First of all, we would like you to know that it is not allowed for one to keep a dog at home for a purpose other than hunting or guarding the house (watchdogs). The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) is reported to have said: “Whoever keeps a dog save for hunting or for guarding crops or cattle will lose one large measure (qirat) of his reward each day.” (Reported by Al-Bukhari and Muslim)
Dr. Marawan Shahin, Professor of Hadith and its Sciences, Faculty of Usul Ad-Din (Theology), Al-Azhar Univ. states: “Touching dogs or being in contact with them does not nullify one’s ablution or render one’s body or clothes impure. This is based on the opinion of a group of Muslim scholars including Hanafi scholars who say that only the dog’s saliva is impure but not its fur. So, if one touched a dog’s fur and not its saliva, then their body and clothes are pure.