The issue of banning pets in the marina - I have mixed feelings. I have a
service dog so, he is not a pet - not by
legal definition (in the US), nor in actual fact. So, a pet ban does not negatively affect me. In fact, it would make my life easier.
My dog is exceptionally well-behaved and always on-leash at the marina. The leash is not for him - he doesn't need it. It is because there is a
rule (for good reason) that
dogs be on-leash at the marina and it would be unfair of me to expect an exception just because I happen to know that my dog doesn't "need" to be on-leash.
Yet, despite this rule, more often than not, if we encounter another dog at the marina, they are not on-leash. It infuriates me because it makes my job and my dog's job harder. The assurance from the dog's owner that, "Oh, he's friendly" sorely misses the point as the dog runs up to my dog who is trying to do his job.
(By the way, this is a misdemeanor.)
Staff has gotten pretty strict about enforcing dog rules, when they see issues. Frankly, I wish they would use camera footage to crack down on it. I want people to be able to bring their
dogs, but they need to follow the rules whether they agree with them or not. Failure to do so actually puts me in a certain amount of physical
danger, if my dog is distracted by another dog that is running free.