Examining the Rights of Owners of Pet Dogs from the Perspective of Imamia Jurisprudence and Iranian Law with Emphasis on the Jurisprudence of Courts

Paying attention to the changes of time, place and gradual conventional circumstances of every society is necessary. One of the issues raised in Imamia jurisprudence is that the impure objects are not capable of being owned; previously confirmed by the custom of society as well. Due to economic, cultural and social changes, this view does not remain as strong as before and in certain cases, in addition to the change of the prevailing social attitude, the Islamic jurists have also changed their opinion as to the capability of these objects to be owned. As regards pet dogs which are among impure objects, it may be said that given the social changes, their customary capability to be owned is uncontroversial; however, the qualification of halal (legitimate) profit is not still imaginable for them and this has led to different approaches to protection and non-protection of the rights of owners of pet dogs and has also provided the basis for the issuance of controversial decisions in the jurisprudence of courts. It seems that considering the customary capability of these objects to be owned, which is verifiable from the viewpoint of law and some sources of Islamic jurisprudence, as well as Haghe Ikhtisas (a special right resulting for example from possessing something) that Islamic jurisprudence recognizes for the owners of these impure objects, the protective approach should be adopted and the effects of this protective approach (civil and criminal responsibility) should be accepted.