Since February 2003, there have been numerous meetings about the implementation of a dog park in Willow Glen because there are no dog parks in the immediate area. The meetings—consisting of residents and San Jose Parks Department staff—have included discussions about developing a dog park in either District 6 or 9.

The parks initially considered were located in District 9 and included Butcher Park, Branham Park, Kirk Park and Camden Community Center Park. Approximately 60 people attended a meeting at Kirk Park on Jan. 18 and about another 60 came to the second meeting at Camden Park on March 29. Since the Camden Park meeting, the list has been narrowed down, and the dog park will be implemented at either Kirk or Camden Park.

In Santa Clara County, there are several dog parks that permit animals to run off-leash, but none are in Willow Glen. Miyuki Dog Park, located on Miyuki Drive and Santa Teresa Boulevard, has more than one-third of an acre for dogs to run freely. Hellyer County Park in San Jose, Los Palmas Dog Park in Sunnyvale, the Mountain View Dog Park and the Santa Clara Dog Park also have fenced-in areas.

The movement for a local dog park resulted from incidents some residents faced after letting their dogs run off-leash illegally.

A group of about 20 neighbors used to let their dogs run without a leash at Kirk Park, but in October of last year the Animal Care and Services Division of the city's Parks, Recreation and Neighborhood Services Department received complaints from neighbors and cited the dog owners. Now they meet with their dogs on leashes.

Pet owners have been ticketed recently at River Glen Park as well for having dogs off-leash, according to Willow Glen resident Diane Duffey. The first citation for violating the ordinance is $100. The second citation is $125, and the third is $150.

She said that fellow dog park advocates would prefer more "lower-end dog parks distributed throughout the community rather than one big, expensive dog park per district."

She said people prefer to walk to the dog park rather than drive and if a dog park is established somewhere far away from their house, they might still use a local park to allow their dog to run off-leash.

But the city has established a strategic plan to install only one dog park per district during the next 20 years, said San Jose Parks Manager Todd Capurso. There aren't funds to support more than one dog park per district, he said.

"Each district will build a dog park somewhere down the line," Capurso said.

The city established a savings account several years ago for dog parks but never knew where to build them, he noted. Building a park from scratch could cost more than $100,000, but putting fences up at a park that already exists would cost less than half that amount.

Since then the city has allocated $34,000 for a dog park to be built. The total cost of the park will depend on the location and whether it will utilize an existing fence, said Tim McCullough, an assistant to council member Judy Chirco.

The two locations under consideration—Kirk and Camden parks—were chosen because they are centrally located in District 9, providing easy access for residents and off-street parking, said McCullough. But these locations are also raising some issues within the community.

"Some of the neighbors are concerned about noise when the park is right next to their house," McCullough said. "It might attract more dogs and barking to the area. These are things we need to discuss at our next meeting."

But the dog park idea is not new, he said. The process began more than two years ago, while councilman John Diquisto was in office. Chirco revisited the issue because of the public's continued interest and effort in obtaining a dog park.

Brown said he set up an email campaign, and more than 200 emails were sent to Chirco and Capurso's offices expressing interest in establishing a park.

"I wish this process would speed along because summer is coming and it's a time when people want to get out with their dogs," Brown said. "There's another meeting in June, but that's too far away. I hope the dog supporters don't lose interest."

He added that dogs meeting on-leash don't experience the advantages of running free.

"They get tangled up with other dogs' leashes, and they can't run like they want to," he said.

More than 100 people met on April 15 at Galarza Elementary School to discuss implementing a dog park either at River Glen—where an unofficial dog park exists—or Bramhall Park, both in Willow Glen. Those who attended discussed a proposal to build a fence to surround an area of between 10,000 and 15,000 square feet at one of these locations.

According to a website built by supporters for a dog park in District 6—www.southbaydogparks.org—some people are opposed to dog parks. The website, which gives a brief rundown of each meeting also, discusses the opposition to the parks.

It states that some people are opposed to dog parks because "they have concerns that if the city fences off a portion of the park, the gardeners will stop maintaining the lawns and the visual appeal will go to hell."

The website says this concern is valid but dog park supporters "don't want the lawn maintenance to stop either."

Duffey said residents near River Glen Park are concerned that the park is already "so heavily used" that the addition of a dog park will lead to more noise, parking and traffic problems.

She said future plans for a dog park include neighborhood studies and making a final proposal to the city and parks councils. It could take a year to implement a dog park, she said.

For more information about future meetings, visit www.southbaydogparks.org.