He did.
He was also frustrated by the implication some people drew from the result.
If Joel was not badly hurt, perhaps the whole thing was minor.
David disagreed.
“If I swing at you and miss, that doesn’t make the decision okay,” he told one neighbor.
The issue was not whether Joel had required surgery.
The issue was that an adult had chosen to use physical force against an animal because an elevator trip had been delayed by a handful of seconds.
Security staff felt the same way.
Word spread through the building slowly, despite management trying to protect everyone’s privacy while authorities reviewed the matter.
Residents began asking David about Joel.
At first, he disliked the attention.
Then he noticed something useful.
People behaved more thoughtfully around the dog.
Nobody crowded him in elevators.
The doormen continued greeting him exactly as they always had rather than treating him like something fragile.
A woman on the sixth floor began carrying treats, though David eventually asked her to reduce the supply because Joel was gaining weight.
The building seemed collectively determined not to let one person’s behavior redefine the environment for him.
That mattered more than anyone realized.
David initially considered avoiding elevators for a while.
Joel changed his mind.
Three days after the incident, they walked toward the lobby after their morning outing.
The elevator opened.
Inside stood Luis.
The security supervisor looked at Joel.
Then at David.
“Want us to take the next one?”
David considered it.
“No.”
He gave Joel a loose leash.
The dog looked inside.
Luis did not call him.
He simply stood against the far wall.
Joel entered.
The doors closed.
Nothing happened.
Luis did not reach down to pet him.
He did not try to prove that humans were safe.
He simply rode beside them.
When the doors opened on the seventh floor, Joel stepped out.
David smiled.
“Good job.”
Luis remained inside.
“That’s one.”
David remembered the phrase.
That’s one.
One uneventful elevator ride.
Then another.
And another.
That was how trust had been built the first time.
There was no reason repairing it should work differently.
The investigation continued quietly.
The man who kicked Joel was interviewed.
According to the information eventually provided to David, he did not deny making contact with the dog but disputed how forceful the action had been. The video allowed investigators to evaluate that claim themselves.
The case was referred onward for legal review.
Weeks later, David was informed that the man would face an animal-cruelty allegation under the applicable local law. The exact process took longer than residents expected, as legal processes often do, but the incident had moved beyond an internal complaint.