited to go to their house, but you should definitely take precautions if you do go and if you know that it’ll be a test hard to overcome then you should probably avoid it.
שוע”ר סימן שח, סעיפים: ח, עח-עט.
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