Green Turtle Tavern with my friends last night

After the dog park, we went to the Green Turtle Tavern downtown, with my friends; Rodney, Sullivan, Friday, Skipper & Brandy.  We met a Japanese Chin and a Catahoula mix.  It's great to have dog friendly places to visit.

Rodney's Mom brought a bag of treats - yummy.

Trivia - The Green Turtle Tavern was Tony Sousa's family home, Tony is a friend of Mom and Dad, Fernandina is a small town.

Some other dog friendly places are:

Happy Tomato, Brett's, Pepper's and  Arte Pizza

Dad's beach rental is also dog friendly, see previous post "Cooling it at the Beach Cottage".

My Name

Espen van Valkin (Registered Name) Espy (Call Name).

Espen from Valkin Kennels.  Valkin Kennels is located in Pine Mountain, Ga.
Check out Bunny's Puppies (my litter, was the previous litter Jan 2010).


The meaning of the name Espen is God Bear
The origin of the name Espen is Scandinavian


Mom & Dad wanted a reference to Bear in my name because I looked like a bear cub, and my predecessor Bailey (the Bouv) had been accused of being a bear many times. 


I sometimes get accused of being a bear, but with my Florida cut, not so often.  See following post for more on Bouv's and Bears.

Bouv Article from Modern Dog

I'm not the only one that gets "its a bear".

The introductory paragraph:

In the early evening, I'm walking along a trail with my Bouvier des Flandres, Griffin. He is ahead, moving smoothly and quickly with his habitual mile-eating trot. The trail curves, and briefly he disappears from sight. Suddenly I hear a high-pitched shriek. A jogger appears around the corner, clutching his chest melodramatically. "Oh, my god!" he gasps, "I thought it was a bear!" Griffin, unperturbed by the man's reaction, waits calmly while the man recovers his dignity, but positions himself solidly between the two of us.

People frequently have this "Bear!" reaction to Bouviers and it never ceases to amuse me. How many bears have you seen trotting purposefully along on well-peopled trails? It is true that Bouviers have a distinctive, rolling, bear-like gait. It is also true that Bouviers, like bears, tend to carry their heads low to the ground, and they are also shaggy, and black, and large. But they aren't that large.

The link to the article is: http://www.moderndogmagazine.com/breeds/bouvier-des-flandres

Movie and Books about Bouv

There is a movie about a Bouv, A Dog of Flanders, there are two versions, 1999 & 1959.  The story line is:  Poor but happy, young Nello and his grandfather live alone, delivering milk as a livelihood, in the outskirts of Antwerp, a city in Flanders (the Flemish or Dutch-speaking part of modern-day Belgium). They discover a beaten dog (a Bouvier, a large sturdy dog native to Flanders) and adopt it and nurse it back to health, naming it Patrasche, the middle name of Nello's mother Mary, who died when Nello was very young. Nello's mother was a talented artist, and like his mother, he delights in drawing, and his friend Aloise is his model and greatest fan and supporter. (from IMDB).  Both versions are available on Netflix and from Amazon.


Bouv's are also featured in W.E.B Griffin's novels, the Presidential Agent Series.

Cooling it at the beach cottage.

Mom says I must confess that I NEVER get on the furniture at home.

Run in with Jan at Farmer's Market

As previously posted, the Farmer's Market has banned dogs.  So Dad takes me up the side, on Church property, to the street, while Mom shops.  Today as we were going up the side, after some people had come over to admire me, Jan came up to Dad and informed him that some kids had gotten "cover in dog poop" after I took a dump in the drainage ditch.  This was some previous visit.  Mom or Dad always pick up after me, so it is hard to understand how someone could be "covered in poop".  There might be some residual poop on the grass, but Mom and Dad do a pretty good job of cleaning up.  Jan has told the vendors to go wash down after me.

Dad will have Jan inspect all future cleanups.  "Hey Jan, Espy pooped here, can you come over and inspect it."

I will continue to walk on Church property until someone from the Church request otherwise, anyone want to join me.

Yappy Hour @ Falcon's Nest

Met with my friends (Jameson, Sullivan, Friday, Skipper, Brandy, Rodney, ... ) and met new friends at Yappy Hour.  Sponsored by RAIN (Rescuing Animals In Nassau).  Had a good time.  Look forward to next months Yappy Hour.

Please check out RAIN and consider donating, Mom & Dad did.