March 5, 2001: a reader brought to my attention the following official City of San Jose Miyuki Dog Park page.
Monday, February 15, 1999: I received an informative e-mail about this park and then visited. There is an official city sign stating "Welcome to Miyuki Dog Park," with rules posted below. Some work has gone on at the park including two benches and a pooper-scooper bag holder (empty - if I'd taken the other car I would have filled it with plastic bags), with more work to come.
Saturday, February 27: City workers were there before 8:30 a.m. with shovels, a tractor and a steam roller. They were rearranging the tan bark and leveling the dirt. By the time I visited again on Sunday morning, most of the tan bark was either gone or pushed up against the fences to keep the dogs from crawling underneath and escaping. I put a large handful of plastic bags in the "dispenser" box. I looked around for a garbage can and there was none. I guess the City hasn't yet worked out who's going to empty the garbage can so they haven't installed one yet. My unofficial measurement of the park is that it's (approximately) 110 feet deep by 120 feet across, although it's not quite square. Looking forward to more improvements.
Sunday, March 14, 1999. We visited the park on Saturday afternoon and then again on Sunday afternoon. Some kind dog owners who live nearby have donated a set of poop-scooping tools, a plastic garbage can and voluntarily emptied it. I picked up a few broken pieces of glass and plastic and refilled the plastic bag dispenser with bags I've been saving. For the first time we saw some other people and dogs in the park but they'd been there a while and left almost right away.
An informal group of dog owners has agreed to meet at the park on Saturdays at 3:00 p.m. (see update below)
Saturday, March 20, 1999. We arrived at the park at about 2:45 p.m. and had it all to ourselves for a little while. By the time we left at 4:30 p.m., we had met Zoey, Cosmo, Butch, Schuman, Vladimir & Natasha, Gershwin, Specks, Bailey, Miko (and their people!). There were almost a dozen dogs there at the peak. Many of the dogs (and their people!) live within walking distance but others had to drive. Around the time we left, Duke arrived. His "people" had seen all the romping in the park as they drove by on Highway 85 (!) and stopped in to visit. There was a lot of typical dog behavior - everybody had a great time and went home tired!
Monday, March 22, 1999. On Sunday (21), a small dog visiting the park with her "person" escaped through the gap in the fence at the north-east corner of the park and ran uphill towards the freeway. After many stressful and harrowing minutes of apprehension, the dog came back into the park.
Barney and I went over to the park the next day with a piece of wood, some foam rubber and a hunk of wire. We managed to plug the hole pretty well, if I do say so myself, at least until the City can do the job right. In the process, we saw Gershwin again and met Kelsey and Bruno & Mika. Everyone had a good time and went home tired.
Someone from the City had been there earlier in the morning and poured concrete for a metal post stuck into the ground. We'll have to wait and see if it's for a garbage can holder, a bulletin board holder or something else.
Saturday, March 27, 1999. Barney and I arrived shortly after 3 p.m. to find the park full of dogs and people having a good time. The City people have removed the wooden box used to dispense poop scooper bags and replaced it with a dispenser of plastic bags on a roll. They've also "planted" a big green box (on that metal post stuck in the ground) which is a combination bag dispenser and garbage can. Since it's locked with a key, it appears that the City has plans to arrange for someone to empty it periodically. However, for the time being, the big OSH garbage can remains; nearby residents periodically make dumpster runs. By the time we left at 4:30 p.m., there had been a peak attendance of about fourteen dogs. Aside from a canine collision in which a small dog was "winged" (and very surprised), everyone had a good time and went home tired.
Saturday, April 3, 1999. Barney and I arrived shortly before 3 p.m. to find a few people and dogs but the weather was getting ugly. As time passed it got darker and windier and more unpleasant. I fastened a wire mesh tennis ball-holder to the fence, hoping that it will stay a while. Included were about a dozen used tennis balls; hopefully that will hold us for a little while and that people who have access to tired tennis balls will bring them to the park for the dogs to use.
Doggies: Zoey, Amanda (?), Kelsey, Barney, Cody, Cosmo, Spencer & Logan. When the wind turned to droplets, then rain, then hail, everyone decided to call it a day. Perhaps tomorrow will be nicer.
There is a reference to the Miyuki Dog Park on the South San Jose.Com Santa Teresa Community Website; I sent along a little more information. I'm hoping that someone will take it upon him/herself to create and maintain a Miyuki Dog Park page but in the meantime, I'll be glad to keep this section alive.
Saturday, April 10, 1999. Overcast skies reminded us of last week but it was actually pretty nice, even though we had a few sprinkles. Mud puddles from this week's rain proved overwhelmingly irresistible to Labs and others. Several dogs went home tired and "brown," even those breeds the don't come in that color.
If I could suggest that whatever toys and tennis balls get spread all over the park might best be put back in the red wire container when people leave. When the City crew comes in to work on the ground cover, they may not be willing to pick things up and might just go right over everything. Besides, the toys and balls can get a chance to dry out while they're in the container.
Doggies: Specks, Barney, Cinnamon & Sunshine, Cosmo, Miko, Bailey and a few others.
Saturday, May 29, 1999. Barney and I were able to visit the park around the 3 o'clock hour. The City has cemented the entrance gate area. There were plenty of people and dogs having a good time in the park.
Late June, 1999. City of San Jose workers have commenced periodic emptying of the large trash can at the park, although nearby residents still help out in this area when needed. The Parks Department has just finished their budget and should now have some funds for groundcover. Wouldn't it be nice if they also put up some umbrellas? They should be making a more permanent fix to the gap in the fence at the rear of the park.
Some of the local regulars have decided to change the time of the weekly play-group get-togethers to Saturdays and/or Sundays at 10:00 a.m. These would be good times to go if you'd like your dog to socialize with several others. There are many other times during the week when you won't find any other dogs or owners visiting, if that's what you want. Reminder: be sure to bring fresh water and a dog bowl; dogs need rehydration in this hot weather.
Friday, July 2, 1999. City workers fixed the gap in the back fence so that no dogs should escape towards the freeway.
August 2, 1999. From Janet and Harvey Crouch:
The ultimate goal here is to show the city that we have support for MDP and eventually
We are seeking volunteers for the City of San Jose's Adopt-A-Park (AAP) program,
specifically for MDP. They recruit and train volunteers to assist in the maintenance
of our neighborhood parks and trails. Tasks for MDP would include: picking up litter,
weeding, and reporting park hazards and concerns. Hours are determined by the volunteers.
The City will provide necessary supplies and equipment. Anyone who volunteers must sign
a "Volunteer Service Agreement". We have the necessary forms and additional information.
Interested parties should send e-mail to Harvey Crouch.
be able to apply for grants or more.
June 2000: the surface has been completely replaced with a new crushed granite (?) ground cover. The trees are growing nicely. The park is kept neat and clean due to strong support and involvement of dog-owning neighbors.
The City posted "no parking" signs to keep the tractor-trailer rigs from parking on Miyuki Drive, but didn't realize that this also affected people who drive to Miyuki Dog Park. This issue should be resolved soon. In the meantime, use care in parking and watch your car closely while you're at the park.
A group of dogs and owners caravaned to Fort Funston (off-leash dog area) in San Francisco on June 4, 2000. Everyone had a wonderful time!
March 5, 2001: a reader brought to my attention the following official City of San Jose Miyuki Dog Park page.