Dog Map

Find poop bag dispensers, bins, vets and dog parks nearby. With live location tracking and walk recording.

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Poop bag dispenser Bin Veterinarian Drinking water Dog park Dogs allowed Leash required Dogs forbidden Tap a marker for details and directions.

What is the Dog Map?

The Dog Map is a free tool for dog owners and anyone out and about with a dog. On an interactive OpenStreetMap, it shows all the points you actually need: poop bag dispensers, public bins, vets, drinking water and off-leash dog parks.

Areas are also colour-coded depending on whether dogs are allowed (green), allowed on a leash (yellow) or forbidden (red) — based on the OpenStreetMap tags dog=yes, dog=leashed and dog=no. An optional alert notifies you when you walk into a 'no dogs' zone.

What layers are shown?

  • Dog poop bag dispensers (OSM tags amenity=vending_machine, vending=excrement_bags or amenity=dog_excrement_container).
  • Public bins (amenity=waste_basket) — handy when the bag needs to go.
  • Vets (amenity=veterinary) — including phone and opening hours when set in OSM.
  • Drinking water (amenity=drinking_water) — important for your dog in summer.
  • Off-leash dog parks (leisure=dog_park) — areas where dogs may usually run off-leash.
  • Coloured zones for dogs-allowed (green), leash-only (yellow) and no-dogs (red) — derived from the OSM tags of each area.

Record your walk & export GPX

One click starts recording your walk. Distance, duration and speed are calculated live, and the route is drawn on the map. At the end you can download the track as a GPX file and import it into Garmin Connect, Strava or Komoot.

Privacy

Your location is processed exclusively in your browser — we never send GPS data to our servers. POI data comes directly from OpenStreetMap's public Overpass API. Recorded tracks live only in your browser memory until you download them as GPX.

Data sources & coverage caveat

All data comes from OpenStreetMap and is loaded live via the Overpass API. OpenStreetMap is maintained by volunteers — completeness depends on how actively a region is being mapped. If you spot a missing dispenser or an unmarked dog-ban, you can add or correct it directly on openstreetmap.org.

Contribute to OpenStreetMap

Missing a bag dispenser, a bin, or a dog park near you? You can add it in a few minutes directly on openstreetmap.org — free and without any coding skills. The data shows up here in the Dog Map within minutes to hours.

  1. Sign up for a free account at openstreetmap.org.
  2. Zoom to the right spot, then click Edit in the top right — the iD editor opens right in your browser.
  3. Drop a point, pick the matching preset (see tag list below) and fill in tags like amenity, vending or dog.
  4. Save with a short comment (e.g. Poop bag dispenser Main St.). Done — your edit shows up in the Dog Map within a few minutes (clear cache and reload).

Key OSM tags for the Dog Map:

Want to dig deeper? The LearnOSM course walks you through mapping with the iD editor step by step. Every extra point helps — both fellow dog owners in your area and everyone using this map.

When do I need this map?

  • Daily walk: discover fenced dog parks, shady paths, and poop-bag stations along the route.
  • Moving to a new city: immediately see where dog parks, vets, and dog-friendly cafés are in your new neighborhood.
  • Vet emergency: quickly find the nearest veterinary practice and compare emergency-service addresses.
  • Vacation with your dog: explore unfamiliar cities — mark drinking fountains and dog parks at your destination in advance.

Tips & notes

  • Leash law applies: most German cities require leashes outside designated dog parks. Check local rules before each walk — fines can reach €1,000.
  • Bring water: on warm days, more important for the dog than the owner — dogs overheat easily. Drinking fountains (blue on the map) are great, but a collapsible bowl belongs in every backpack.
  • Poop bags are mandatory: in Germany, violations cost €35–150. The green bag stations on the map show where free bags are distributed — still carry a supply.
  • Summer asphalt test: place your palm on the pavement for 7 seconds — if it's too hot for you, it's too hot for your dog's paws. Burns are one of the most common summer injuries.

Frequently asked questions

Which OSM tags are evaluated?
leisure=dog_park for dog parks, amenity=veterinary for vets, amenity=waste_basket / vending=excrement_bags for bin and bag POIs, plus dog=yes/leashed/no for zone markings (e.g. whole city parks). Additionally amenity=drinking_water.
Are dogs allowed on trains?
Generally yes in Germany — small dogs in a carrier travel free; large dogs with muzzle and leash pay half adult fare. On local trains usually free; on long-distance, reservation recommended. Details vary by transit authority.
What does dog=leashed mean?
The area (e.g. a park) is dog-accessible, but only on a leash. Marked as a yellow zone on the map. dog=yes means off-leash allowed (free run zone), dog=no means dogs forbidden (red zone) — and with geofence enabled, you get a warning on entry.
Does the map also show dog-friendly cafés and restaurants?
Indirectly — cafés/restaurants with the dog=yes tag are marked as a green "allowed" zone. These tags are still patchy, though. If your favorite café welcomes dogs, you can add dog=yes to its POI in OSM yourself.

Why Dog Owners Appreciate This Map

Daily life with a dog hangs on tiny details — where do I find a bag dispenser when I forgot one? Where is the next waste bin? Which park allows off-leash, which only on-leash? Where is the nearest emergency vet? Classic maps stay silent on all of this. OpenStreetMap has dedicated tags for it — and this map aggregates them into one view you open while walking. Unlike commercial apps you do not need an account, do not register dog passport data, and do not share location with ad networks.

Especially powerful are the zones: parks and ways tagged dog=yes, dog=leashed and dog=no are drawn directly onto the map. You see green, yellow and red areas instead of just symbols. The optional geofence even warns you when you enter a red zone with your dog — handy in unfamiliar areas or for hikes in nature reserves with strict leash enforcement.

OSM has dog-specific POI types: bag dispensers (vending=excrement_bags), dedicated dog-waste bins (amenity=dog_waste_bin) and off-leash zones (leisure=dog_park). In big cities like Berlin, Vienna, Hamburg or Zurich these classes are densely maintained — and that is exactly where they are most needed. The built-in track recorder with GPX export turns the map into a small walking-training app, without any data ever leaving your browser.

Concrete Use Cases

How dog owners use the map:

  • Spontaneous walk in a new neighbourhood — find the nearest bag dispenser and off-leash meadow.
  • Holiday with a dog: bookmark every emergency vet at the destination before departure.
  • Puppy training: record a track, monitor distance and breaks, send the GPX file to the dog school.
  • Hike in a nature reserve: enable the geofence to avoid accidentally entering a leash-only zone.
  • In summer find drinking fountains along the way to refill the collapsible bowl.

Data Source, Licence and Updates

All POIs and zones come from OpenStreetMap and are published under the Open Database License (ODbL). We fetch data live via the Overpass API every time the map moves, so you see the current state. Imagine a broken bag dispenser or a newly opened vet — you can record such changes directly on openstreetmap.org or use StreetComplete / Every Door from your phone. Tag references live under Key:dog in the OSM Wiki.

Limits of This Map

We can only show what is in OSM. dog=* tag coverage varies a lot: Vienna and Berlin have thousands of tagged ways, rural areas often almost none. "No display" is therefore not the same as "free off-leash". The line between official and informal off-leash areas is not always tagged cleanly either. When in doubt: read local signs, trust the city portal, talk to other dog owners. You can actively improve the map by contributing tags.

More Frequent Questions

How reliable is the geofence warning?
The warning is based on OSM zones tagged dog=no. It detects polygons, polls every 60 seconds and uses your browser geolocation. In open terrain with good GPS this works very well; in urban canyons GPS reflections can cause false alarms. It does not replace reading local signs carefully.
Is my walk or location stored or shared?
No. The map processes everything locally in your browser. GPX files are generated in the browser; you choose whether to save, share or delete them. There is no account, no server, no analytics logging your location.
How do I report a broken bag dispenser or a closed vet?
Sign in to openstreetmap.org, find the point and either delete it or add a hint tag like disused:amenity=yes or opening_date. Alternatively use the StreetComplete app (Android), which offers specific quests for exactly these micro-corrections — it works without deep OSM knowledge.

Related maps

  • Kids map — Playgrounds nearby — those out with kids and dog can see which sites are dog-free and which are kid-friendly.
  • Swimming map — Lakes with dog-beach sections — perfect cooldown in summer.
  • Drinking water map — Public fountains for the collapsible bowl — indispensable in hot summers.
  • Post Map — Mailboxes and parcel lockers — many branches are tagged as dog-friendly.