Carrie Jones

May 01, 2026

BAR HARBOR—On an island where winter winds can sound like grief and summer traffic can test a saint’s patience, there has long been a quiet certainty on Federal Street: if your dog swallowed a lobster buoy or something equally ridiculous, if your old cat stopped eating, if there was a horrifying accident on a Sunday afternoon, you called Dr. Marc Fine.

And more often than not, he came.

He knelt on tile floors in his good pants. He spoke gently to trembling golden retrievers and to the people clutching their collars. He delivered hard news softly and hopeful news like a small miracle. For nearly three decades, through blizzards, ball games, holidays, and ordinary Tuesdays, the pets of Mount Desert Island—and the people who loved them—found their way to the steady hands of the veterinarian who rarely seemed in a hurry to leave the room.

Now, after 28 years at Acadia Veterinary Hospital, the man many islanders simply call “our vet” has announced he will retire in June.

Dr. Marc Fine has announced his upcoming retirement from Acadia Veterinary Hospital.

“It is with mixed emotions that I am announcing my retirement as of June 9, 2026,” Dr. Fine wrote on a social media post.

He has held the paws of pets and hands of humans. He’s seen many of us cry or gasp with relief. Dr. Fine has seen many of us in some of our worst moments, most worried moments, and joyous new puppy moments.

His steadying, stable presence as he got down on the floor between medical tables and stools, studying a dog’s eyes and demeanor or his kind banter as he looked at a cat on the metal examining table felt like a Bar Harbor fact of life, an institution.

The hospital took in strays for Bar Harbor. It helped the police department when someone had an issue with a pet.

The Fines fostered countless dogs and cats over the years. He did free veterinary work for pets that came to the hospital without a human.

He greatly discounted vet care for local residents he knew couldn’t afford it. He never told them, because he didn’t want to embarrass them.

“I have never heard him say no, no matter the day or time,” Marion Fine said. “He was on the board of the SPCA for a little over 15 years. He always has compassion for the islands 2 and 4 legged residents. Doing what needed to be done with quiet humility.”

The animal hospital on Federal Street has hosted Dr. Fine and family members and the area pets for 28 years. He mentored student after student, many who became veterinarians themselves.

In almost three decades of his time caring for the island’s fur babies, Dr. Fine has come in on Sundays. He’s left games, holidays, and events. He and his wife, Marion, raised a family here, shared their kindness and amazing cooking skills with neighbor after neighbor.

“Marion, of course, played a huge role not only in encouraging and supporting me to pursue a career as a vet, but also in our decision to move to Bar Harbor and buy a vet hospital,” Dr. Fine said. “She also assumed the difficult and thankless job of managing the hospital. All the thanks I’ve been getting for my work here over the last 28 years is greatly appreciated, but honestly, without her contribution I don’t think any of that happens.”

It was a profession that for years demanded the family’s time beyond regular working hours.

“Lindsay certainly benefited from growing up here, but it wasn’t always easy being a kid whose parents sometimes have to ditch plans to go off and take care of an emergency. Up until about 2015 we did after hour emergencies. It was very gratifying but also unpredictable and at times exhausting,” Dr. Fine said.

It was also appreciated.

“I first came to you on Super Bowl Sunday 2003. I had just moved to Lamoine, my dog had gotten out and ran into a car. You were wonderful with Zoe and I have been bringing all my pets to you ever since. You will be missed!” Sherry Rogers said on Facebook.

Dr. Fine’s daughter, Lindsay Chaloux, left her job at the hospital after eight years this January. She said she grew up watching her dad practice veterinary medicine.

“Funny thing is that my favorite emergency story is about an emergency that never came to be. When the Obama’s visited, I believe in 2009, I actually received a call at work from the White House medical department,” Dr. Fine said. “They wanted to make sure they could reach me if their dog Bo needed medical attention. I, of course, said yes but was dreading the responsibility of doing some emergency procedure on the President’s dog. The next evening, I had to tell Lindsay that we can’t go to Reel Pizza. She asks, ‘How come?’ I paused briefly and responded matter of factly, ‘Because the President of the United States might need me.’ That generated the best eye roll response we ever got. ‘How long have you been waiting to use that?’”

The president might not have ended up needing Dr. Fine, but many others in the pet-owning community did.

“When my family and I arrived here just before the turn of the century (1998), we all felt immediately welcomed and embraced by this community. It was clear that pulling up stakes, moving to Bar Harbor, and purchasing Acadia Vet was the best decision we ever made,” Dr. Fine said.

He thanked all the pet parents for trusting his care.

“We’ve shared many moments of both joy and heartbreak together. I’ve watched your puppies grow into seniors and your children grow into adults who now bring in their own pets. Those relationships are what I will miss most. It has been an exciting and fulfilling 28 year adventure. Thank you all,” Dr. Fine wrote.

However, it was the community that instantly began thanking him in kind message after kind message.

“They broke the mold when they made you my friend! Thank you for all the years of tender, loving care for our animals and for our family. I hope the next part of your journey is the best part of your journey,” Eric Novella wrote.

Kathy Solley wrote, “Thank you for being there for the babies! You’ve been a good friend!”

That’s the thing about Dr. Fine. He was your vet. Trained at Tufts and Cornell, he did his job with care and skill, but he was more than that. He was a friend. He was a super hero of care.

Acadia Veterinary continues with Dr. Ben Daggett, Dr. Rebecca Turcios, Dr. Raisa Lück, Dr. Lisa Ireland, and many technicians and assistants. Dr. Fine will be available for occasional relief work.

“Thank you to all the patients who brightened my day with a smiley face and a happy wiggle. It has been the greatest honor of my life to be your advocate and to help you live long, happy lives,” Dr. Fine said.

“Thank you, Dr. Fine. Superhero,” Patty Kelley said.

“We’ll all miss you,” Sallie Schoen wrote.

In a place like Mount Desert Island where the lines between neighbor, friend, and family often blur, the retirement of Dr. Marc Fine feels like the turning of a chapter in the town’s shared story.

There was a moment when he half-joked that he might have to cancel dinner because the dog of former President Barack Obama could need him, but for many islanders, he has long been that kind of hero already.

For nearly three decades inside Acadia Veterinary Hospital, he answered calls, showed up when it mattered, and made the hardest days gentler with steady hands and a calm voice.

And while the doors will stay open and new hands will carry on the work, the quiet certainty he brought to Federal Street will echo for years to come in every wagging tail, every purring cat, and every grateful family who once knew their own local superhero would be there when they needed him.

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The Bar Harbor Story is generously sponsored by Acadia Brochures of Maine.

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