When we were visiting dear friends in Orange County last spring, I told them I was trying to pin down where the Santa Ana airport pet relief area was, because the directions on the airport’s web site were unclear (they’ve been improved greatly since then). They drove us to the airport, and then repeatedly through the airport, while I threw myself from side to side trying to spot the elusive pet relief area — and they did all that without ever suggesting that I was a complete wacko. Sadly, all our efforts were unsuccessful, so when we returned to SoCal last month, I drove myself to the airport and continued my search on foot.

Here’s what you do: From the main floor, take the escalator down to the baggage claim area. Locate the door leading to “A1 Parking” and exit. Walk past the big beige modular building you’ll see, and then look to the right. You’ll see a small, fenced pet relief area tucked against the side of the parking garage. It’s visible from the airport roadway, it turns out, but you have to know it’s there to see it.

I've included Chloe for scale.

The surface is Astroturf, and there’s both a fake fire hydrant and a real palm tree for male dogs to pee on. Poop bags are provided. It’s not terribly impressive, but it’s the best you can do at Santa Ana. I searched for alternatives, but there’s not a scrap of grass anywhere (there are several planting areas, but they’re packed with shrubs).

This post is part of an ongoing series of reviews of airport pet relief areas we’ve visited. To see others, visit Dog Jaunt’s handy guide to airport pet relief areas.