First walks in Fort Wayne.
In Fort Wayne, a dog out in public stays on a leash or lead under physical control - the two featured membership dog parks are where it comes off. The rules, the parks, and a calm plan for a new dog’s first week.
The rules, in short
From the city code (Ch. 91), the city’s Dog Parks page and the park facility pages.
- 1Out in public: leash or lead, under physical control - the off-leash door is the two featured membership dog parks (fine print)
- 2Off-leash play: designated fenced exercise areas, with a Pooch Pass and posted rules
- 3Pet registration from five months - $5 a year altered, $100 unaltered (code-posted fees)
- 4Rabies vaccination from three months - one- or three-year vaccine, tag on the collar
- 5Scoop: immediate removal on public property and others’ private property
- 6Dog park pass needs rabies, distemper AND parvo proof - $40 a year per dog
Hours, exceptions & the fine print
For ordinary walks, use a secure leash and keep physical control. The general restraint definition also allows confinement on the owner’s property under the tethering rules (§§91.001, 91.020, 91.021), including the service-animal control exception in §91.021(M). In city parks, §97.60(A) requires a secure leash no longer than six feet, held continuously by a responsible person capable of controlling the dog, or secure confinement in a car. Section 97.60(B) exempts dogs controlled by a competent person in approved designated fenced exercise areas. Those areas require a permit and tag, current registration and rabies tags, voice and visual control, waste removal, and a leash in hand; never leave a dog unattended. Follow all posted rules.
The first week
The same calm start we suggest everywhere - on Fort Wayne’s streets.
- 1Leash, quiet streets, short and sniffy - calm hours, near home, ending before your dog is wound up. An off-leash area is not day-one material for a brand-new dog.
- 2Sniffing is the point - let your dog pause and sniff instead of focusing on distance. More on the sniff walk.
- 3Settle first, explore later - more on the first days: a routine for a newly adopted dog and a calm start to every walk.
The dog parks, for later
Once your dog has settled. Two featured fenced membership dog parks run by Fort Wayne Parks and Recreation:
- 1Pawster Park Pooch Playground - Foster Park West, Winchester Rd off Bluffton Rd
- 2Camp Canine - 1500 N Harry Baals Dr, Johnny Appleseed Park; 60,000 sq ft in two alternating fenced areas
Both run on a Pooch Pass: proof from your vet of current rabies, distemper and parvo vaccinations, $40 per dog for the calendar year (a half-season pass is $20 from July 1), limit three dogs per household, and the pass tag on the collar. Passes come from the Parks and Recreation office with a gate key. Camp Canine rotates its two fenced sides so one can be cleaned while the other stays open. These are featured park locations, not a claim that every off-leash area is listed. Follow posted signs and check maintenance or seasonal closures. Pins mark the named parks, not exact dog-run entrances.
Pins mark the park or its listed access point, not the exact off-leash boundary.
Good to know
Worth knowing
Two deadlines to keep separate: the rabies shot comes first - over three months, by a licensed vet, with a one- or three-year vaccine under Indiana rules (§91.075) - then the city pet registration from five months, or within 30 days of moving to the city (§91.050). Current code-posted fees: $5 a year altered, $100 unaltered, or a $30 lifetime registration if your dog is altered and microchipped; owners 62 and older pay nothing for an altered annual registration, and service-animal fees are waived. Both tags normally stay on the collar, with the show, obedience/training event, veterinary-care, shelter, permitted kennel, grooming and day-care exceptions in §91.050(B). Registration has animal-welfare organization, municipal animal-control, governmental-agency and community-cat-provider exceptions. A vet-certified health reason against sterilization qualifies an unaltered pet for altered registration fees; the owner agrees not to breed. The registration requirement also applies after an aggregate stay exceeding 30 days within a year. Scooping is spelled out: immediate removal on public property or anyone else’s (§91.018).
Sources
Sources: Fort Wayne Code of Ordinances, Chapter 91 Animal Care and Control (§91.001 definitions; §91.018 excrement; §91.020 restraint; §91.050 registration and fees; §91.075 rabies): codelibrary.amlegal.com. City Dog Parks page (Pooch Pass rules, current fees) and the Pawster Park and Camp Canine facility pages. Pins: geocoded from the named park and the listed address. Film and park-map update checked November 3, 2026. Park leash and fenced-area exception: §97.60.
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