On today’s daf, Chullin 112a, we learn that Shemu’el owned a dog. Something a dog owner can cite next time someone says it is un-Jewish to do so.
אָמַר רַב נַחְמָן, אָמַר שְׁמוּאֵל: כִּכָּר שֶׁחָתַךְ עָלֶיהָ בָּשָׂר – אָסוּר לְאׇכְלָהּ, וְהָנֵי מִילֵּי דְּאַסְמֵיק, וְהָנֵי מִילֵּי דְּאַבְרְיֵהּ, וְהָנֵי מִילֵּי דְּאַסְמְכֵיהּ, אֲבָל קְלִישְׁתָּא – לֵית לַן בַּהּ.
שְׁ מוּאֵל שָׁדֵי לֵיהּ לְכַלְבֵּיהּ.
רַב הוּנָא יָהֵיב לֵיהּ לְשַׁמָּעֵיהּ. מָה נַפְשָׁךְ? אִי שְׁרֵי – לְכוּלֵּי עָלְמָא שְׁרֵי, אִי אֲסִיר – לְכוּלֵּי עָלְמָא אֲסִיר! שָׁאנֵי רַב הוּנָא דַּאֲנִינָא דַּעְתֵּיהּ.
רָבָא אָכֵיל לֵיהּ, וְקָרֵי לֵיהּ ״חֲמַר בָּשָׂר״.
— עד כאן עבודה —
I am now getting Mod-O vibes about Shemu’el 
: He was a doctor, an expert in astronomy, says that the “only” thing the mashiach will bring is an end to שעבוד מלכיות, he is the source of דינא דמחותא דינא…
AND he owned a dog!
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We were discussing this at our shiur last night, and I pointed out that we don’t know whether he had the dog as a pet or for work, like guard dog duty. So not a total proof, but definitely something to consider..
MYG
Rav Dovid Lifshitz ז"ל taught this gemara (if my 42 yr old memory is accurate) as the dog being right there where hs found the bread. That likely biased my mental image.
But it is common for a Rebbe to add details to a story to aid the students’ imaginations. What I recall would have been an example of that. The gemara itself doesn’t say one or the other.
A quick Google and AI check says that while Romans were even breeding “toy” breed dogs in the 3rd century CE, in Babylonia the only pet dogs were mutts owned by the very wealthy. Most were for hunting, guarding, rodent control, and a few unowned scavagers roamed the streets.
Shmuel had a large staff of slaves. So I would say his having a dog as a convenient waste disposal in the kitchen would make it being a pet about as plausible as his keeping it in the kitchen for pest control.