Founder Of The Black Dog Has Died

VINEYARD HAVEN – The founder of The Black Dog restaurant on Martha’s Vineyard has died.

Robert Douglas was 93.

Douglas was the captain of a tall ship, and the tavern was named after his lab-boxer mix pet.

The Black Dog has become a popular souvenir t-shirt in the decades that followed, with retail outlets operating on the Cape and Islands and the East Coast. 

The Black Dog Tavern released the following statement: “Captain Douglas was more than the founder of The Black Dog, he was the soul of our brand and the heart of a community he helped shape. His legacy lives on in every sail hoisted aboard the Shenandoah and Alabama and in cherished boats everywhere, in the spirit of independence and adventure that defines our company, and in the lives of those he inspired through his passion for the sea and for life.”