Mueller Dog Park FAQs

What is the Mueller Dog Park Coalition?

The Mueller Dog Park Coalition is a grassroots initiative of people who want a designated off-leash dog park for dogs and their owners to meet, socialize and play in Mueller.

Who can join the coalition?

Anyone is welcome to join the coalition and help encourage city and community leaders to develop a Mueller dog park.

Doesn’t East Austin have other city parks with off-leash areas?

In the past the city has not provided designated off-leash dog parks in East Austin. That’s about to change this fall when Austin Parks and Recreation Department (PARD) opens its first East Austin dog park at Little Walnut Creek Greenbelt, 6201 Springdale Rd. See the vision plan. This is a huge step toward meeting the recreational needs of East Austin dog owners. Mueller and other East Austin communities would also benefit from city-owned off-leash areas in their neighborhoods.

Why does Mueller need a dog park?

Nearly 15,000 people now live in Mueller. Hundreds of people walk, jog and bike with their dogs in Mueller daily. But Mueller lacks a safe space for dogs and their owners to socialize, exercise and play. As Mueller’s population has grown, conflicts between dogs and people have increased.

In March 2024, a Mueller resident began meeting with Austin elected officials and city staff, community leaders and residents to talk about the need for a Mueller dog park. See the sidebar for a timeline of key events.

How would a dog park be funded?

The city currently pays the Mueller POA to maintain the three greenways and has offered to fund a pilot project for an off-leash dog park in one of them. If the pilot project is a success, Austin PARD would pay some or all of the cost to install fencing, water stations and dog waste stations. The Mueller POA would continue to maintain the park, including landscaping, mowing and mulch. Upgrades such as Mueller-compatible fencing and optional amenities like shade structures, benches and chairs could be funded by the city, the POA, or a combination of public and private donations.

Doesn’t Mueller already have a dog park?

Mueller has a very small fenced dog area at Branch Park, but it is not a city-owned dog park. The space doesn’t meet the city’s 10,000-square-foot minimum guidelines for public dog parks and lacks proper groundcover, such as mulch, for cleanliness, odor management, drainage and erosion control. It also lacks separate areas for small and large dogs, which is an important safety consideration.

Austin City Code Sec. 3-4-4 designates an East Austin off-leash area that includes a portion of the Mueller Southeast Greenway. The legal status is unclear because one of the area’s boundaries is the former airport fence. The fence no longer exists and the area has been absorbed into the Mueller development. View a Google historical map of off-leash area boundaries.

Why is this issue coming up now?

East Austinites, including residents of Mueller, Windsor Park and Cherrywood, have requested a dog park for years. Now is the right time for this discussion for many reasons.

• Mueller’s final major residential development is nearly done and has filled in vast open fields and trails where people used to exercise their dogs away from residential areas.

• The City of Austin designated three Mueller greenways as public parks in 2024, making them eligible for city park projects and programs including a public dog park.

• PARD has offered to fund a pilot project for an off-leash dog park in Mueller, and to install a permanent dog park if the pilot is a success. 

• Mueller was developed under six guiding principles: fiscal responsibility, economic development, East Austin revitalization, compatibility with surrounding neighborhoods, diversity and affordability, and sustainability. The proposed dog park pilot project fulfills all of these goals just as Mueller is nearing completion.

Who must approve the pilot dog park project?

A maintenance agreement between the Mueller Property Owners Association (POA) and the City of Austin requires support from both parties before a park improvement project can be approved in the greenways.

The Mueller POA represents Mueller property owners who account for about half of Mueller’s population. The Austin City Council represents apartment dwellers, who make up the other 50% of Mueller residents, as well as residents of adjoining neighborhoods such as Windsor Park and Cherrywood.

The Mueller POA has appointed a dog park working group of residents in Mueller and surrounding neighborhoods to study a proposed dog park pilot project and make recommendations.