Manning the WaterLine booth at the Charlotte County Boat Show is always a rewarding experience. I really enjoy the opportunity to meet WaterLine readers and get input from you — not to mention all the highly positive comments, though I welcome criticism as well.

One thing that I noticed different this year was the number of people bringing dogs to the show. There have been a few in years past, but it seemed like there were more people with dogs than people with kids. I started asking people about their pets — specifically, whether they actually bring them out on the water. The majority of those who were boat owners said they do, and several responded that they wouldn’t think of going boating without their canine companions.