I went to the West Tisbury selectmen’s meeting this afternoon. After several items of new business — from road repair to a benefit bike race — up came the old business, which is to say the dog business. The dogs’ owners, Taggart Young and Anna Bolotovsky, were there, along with their lawyer — the only fellow in the room wearing a clean white shirt, as opposed to the fleece, wool, and/or flannel that the rest of us were decked out in.

The lawyer did his best, but the selectmen weren’t buying it. Sally Apy, an island dog lover and fearless activist, has been talking with Big East Akita Rescue (BEAR). BEAR is ready and willing to take these two dogs on and find good homes for them. Sally had already written a letter to the selectmen; she rose and spoke at the meeting.

In a firm and eloquent statement, selectman Cindy Mitchell said she wasn’t willing to sign off on any settlement that left the dogs in the hands of their current owners — and that included a formal transfer of ownership to Anna’s mother and/or sister. She was willing to consider a proposal that included a transfer to a third party, such as BEAR.

So the lawyer and the current owners have a week to come up with a detailed proposal that the selectmen will agree to. Stay tuned.