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מכרכר בכל עוז's avatar

"But an animal that is entirely designated for such a purpose from before Shabbos would be permissible to move on Shabbos, just as it is permissible to move rocks on Shabbos when they are designated from before Shabbos for being moved (such as an ornamental rock that one shows around)...

Historically, there was simply no such thing as pets. People only owned animals for them to work or to raise them as food. Dogs were bred for specific work purposes - dachshunds to hunt badgers, poodles to retrieve ducks. Cats were kept to catch rats and thereby protect grain supplies. Domestic hamsters didn’t even exist. The only keeping of animals for non-work purposes was with kings and suchlike, who had unusual and beautiful animals to decorate their palaces, but they were still not held for interaction with humans."

Wow! Feels like the Tashbetz fight all over again! The above quote is simply not true. The Rosh (quoted in the Maharach Or Zrua, 81- 82) discusses a scenario of raising pet birds, and at the end of s. 82 rules that they are Muktze because of lo plug. R' Shlomo Zalman in Shmiras Shabbos C'hilchasa (chapter 27 footnote 101), quotes some authorities that prohibit handling pets based on the earlier authorities that prohibit a child to play with a bird, and specifically makes the distinction you are suggesting and disputes this proof, as the instance of a child playing with the bird was not talking about a bird that was a specifically a pet. HOWEVER, he then goes on to disagree with their entire line of reasoning based on the Rosh above, as the Rosh clearly says it's a lo plug and would prohibit playing with pets as well. And in chapter 18 footnote 62, RSHZA specifically says that this lo plug of the Rosh about pets would probably not apply for SEEING EYE DOGS. Not for all other pets, as he is specifically coming to differentiate from!!!

As far as R' Moshe, he is on record in his sefer saying that pets are muktze, and his position amongst his talmidim is far from clear on the matter. Some of his closest talmidim vehemently hold that R' Moshe never permitted pets to be handled on Shabbos. So the matter is far from being 'beyond doubt'.

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Yossi Rathner's avatar

I am not sure I understand the practical difference between judging an animal muktzeh on shabbat. Since muktzeh does not prohibit touching - only moving, why wouldn't the concept of chai hotzi et atzmoh apply. By that I mean, if I walk my dog on shabbat, I am not carrying the dog, rather the dog is walking with me.

I recall that Shmirat Shabbat KeHilchata (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shemirat_Shabbat_Kehilchatah) permitted walking a pet on a leash on shabbat even in an area without an eruv. I do not seem to have a copy of Shmirat Shabbat KeHilchata but this response from Aish.com is exactly what I recall from the book (https://aish.com/walking-a-dog-on-shabbat/).

So If I can both "touch" the animal and walk the animal on a leash - what would be prohibited if it was muktzeh?

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