Outside the Starbucks on the corner of Clayton and Broad, there is a patch of concrete and dirt — the only sign a stately downtown symbol once stood there, proudly watching over cars and passersby entering the Classic City.

Caesar Dawgustus is gone.

He, along with many of the “We Let the Dawgs Out” fiberglass bulldogs stationed on public right-of-ways, were either auctioned off on eBay or bought by their original sponsors. All proceeds from the project went to benefit AIDS Athens.

Caesar Dawgustus sat downtown for seven years. Now he’s moved to a new local venue. PHOTO BY WES BLANKENSHIP

“Caesar Dawgustus was bought by Phil Hughes Honda,” said Julie Walters, an Athens-Oconee Junior Women’s Club member who was co-chair of the project when it began in 2003. “We put the dogs out on display and we had to go out in front of the city to put them on the right-of-ways.”

Walters said new homes for the dogs had to be found before the club’s display contract with the city ends on Dec. 31.

“We chose this past weekend [to move the dogs] because it wasn’t a home game,” she said, adding the volunteers were out transporting statues until 11 p.m. Saturday. “People can still see them, just in different locations.”

Reaction to the loss was mixed.

“I’m kind of conflicted about it,” said Stephen Thompson, a senior from Savannah and SGA vice president. “I’ve taken pictures on [Caesar] and he’s a wonderful landmark, but if he was auctioned off and the money went to a good cause then I couldn’t be angry.”

Blane Marable, executive director of the Georgia FFA Alumni Association and owner of Blane Marable Photography, created a Facebook event requesting the return of Caesar to Broad Street.

“[Caesar] and the Arch are probably the most identified symbols of downtown that people request to take photos with,” he said.

Not all of the statues are displaced, Walters said. Glory, Glory Chick-Fil-Uga still stands in front of the Barnett Shoals restaurant, for example, and the dog in front of BB&T bank downtown remains as well. Others, such as Reflections of a Classic City and Dogwood Bark, found homes elsewhere — those two sold on eBay to Bulldog fans in Virginia.

After the 32 dogs involved in the 2003 project were put in place, Walters said additional companies, businesses and individuals purchased dogs for display.

Unlike the original statues — which were sponsored by local businesses but owned by the club — these newer dogs are owned entirely by the purchasers. The original dogs are now owned either by their sponsors or by those who purchased them for between $1,000 and $1,500 on the eBay auction.

Caesar Dawgustus stood at the corner of Broad Street and College Avenue. He was part of an art project that began in 2003. PHOTO BY NATASHA PEAT

Walters said the eBay auction raised more than $20,000 for AIDS Athens. This was not one of the original organizations benefitting from the 2003 project. Those organizations received money from the $100,000 raised when miniature replicas of the 32 original bulldogs were auctioned off.

Gena Perry, a senior from Gray, said she was distraught by the relocation of the dogs.

“I understand that they wanted to make money, but like most traditions in Athens, Caesar is a priceless tradition that should be left alone,” she said.

Walters said the club was considering new projects.

“It’s definitely something to talk about,” she said. “We’ve actually talked about maybe doing five or 10 [bulldog statues] a year and displaying them for a short amount of time, and then auctioning them off.”

Tommy Lynn, a senior from Cumming, said in one sense, it was probably a good thing Caesar’s corner is now empty.

“I can’t say I blame them,” he said. “Caesar is downtown all the time and probably needed to detox.”