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Portland Bartender Memorializes Beloved Pets in Bathroom Mural
The B-Side Tavern's bathroom has become a museum of dogs owned by the staff.
Published on Mar. 4, 2026
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Longtime bartender Gabriel Taylor, also a painter and co-founder of the PVVK Art Studio, has turned one of the bathrooms at the B-Side Tavern in Portland into a personal memorial for the dogs he and his co-workers have loved and lost. The bathroom walls feature painted portraits of their canine companions, including Taylor's chihuahuas Duchess Bigwig and the late Chompsky Honk, as well as other staff members' pets.
Why it matters
The bathroom mural reflects a unique way that the B-Side Tavern staff has chosen to honor their beloved pets and create a personal, heartwarming space within the dive bar setting. It speaks to the role that pets can play in people's lives and the desire to memorialize them, even in an unconventional public setting.
The details
Taylor regularly repaints and refreshes the mural, which features portraits of dogs owned by him, fellow PVVK artist Valentine Aveline, and bar owner Tanya Frantzen. The mural includes images of Aveline's wire-haired terrier Doctor Watson, Frantzen's Great Dane, and Taylor's chihuahuas Duchess Bigwig and the late Chompsky Honk, as well as Cheeseburger Machinegun, Chompsky's fierce Pomeranian sibling. The dates of death for Chompsky Honk and Cheeseburger Machinegun are inscribed on the bar's wall.
- The B-Side Tavern bathroom mural has been an ongoing project for several years.
- Chompsky Honk and Cheeseburger Machinegun passed away last year.
The players
Gabriel Taylor
A longtime bartender at the B-Side Tavern, as well as a painter and co-founder of the PVVK Art Studio.
Valentine Aveline
A fellow PVVK artist whose work is also featured in the B-Side Tavern bathrooms.
Tanya Frantzen
The owner of the B-Side Tavern.
Duchess Bigwig
Taylor's chihuahua whose portrait is featured in the bathroom mural.
Chompsky Honk
Taylor's much-missed chihuahua who passed away last year, with his date of death inscribed on the bar's wall.
What they’re saying
“When I go in there, it's like, 'Hey, cuties.' It makes me happy to go in there and see my buds.”
— Gabriel Taylor, Bartender
The takeaway
The B-Side Tavern's bathroom mural is a unique and personal way for the staff to honor their beloved pets, creating a heartwarming space within the dive bar setting. It reflects the important role that pets can play in people's lives and the desire to memorialize them, even in unconventional public spaces.
