Permission
Dear Frankie,
Recently, I learned that Sly stole my sweater from my locker at my doggy daycare. It wasn’t just any old sweater but a special gift from mom. She knitted it for my birthday. It was made of the softest wool in the prettiest shade of green. She even embroidered my initials in dark green wool on the collar.
When she ran into him at a dog park on the other side of town, my friend Milly discovered Sly was the culprit. She immediately recognized the sweater because of the color and my initials.
When I confronted Sly, he admitted he had taken it. He said a mutual friend had told him to take it because I had a lot of sweaters and wouldn’t care or probably notice.
I told Sly that taking something without the owner’s permission was stealing. He said I was unfair by insinuating he was a thief because our friend had said it was okay to take the sweater.
Willow
Dear Willow,
I would love to be a fly on the wall to see a judge’s reaction when Sly explained to her why he wasn’t a thief.
Sly is either unbelievably naive or living up to his name and pulling a fast one on you. Interestingly, his parents named him Sly. Could there be a connection?
I don’t think Sly gets that what he did was wrong. Your mom should report the issue to the top dog at your doggie daycare and call his parents. Perhaps they can help him understand that you don’t take what’s not yours without asking or your friend’s advice at face value.
I’m glad you got your sweater back. It sounds divine.
Best, Frankie
© 2025 Geneva Woodruff
Comments and letters can be sent to Frankie at dearfrankiecolumn@gmail.com. The Fairhaven Neighborhood News publishes the Dear Frankie column. To receive a free online subscription, readers can email neighbnews@comcast.net, request their name be added to the email list or visit www.neighbnews.com to read the paper online or to download the latest issue.
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