Elaine Amborzaitis and hundreds of other dog owners have enjoyed the painted rock garden and succulents at the entrance to Dog Beach In Del Mar for nearly a decade.
"It's super sad our family comes here almost every weekend," said Amborzaitis.
Monday morning, the normally colorful display was mainly bare.
"I have noticed the last couple of months. Some of those rocks, the memorials, have been removed, and I wondered why. It’s honestly heartbreaking," said Keren Gutierrez.
Del Mar resident Jimmy Joe Gooding started the garden with a statue to remember his Lab, Gwen. That was nine years ago. Since then, the memorial has grown to honor nearly 2,000 beloved pets.
Gooding was watering the garden Monday morning. He told me he had spent tens of thousands of dollars and countless hours maintaining it.
He declined an on-camera interview but says the Coastal Commission needs the space to eventually make room for construction equipment that will be used for an upcoming bridge project.
A spokesman with the Coastal Commission said it had not sent any notices to Gooding, but The City of Del Mar sent ABC10 the following statement:
"The City understands and appreciates that the North Beach garden maintained by Mr. Gooding is beloved by many in the community. However, it is important to understand that the City of Del Mar does not own or have regulatory authority over the area of North Beach where Mr. Gooding has placed a garden. Those are state lands under the regulatory authority of the Coastal Commission. Mr. Gooding has been cautioned over the years that the plantings and other items he has placed in this area are not allowed; however, the items have remained, and additional unpermitted improvements have been installed. Some of these improvements include unpermitted paver pathways, stairs, etc., that are not built to code and create public safety issues. As such, Mr. Gooding was recently provided with more formal notice that the garden is not permitted by the Coastal Commission and will need to be removed. The City is working closely with Mr. Gooding to ensure that the removal of the plantings and other unpermitted improvements is done in a safe and efficient manner."
The rocks will be part of a pet memorial at the San Diego County Fair.
Gooding says he hopes to eventually find a new location.
