Show mercy towards animals while following Islamic rulings on certain matters such as killing dangerous animals or washing vessels after being licked by a dog

This hadith discusses the Islamic ruling on killing dogs. The Prophet Muhammad commanded that all dogs should be killed, however he granted an exception for hunting and sheepdogs as they are useful animals. Additionally, if a dog licks any vessel, one must wash it seven times then rub it with dust the eighth time according to the Prophet Muhammad's instructions. However Abu Hurairah disagreed with this ruling and said that one should only need to rub it once with dust instead of washing seven times before rubbing it with dust. This hadith teaches us about how Muslims should treat animals in general; even though some animals may not be beneficial or useful, we must still show mercy towards them as much as possible while still following Islamic rulings on certain matters such as killing dangerous animals or washing vessels after being licked by a dog.