Dear Prudence,
I’m a young woman living in NYC. My boyfriend and I don’t live together, but we stay at each other’s places a lot. He lives in a fancy apartment building in a prime part of the city, where many wealthy families and working professionals live. I have a French bulldog who regularly stays at his place with me, and we just got a terrier puppy. There’s a family on the floor above us who have infant twins and a 5-year-old girl, “May.” I rarely see the parents, and the children are mostly cared for by a nanny, “Katie,” who I’ve become friends with. May adores my dogs and loves playing with them. I don’t mind, as she’s very charming and sweet, and she considers me one of her “only friends” and tells me that her parents are always very busy. Last week, I was getting the dogs ready for a walk, had the door a bit open with my bulldog’s leash tied around the doorknob, and was trying to put my terrier’s leash on when he ran into a bedroom. I chased him and heard the elevator open and close while I put his leash on.
When I went to the door, my bulldog was gone. I ran downstairs, and searched the lobby, and the floors leading up to ours, when I had the idea that perhaps May would like to join in the search. When Katie answered the door, she asked if I “wanted my dog back from his play date” and said that he was in May’s room.
When May saw me, she burst into tears, explaining that my dog was her only friend, and apologized, begging me to let her keep him. I explained to a confused Katie that May had actually taken the dog without my permission, and I took him and got out of there. My boyfriend was shocked that I hadn’t been more angry in the moment and wants to write a letter to May’s parents, telling them what happened, and encouraging them to fire Katie, as well as get May some therapy. I think this is extreme and that May was at fault, not Katie. I also have had only a little bit of contact with the parents. What should I do?
—The Dog Days Are Over