I haven’t flown into or out of San José since we got Chloe (which is a terrible shame, because, like Oakland’s airport, it’s a huggable alternative to the beast that is SFO), so I was happy to get an e-mail from an SJC marketing rep telling me about the airport’s pet relief areas. Here’s what I’ve learned from her messages and photos, and from Google Maps — keep in mind that I haven’t visited them yet myself, so this is not a review, but the pictures are good, and the directions will be helpful:

There are two pet relief areas, one each outside Terminals A and B. Southwest and Alaska arrive at Terminal B; all other airlines, and international flights, arrive at Terminal A.

To find the Terminal A pet relief area, locate the ticketing desks and walk out the front door that accesses them. Turn left and walk all the way down the sidewalk — past a huge set of stairs, past a graveled smoking area, past the bus stop — and when the sidewalk ends you’ll see this:

SJC's Terminal A pet relief area

Here’s a Google Maps link to orient you, if you need it, but it’s really as straightforward as it sounds. As you can see, it’s not fenced. It’s essentially a planting strip equipped with a pole bearing poop bags and a trash can.

To find the Terminal B pet relief area, walk out the front door of the terminal and turn left. Look for a long blue awning. Right where it begins, you’ll find the pet relief area. (Again, here’s a Google Maps link. Spin the dial around in the upper left corner of the window, and you’ll see where the pet relief area is in relation to the main terminal building.)

SJC's Terminal B pet relief area, with blue awning

Terminal B pet relief area, from its entrance

Now that’s more like it: It’s fenced, there’s a bench and a source of water — and of course there are poop bags and a trash can. If your pet isn’t responsive to artificial turf, there’s plenty of nearby grass. No doubt the SJC folks would prefer that I didn’t mention alternatives, but the fact is that some dogs don’t like turf. Be sure to clean up after your pup with the bags, and trash can, the airport has provided.

It is quite do-able to walk to this pet relief area from Terminal A — there is a sidewalk the whole way, and your dog (and you!) might like the leg-stretch. When you exit Terminal A’s ticketing area, just turn to the right instead.

My thanks to the team at SJC for being so proactive about letting the dog travel community know about their facilities! I’ve added this post to Dog Jaunt’s handy guide to airport pet relief areas.