When I lived in Redondo, about a mile from the beach I had a routine that lasted for years in which I would walk to and along the beach a couple of nights a week.

This hike started as they usually did.  I left the house at about 10:30PM and walked the most direct route west toward the ocean.

But one block west of Pacific Coast Highway my routine was broken.

It started with a guy in his parked car on the opposite side of the street warning me that there was a large scary aggressive dog loose nearby.  Almost simultaneously I heard a woman yelling from the front porch of a house two doors ahead of me.  At first I thought the dog was attacking her, but it quickly became apparent she was swearing at the guy in the car for abandoning her when he ran back to his car as the dog approached.

I could see no dog.  I walked to the house where the woman was perched on the porch railing, clinging to a post.  I asked her if she was okay.  She said yes she was okay, just scared, the dog did not bite her.  Hanging on to the porch post, she explained that this wasn’t her house.  She lived up the block.  Her boyfriend (guy in the car) had come to pick her up.  As they got to the sidewalk the dog charged them.  Boyfriend ran to his car.  Woman ran to the nearest house.  Dog was who knew where.

I walked her back to her house. She was swearing at the boyfriend most of the way.  Boyfriend had nothing to say.

I continued my walk.  Here came the dog.  One of the biggest German Shepherds  I had ever seen.  I stopped.  The dog came up and sniffed me for about three seconds and continued past me.  Other than its size, the dog was neither scary nor aggressive.

I continued my walk. At the next intersection there was a police car.  “K-9 Unit” decals on the fenders and “Do Not Approach” signs in the windows.  The officer was sitting behind the wheel and confirmed it was her dog.  There had been a break-in at a nearby store and her partner and the dog were searching adjacent blocks looking for the burglar.  I shared my encounter with the boyfriend and the woman on the porch.  I also shared that the dog showed no aggressiveness when it walked by me.  She explained that if you run, the dog will assume you are suspicious and will chase you until it decides if you smell right or not.  We assumed the pair ran, and I didn’t smell suspicious.  We also concluded the relationship between the woman and her boyfriend may have suffered.

I continued my walk.  Sorry, no idea if the burglar was ever caught.