Last checked: 22 October 2026. Every rule below links to the order or news report it comes from. We found no city-wide BMC rule on dogs in its gardens, so the board at each gate, and the guard, decide on the day.

The short answers

  • Is there a dog park in Mumbai? A few small ones, some run by local residents. The most recent we found is Juhu Pet Park, opposite the Novotel on Juhu Beach, open since February 2025. The BMC has no policy for building dog parks yet: its general body asked for one in July 2026 (Mid-Day, 7 Aug 2026).
  • Are dogs allowed in BMC gardens? We found no single rule: each garden, or the group that runs it, decides, and some say no. Priyadarshini Park in Malabar Hill lets dogs in on a leash for a set hour in the morning.
  • Can I walk my dog on Bandra Bandstand? It’s disputed. The residents’ trust that looks after the promenade enforces a “No Pets” rule along its 1.1 km, and animal activists say it has no right to.
  • Can I take my dog into Sanjay Gandhi National Park? We couldn’t confirm. The park’s own list of rules and fines doesn’t mention pets, so ask at the gate. Leopards there hunt dogs.
  • Is there a dog park in Navi Mumbai? One opened in a municipal garden in Vashi in June 2022 (Times of India, 12 Jun 2022). We couldn’t confirm it’s still open.

Dog parks in Mumbai

Traffic and territorial street dogs make it close to impossible to let a dog off the leash on Mumbai’s roads, a Worli dog parent wrote in 2024 (Citizen Matters, 26 Apr 2024). These dedicated spaces have been reported:

  • Juhu Pet Park, Juhu Beach: opposite the Novotel hotel. It was a BMC garden that had turned into a dumping ground, and it was rebuilt as a pet park with funds from local MLA Ameet Satam, opening in February 2025 (Free Press Journal, 12 Feb 2025). It has slides for pets, and local residents run it day to day along with the BMC (Times of India, 14 Feb 2025). The reports give no hours, fee or leash rule, so read the board at the gate.
  • Carter Road, Bandra: a dog park maintained by the BMC, which a dog parent described as well used by local dog parents in April 2024 (Citizen Matters). We couldn’t confirm it’s still open.
  • Zoic Pet Park, IC Colony, Borivali West: a 27,000 sq ft garden managed by local residents, which the Indian Express called the biggest of the city’s three parks where pets can run off the leash. Renovated in December 2021, it has tunnels, a fenced area for puppies and a pond for dogs with weak hind legs, and opened at 7.30 am (Indian Express, 16 Jan 2022). We couldn’t confirm it’s still open as described.
  • Worli dog park, Hind Cycle Road (never opened): built next to a BMC parking lot, it was to be the first dog park the BMC ran in the island city. In April 2024 it had stood finished but closed for more than a year, because, the site manager said, the BMC had refused to take it over (Citizen Matters). We found no report that it has opened since.

Why there aren’t more: Mumbai’s planning rules, the DCPR 2034, set aside no land for pet parks. On 20 July 2026 the BMC’s general body passed a motion to add them; the state’s Urban Development Department has to agree before the BMC votes on the change. The councillor who moved it said officials told him that without such a policy, any dog parks the BMC built “could be shut over a few complaints” (Mid-Day).

We haven’t listed private, paid dog parks, because we couldn’t read prices and rules on the venues’ own pages.

  • Vashi dog park, Sector 8: inside the Veer Savarkar municipal garden, opened in June 2022 after a former corporator, Divya Gaikwad, first took the idea to the NMMC in 2017. It covers about 900 sq m, cost ₹26 lakh, and has a doggie ladder, a tunnel, a slope and poop bins. In 2022 the NMMC also had a few smaller “pet corners”, such as near Palm Beach Road (Times of India). We couldn’t confirm what is open now.
  • Thane: we found no report of a dog park run by the Thane Municipal Corporation.

Big parks, promenades and the national park

  • Priyadarshini Park, Malabar Hill: dogs are allowed only at set hours and must stay on a leash (Citizen Matters, Apr 2024). In April 2026 a Mid-Day guide gave 8 to 9 am as the time to go with your dog (Mid-Day, 11 Apr 2026).
  • Mahalaxmi Race Course: in 2024, dogs only during its set opening hours and on a leash (Citizen Matters). We couldn’t confirm the current hours.
  • Bandra Bandstand: the Bandra Bandstand Residents’ Trust says it has kept a “No Pets” rule on the 1.1 km promenade for more than two decades, because poop is rarely cleared and some dogs frighten walkers. In March 2026, after an animal activist complained, the BMC’s ward office took down signs there that banned feeding animals and restricted pets. The activist says the trust is authorised to manage only a small garden on the promenade (Free Press Journal, 27 Mar 2026). In April the trust said it was keeping its rule (Free Press Journal, 4 Apr 2026), so expect to be stopped.
  • Sanjay Gandhi National Park: the park’s list of rules and on-the-spot fines says nothing about pets (SGNP). Ask at the gate before you take a dog in. Leopards live in the park, some with territories along its edges that extend into Mumbai and Thane, and a 2015 study of their droppings found stray dogs made up 24% of their diet (SGNP). In March 2026 a leopard killed a stray dog in a Goregaon housing complex near the park, and a wildlife warden said leopards hunt dogs along the forest’s edges, mostly late at night (Times of India, 18 Mar 2026). If you live near the park or Aarey, keep your dog on a short leash and close to you after dark. In a leopard emergency, call the forest helpline, 1926 (SGNP).

Places we couldn’t confirm: Shivaji Park, Oval Maidan, Marine Drive, Joggers Park in Bandra, Juhu Beach itself, and the Yari Road pet park in Andheri West. If you know what the board at the gate says, tell us and we’ll add it.

Colony gardens and housing societies

Many gardens and promenades shy away from pets, the Indian Express noted in 2022. The Animal Welfare Board of India (AWBI), the statutory board under the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, tells housing societies that “seeking to ban pets from gardens or parks, is short-sighted” and suggests agreeing dog timings instead; they can’t keep pets out of lifts either (AWBI guidelines, 26 Feb 2015). For public parks, in a 2016 letter to Delhi’s parks authority, the Board said leashed dogs walked by adults “will not therefore be banned”, and that parks can set reasonable dog hours instead (AWBI, 15 Nov 2016). We found no Bombay High Court ruling on taking pet dogs into parks.

If a guard stops you at a garden, don’t argue at the gate. Take it up with the garden’s office or your BMC ward office.

What to carry

  • A leash and poop bags.
  • Your dog’s BMC licence and vaccination record. Phone photos work.
  • Water and a bowl. Dogs cool themselves mainly by panting, which works less well when it is humid (Dogs Trust), so in Mumbai’s muggy months walk in the cooler hours and learn the signs of heatstroke.

In the monsoon, keep your dog out of floodwater and puddles where you can. Dogs catch leptospirosis through water or urine contaminated with the bacteria, which survive for long periods in water, and people can catch it too. The vaccine is usually given every year (Merck Veterinary Manual), so ask your vet whether your dog is due.

Puppies: wait until your vet says your puppy’s vaccinations protect it before taking it to busy parks, see when puppies can go to the park. Ticks: check your dog after every walk through grass, see how to check for ticks and remove one.

Park manners

Pick up every poop: it’s one of the reasons the Bandstand trust gives for its ban. Ask before your dog greets another dog, keep a female in heat at home, and keep a nervous dog on a short leash. Before your first visit to a fenced dog park, read dog park etiquette.

Dog parks in other cities: Bangalore, Delhi, Gurgaon, Noida, Hyderabad, Pune, Chennai, Kolkata, Chandigarh and Kochi.

FAQs

Do I need a licence for my dog in Mumbai? Yes. The BMC issues dog licences online only, at portal.mcgm.gov.in: you upload address proof and your dog’s vaccination record. For help, the BMC lists 9635839888 (call or WhatsApp), Monday to Saturday, 10.30 am to 5.30 pm (BMC). The licence is renewed every year so that dogs get their yearly vaccinations, and the BMC can seize an unlicensed dog (Citizen Matters, 12 Jan 2022). Its pet guidelines require rabies and leptospirosis vaccines (Free Press Journal, 27 May 2022). In Navi Mumbai, the NMMC also issues dog licences online, and says a housing society NOC is not required (Free Press Journal, 8 Aug 2025).

Are dogs allowed at Shivaji Park or Marine Drive? We couldn’t find a published rule for either. Read the board at the entrance, keep your dog on a leash, and pick up after it.

What if my dog runs off on a walk? Search close by first, then report the lost or found dog free on FurFam: your report gets its own page to share in WhatsApp groups.

Where can I eat out with my dog in Mumbai? At a few cafes, mostly at outdoor tables. See dog-friendly cafes in Mumbai.

Written by Kaushik, Barfi's human and founder of FurFam. Facts in this guide were checked against the sources linked in the text on 22 October 2026. It has not been reviewed by a vet.
Note: This guide is based on the published sources linked in it. It is not medical advice. For any health concern, ask a qualified vet.

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