As I type this exactly one week ago today we had what was an idyllic day at Lucy Vincent Beach take a very quick turn for the worse. We are writing this in the hopes of getting a message to the owner of the dog that bit our dog Honda on Lucy Vincent Beach the day after Thanksgiving around 2:30 p.m.

It was a panicked moment for us and I know it must have been for you as well. Thank you for acting so quickly and tackling your dog off our ours. Unfortunately it was much worse than it looked. We had to rush our little fellow off Island to the Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University. He almost lost his eye. Fortunately he has responded well to their treatment and medication. He had to remain in the hospital until the following Tuesday.

We are happy to have him back in our arms and we hope for the best but there is a chance he will lose his vision as his retina is torn. We are doing everything we can to nurse him back to health. We are not angry but our hope is that you reach out to us and at the very least understand that if your dog is off the leash it gives other owners the confidence that your dog is safe around other dogs.

We cherish Martha’s Vineyard in a large part that it is so friendly to dogs and that is a huge part of our enjoyment of the Island. You were a younger gentleman (30s?) with and older gentleman (70s?) who appeared to be in a wheelchair/beach wheelchair or maybe just sitting in a chair. Your dog appeared to be 70 pounds or so with brown/tan coloring and markings.

Finally, we want to thank Vineyard Veterinary Clinic for being on the front line, keeping us calm and pointing us in the right direction.

Drue and Masha Pennella
Weehawken, N.J., and Chilmark