Where to adopt a dog or cat in Saint Paul

Walking a dog in Saint Paul

Saint Paul has the largest number of rescues in this directory, and the city’s off-leash parks are unusually varied — no two of them are the same kind of space.

• High Bridge — seven acres on a former power plant site near Upper Landing. The largest of them.
• Arlington Arkwright — 4.5 acres of wooded trails and open space on a bowl-shaped slope, which makes it feel more like a walk than a paddock.
• Meeker Island — a dog run and a dog beach on the Mississippi. Unfenced, bordered by river and bluffs.
• Lilydale — opened in 2022 inside Lilydale Regional Park, with separate fenced areas for large and small dogs. Park at the boat launch.
• Lowertown — completely fenced, next to CHS Field. The downtown option.
• Uŋčí Makhá — two fenced areas on Montreal Ave: one for energetic dogs, and a calmer one with a shelter.
• Lower Landing — along the Mississippi, just outside downtown.

All of them run sunrise to sunset, and the city lists no permit and no fee — which makes Saint Paul cheaper to use than several neighboring cities that sell an annual pass.

The rules worth knowing before you go

The city’s dog park rules are short, and two of them catch people out:

• Bring your own waste bags. They aren’t provided at the parks.
• Three dogs per visit, maximum.
• Dogs must be licensed and vaccinated.
• No puppies under four months, and no female dogs in heat.
• Voice control at all times, and any dog playing rough should be leashed and taken home.

Beyond the dog parks

Saint Paul counts over 180 parks and green spaces and 120 miles of trails, so leashed walking is never the problem here — the parks and recreation site has a map if you want to find what’s nearest you.

The Mississippi River corridor runs the length of the city, and the trails along it connect through to Minneapolis on both banks. If you want distance rather than a fenced acre, that’s where to go.

On adopting here

Saint Paul has more listed rescues than anywhere else in this directory, and most metro organizations will adopt to a Saint Paul household regardless of where they’re based — so it’s worth searching the whole metro rather than the city line. Browse every rescue in Saint Paul, the full Minnesota list, or the whole directory.

We’re an independent directory and aren’t affiliated with any organization listed here. A listing isn’t an endorsement, and park rules change — check the city’s pages before planning around one.