Monterey’s first-ever pet cemetery aspires to offer a scenic resting place.

Pastures of Heaven, a pet memorial park that plans to open soon, is named after a collection of short stories by John Steinbeck, set in nearby Corral de Tierra. Nestled near the Monterey Airport, with the sounds of traffic on Highway 68 humming down below, the spot enjoys panoramic views of the valley eastward, and on a clear day you can see Santa Cruz to the north. The 3-acre property off Highway 68 sits at a high elevation – a poetic reference to the ascension of the loved ones who will be memorialized there.

Dean Rodatos, a San-Francisco native who has been living in Pebble Beach for six years, got the vision to build the park after purchasing the property two years ago. “Each piece of land has a story to tell,” he says. “You feel what the land is telling you.” For Dean and his wife, Amanda that story became the creation of a pet cemetery.

“We had pets that passed away. That’s kind of how it got started,” he says. “Your typical idea of a pet cemetery is just overgrown fields with little tombstones where you dig a hole and throw the pet in. That’s creepy. This is more on the happy side; the property makes you happy.”

Rodatos, who runs a demolition and waste management business in the Bay Area, has now found himself in the business of building something. He has been working on the park for the last year and a half with his own time, money and bare hands, doing everything from clearing out the waste and tending to the plants, to developing the logo and custom designing the monuments.

“It’s a labor of love,” he says, admiring 300-year old oak trees that adorn the landscape. “A lot was rotten and we cleaned up, trimmed what was dead and basically allowed the property to breathe again.” Rodatos estimates the budget for getting the pet cemetery up and running at $1 million.

Monkey, Rodatos’ year-and-a-half-old “chorkie” – a chihuahua-yorkie mix – darts back and forth through the small groves as Rodatos walks up and down the winding, terrace-like paths. The walls and pathways are lined and dry-stacked with local rocks from the property and surrounding area. Rodatos stresses that no foreign plants or artificial materials, like mortar or plastic, have been brought in. “Nothing has been interrupted. It’s all native,” he says. One exception is a section of concrete wall at the entrance to the park, slated to be a special memorial area dedicated to military and police service dogs.

Alongside the minimalist, naturalist setting, the memorial park will offer an interactive digital service where people can upload photos, videos and texts about their animals that correspond to a code on the monument. Visitors will be able to walk around and access the database with their smartphones, a way to go beyond just the names and dates. Rodatos, who developed the software himself, claims no other pet cemetery has anything like it. “You can just sit there and read stories about what people said about their pets,” he adds.

Over 50 people have already reserved plots on the Pastures of Heaven website, which offers memorials starting at $299. While the majority are dogs and cats, the park welcomes all kinds of household pets. There is already a reservation for a parrot, fish, a lizard and even a horse.

Rodatos planned to open last fall, but was delayed after city building officials issued a stop-work notice on construction of a shed to store the engraving equipment and other tools. (Rodatos says he was originally advised that he didn’t need a permit for the shed.)

John Kuehl, Monterey’s building official, his office was notified of a big structure being built on the property that far exceeded the 120-square-foot maximum allowed without a permit. (Rodatos’ shed is at least 200 square feet.) Kuehl asked Rodatos to send a new and more detailed plan that meets all the criteria.

“I just need the correct docs and a plan. I wasn’t aware he thought we were creating roadblocks,” Kuehl says. “He’s done a beautiful job maintaining the beauty there. It’s nice, doesn’t feel like you are on a highway.” (Kuehl has since confirmed he received the plans and is reviewing them; Rodatos now expects to open within two months.)

Rodatos and his wife have three or four past pets they plan to memorialize at their park. “We had them cremated and we have urns sitting around. They get stuck on a shelf or put who knows where,” he said, “which is part of the reason for this park.”

Rodatos points to a few succulents blooming with orange and red flowers, eager and excited about reviving this neglected space.

“If I’m a pet, this is the Taj Mahal,” he says “I’ve even had some people ask if they could be buried here themselves.”

PASTURES OF HEAVEN PET MEMORIAL PARK is located at 3021 Monterey-Salinas Highway, Monterey. 204-8080, pasturesofheaven.com