Invisible Fence & Controversy

Last week we had an Invisible Fence installed to contain our little Parson Russell Terrier. We recently moved from a 3 acre, rural plot of land to a 0.5 acre hoity-toity neighborhood where above ground fences are strictly regulated. Our lot is a "waterfront" lot where we have access to a large (man made) pond. Fishing is allowed in the pond, and during winter months, ice-skating is also permitted. Our girls have been enjoying the pond and they like to go out with their tackle box and fishing poles and sit out there to fish. They also like to include their little dog in the activity. Our dog is curious about the water and stuff that is in it, but does not seem to be interested in getting into the water. With that in mind, we decided to have our Invisible Fence installed a little ways into the water so the dog could go out (as she has been doing) and sit near the water with her girls while they fish. Well, as things go in a fussy, fancy neighborhoods, somebody didn't like what we did, so he complained. We were told that the fence had to be pulled out of the water so that "people" walking through our access would not be approached by the dog. I am not sure what "people" this fellow was referring to because there has only been one time when a couple of kids walked along our backyard to get to a different position on the pond. Our dog wasn't out there at the time, but the two kids were accompanied by their own Golden Retriever who was not leashed.

The chairperson of the architectural committee came knocking at my door telling me there was a complaint and that we had to have 7 feet clearance for "people" to walk on. She asked me if I had read the Covenants and I had, but didn't read anything about 7 feet or Invisible Fences. I told her we would change the boundaries but, after further review and discussing it with my husband, we have decided to leave things the way they are. We are not impeding any one's access to the pond, nor are we violating any of the covenants.Our dog cannot get any closer than 4 feet of the Invisible Fence line, so she is well out of the way of any "people." Our neighbors who allow their dog to wander around loose, however, are violating the covenant about having your dog on a leash when out of it's yard. Why should their dog have absolutely no boundaries, while ours, because we chose to contain her, be severely restricted within her own property boundaries? It just doesn't make sense. Sometimes people who complain about what others are doing in their backyards need to pay attention to their own backyards and mind their own business. I like living in a neighborhood where there are lots of kids and activities going on, but I don't like all the nit-picking, fussiness that goes along with living in a neighborhood. I just want to quietly live our lives, being good, kind neighbors and not be bullied by people who have too much time on their hands and like to complain about what others are or are not doing. Life is too short for that!