Dog-Friendly Infrastructure in Riga

This is not our first article in the series about Pet-Friendly environment. We’ve already explained why a city where not only people but also animals are comfortable is important and what a Pet-Friendly environment is. We also have a whole guide to Riga for dog owners.

Cats are more popular than dogs in Latvia, but since 2010 the percentage of households with a cat has been decreasing year by year, while the percentage of households with a dog or more has been increasing. These are not absolute, but relative figures: they show that in general the interest in dogs among Latvians is steadily growing. 

As of 2021, 27% of households in Latvia have at least one dog. This is quite high among other European countries, especially compared to the Nordic countries. 

Cats mostly live at home, but dogs constantly interact with the urban environment: they need to be walked at least twice a day. Now there are about 42 thousand dogs registered in Riga, and at the beginning of 2022 there were about 37 thousand. And this number continues to grow. The development of dog infrastructure is an important agenda for Riga and an important topic for every dog owner. 

Riga as a Place to Vacation with a Pet

Travel opportunities with dogs is one of the important criteria for evaluating the comfort of countries and cities. There are many tourist ratings describing cities where you can go on vacation and take your pet with you. It is noteworthy that Riga and Latvia in general, along with Great Britain, Belgium, France, Germany and Italy, are often included in such ratings of European cities and countries. 

Riga is one of the best places to stay with pets in Europe. There are more than 230 pet-friendly hotels in Riga: 26.6% of all vacation rentals—apartments, bungalows and penthouses—allow accommodation with pets. Also according to Booking.com back in 2018, 49% of hotels in Riga (70 out of 143) allowed accommodation with pets.

Pets can be transported free of charge on public transport in Riga. According to official rules, the dog must be on a leash and muzzle or sitting in a container. Other pets also need a container. But on intercity buses, pets need a ticket. The owners also must pay for the luggage space (transportation of the container).

There are also many natural areas and routes in Latvia where dog walking is allowed, including by the sea (with the exception of human bathing beaches). AllTrails website lists the most popular dog walking routes based on maps and travel routes, as well as detailed reviews and photos from tourists. All of these routes take place outside the urban center—in the forest, along the river and by the sea:

1. The route in Šmerlis forest park. Length — 5.5 km long. The route is located in an area where off-leash dog walking is allowed. Other routes are located outside such zones.

2. Ķengaraga promenade (Ķengaraga promenāde). Length — 5.3 km.

3. Mangaļsala pier route. Length — 1.9 km.

4. Route at Daugavgrīva pier. Length — 2.9 km.

5. Route around Daugavgrīva Fortress. Length — 1.4 km.  

Dogs in Green Spaces. Walking Rules 

In Riga there are a number of regulations governing dog walking. There is a complete ban on walking in children’s playgrounds and sports grounds, in entertainment facilities, as well as in school stadiums and fenced areas near kindergartens. 

It is also prohibited to walk and bathe animals in places designated for bathing and marked with the appropriate “Beach” sign. In Riga these are the beaches of Daugavgrīva, Vakarbuļļu, Vecāķi, Lucavsalas, Rumbula, Ķīpsala, as well as the beaches on lakes Bābelītis and Ķīšezers. It does not matter how big the dog is. It is allowed to bathe animals outside these areas. 

Dog walking is allowed in other areas of the city, but under certain conditions. On city streets, dogs may only be walked on a leash. In the city’s green areas a leash is required from 7:00 to 23:00, and dogs may be walked without a leash at night. 

Green spaces in this case should be understood as all green areas, except forests and swamps: city parks, gardens, squares, boulevards, alleys, cemeteries, yards. Forests and forest parks are not categorized as “green areas” and therefore dog walking restrictions do not apply to them. As a rule, there are several such forests and forest parks in Riga, where dogs are allowed to walk off-leash:

Apart from these ten on the list, dogs are allowed off-leash in other forest parks, but some of these areas in Riga are categorized as “specially protected natural areas”, and a leash is also required for walking dogs here.

If there are green areas near your house, where you want to go for a walk with your pet, it is better to clarify what category they belong to, so that you know how to behave correctly.

Another popular place for dog walking was the unfenced area in Lucavsala. In 2023, however, the largest dog walking park in Riga was built on this site. In 2021, the association “Dogs with a Mission” (“Suns ar misiju”) submitted the project “City Dog Park” (“Pilsētsuņu laukums”) to the budget financing competition—the idea of a new dog park was supported by the residents in an open vote, with a total of 1,133 votes. The work started in spring 2023 and lasted several months, with the total cost of the project amounting to just over 75,000 euros. The dog park in Lutsavsala is the first of its kind on the left bank of the River Daugava.

The park covers more than 5,600 m² and is divided into four zones according to the size and activity of the dogs: a general zone and separate zones for puppies, small dogs and large dogs. The zones have their own names, which are indicated at the entrances to each of them. Each zone has obstacle blocks for training: ten blocks for large dogs and three blocks each for training dogs and puppies. All trees in the park were preserved during the works.

The fenced area separates owners and their dogs from other vacationers, so different groups of visitors to Lucavsala can relax without disturbing each other. This is an important example of how the interests of completely different users—people with and without dogs—can be taken into account in one urban space.  

The new park is designed to ensure the safety of dogs: each separate zone is fenced with a metal fence around the perimeter. The landscaped area allows dog owners to train their pets safely. And for the convenience of owners, each zone has plastic trash containers and benches with backrests. Information boards informing about the rules of park use and a notice board at the main entrance are also provided.

The park is located next to the Daugava, so sometimes the territory is threatened by waterlogging. To protect against damage or washing away, all training elements in the dog playgrounds have powder-coated steel structures and panels made of high-quality plastic, resistant to moisture and other environmental influences. 

Since dogs are forbidden to swim in the official swimming areas for people, there is a special place near the park just for dogs to swim—Riga also is a resort! 

The park area can be used by dog breeders, sports clubs and event organizers who develop various types of dog sports in Latvia and organize entertaining and developmental meetings. 

By creating these dog parks, the city aims to make the urban environment more humane and friendly for dogs and their owners. Pets are an integral part of society, and the demand for livable spaces for them is steadily growing.

In the future, the Riga City Council plans to create new dog walking areas in different suburbs of the capital, for this purpose it was decided to study the demand for such spaces among the citizens. In the fall of 2023, a survey was conducted on the vessalies.riga.lv platform: citizens were asked about their dog walking habits, preferred locations, and negative experiences with dog walking. As part of the survey, the citizens of Riga could assess their knowledge of the rules and give recommendations to the municipality on how to improve dog walking conditions.

But the survey was only the first part of the research, which was conducted in three stages. The second stage was the preparation of a map: people could indicate places in the city where it would be expedient to organize a dog walking area. At the same time, it was necessary to take into account that a municipality can only install dog walking areas on the territories belonging to it.

The final stage was a webinar that took place on November 30, 2023: citizens and representatives of the municipality discussed the results of the previous survey and outlined further plans for new dog walking areas. 

Small Interventions in the City

Despite the need to walk dogs on a leash, city parks are actively visited by owners with their pets. Vērmaņdārzs (Vērmaņdārzs Garden), located in the very center of the city, ranks first among Riga’s city parks for dog walking. Although the Vērmaņdārzs Garden does not have a special dog walking area, many four-legged dogs can be seen here in the mornings and evenings. Thanks to the park’s popularity among dog owners, a witty drinking fountain has recently been installed, not only for people but also for their pets. The fountain has two levels: the first, higher level is for people and the second, lower level is for dogs. The dog part of the fountain is equipped with a slow drain and a special drinking bowl.  

Another park popular with dog owners is the largest city park, Uzvaras parks. The Spīķeru promenade (Spīķeri promenāde) and Ķengaraga promenade (Ķengaraga promenāde) are also popular walking routes near the Daugava River.

The request for infrastructure development on the part of dog owners is absolutely understandable, because they pay a special tax for owning an animal: in Riga, the owner of a dog that has reached the age of six months must pay a tax of 10 euros to the local budget by March 1 of each year. 

There is currently a lack of specially organized dog walking areas in Riga – and the municipal authorities recognize this. At the same time, the Riga Municipal Police often receives complaints that dog owners violate the rules of dog walking—for example, by taking their dogs out for a walk without a leash, resulting in unpleasant incidents with passersby. 

Expanding off-leash dog walking infrastructure not only in forested areas but also in urban neighborhoods would help address the concerns of both owners and other residents.  

Despite the existing difficulties, Riga is already doing a good job of creating a comfortable urban environment for dogs and their owners. We believe that this trend will continue to develop, because animals are important residents of the city, and the development of convenient infrastructure for them makes it possible to make them visible, and the habit of taking a dog with you not only for a walk, but also to meet friends or go on vacation is becoming the norm. So, modern cities must adapt to these conditions.   

To decide where to go with your dog in Riga, read our Neighborhood editorial colleagues’ article. And for more information on what a Pet-Friendly environment is, see our article from the Glossary section. 

The material was prepared together with the umagamma team.