Cristo Salazar walks with his dog Misty nearly every day the few blocks to Concepcion Park where they can get in a good, long walk before tossing the ball around.

Before this summer, Salazar used an open field in the park to play fetch with his adopted rat terrier mixed breed, a shy but active 1-year-old pup. 

Now with a new off-leash dog park that opened at Concepcion in May, the two can use the three-quarter-acre enclosed yard for safer playtime.

“It’s cool that they made this place because there’s lots of space,” he said, comparing it to several other dog parks he’s visited in San Antonio.

On a recent weekday, Salazar and Misty had the entire park to themselves — perhaps because temperatures were in the mid-80s and climbing.

Southside resident Cristo Salazar plays fetch with his dog Misty at the Concepcion Dog Park on Aug. 25, 2026. Credit: Amber Esparza / San Antonio Report

The City of San Antonio has built 21 off-leash dog parks throughout the city, including two at Phil Hardberger Park on the North Side and two at Tom Slick Park on the Northwest Side.

The first one opened in 2005 at Pearsall Park on the Southwest Side. The most recent in the Beacon Hill neighborhood, between Rosewood and Lullwood, north of downtown.

Two more are planned to open in spring 2027 — at Arnold Park, 1011 Gillette Blvd., and Medina Base Road Park, 6303 Medina Base Road.

Construction to build a pavilion and playground is going on next to the large-size dog park at Maverick Park, 1000 Broadway St. 

If you go, visit the city’s website for hours and a list of do’s and don’ts, which includes supervising your dog, cleaning up waste and removing a pet that shows signs of aggression. 

Bexar County offers the Gunn Family Coyote Dog Park in far Northwest San Antonio. (The park closed in July for repairs due to storm damage and will reopen when complete.)

As for dog-friendly commercial places to take your furry friend, there are two with off-lease dog runs: Hops & Hounds, 1123 Avenue B, in downtown San Antonio, and The Dog Co. Icehouse at 4302 Hyatt Place Dr. in Northwest San Antonio.

Maverick Dog Park on Broadway opened in 2021. Credit: Amber Esparza / San Antonio Report

Here’s a complete list of public dog parks in San Antonio:

  • Beacon Hill Neighborhood Linear Park, 1144 W Gramercy Pl.
  • Concepcion Park, 600 Theo Pkwy.
  • Falcone Park, 8701 Mystic Park
  • Fox Park, 6518 W Hausman Rd.
  • Gunn Family Coyote Dog Park, 5815 N. Loop 1604 W.
  • Kingsborough Park, 350 Felps Blvd.
  • Lady Bird Johnson Park, 10700 Nacogdoches Rd.
  • Lockwood-Dignowity Park, 801 N. Olive St.
  • Madison Square Park, 400 Lexington Ave.
  • Maverick Park, 1000 Broadway St.
  • McAllister Park, 13102 Jones Maltsberger Rd.
  • New Territories Park, 9023 Bowen Dr.
  • Panther Springs Park, 22635 Wilderness Oak
  • Pearsall Park, 5102 Old Pearsall Rd.
  • Perez Park, 8601 Timber Path
  • Phil Hardberger Park, 13203 Blanco Rd.
  • South Side Lions Sports Park, 3100 Hiawatha St.
  • Tom Slick Park, 7400 State Hwy. 151
  • Travis Park, 301 E. Travis St.
  • Woodlawn Lake Park, 1103 Cincinnati Ave.

Shari covers business and development for the San Antonio Report. A graduate of St. Mary’s University, she has worked in the corporate and nonprofit worlds in San Antonio and as a freelance writer for...