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Zack Keithy, our author, is a certified veterinarian technician (UC Blue Ash) for over 6 years (contact him here). The articles written here are based on his expertise and experience, combined with a review by our expert vet reviewers including Dr M. Tarantino. Learn more about us here.
A San Diego home security camera captured an unusual moment during a break-in, a Golden Retriever offering a toy to the very person breaking into the home. According to NBC 7 San Diego, the incident happened in Pacific Beach, where a suspect spent about a minute petting the homeowner’s dog before making off with a bike valued at roughly $1,300, distinctive for its 8-ball and checkered black-and-white detailing.
Rather than raising any alarm, the dog appeared to genuinely enjoy the attention while the suspect prepared to leave with the stolen bike in tow. The suspect was last seen wearing a blue-and-white hat, a gray shirt, blue shorts, and orange athletic shoes, carrying a black-and-blue backpack. As of this writing, there’s been no arrest, no recovery of the bicycle, and no charges filed in connection with the case.
This wasn’t an isolated incident for the area. San Diego County has seen a run of home invasion stories this year where pets played very different roles. In Vista, a family credited their 3 year old French Bulldog, Harley, with actually thwarting a burglar, a motion activated camera captured the sound of something being jammed into the door before Harley began growling, apparently scaring the intruder off, in a neighborhood that had already seen two other burglaries that same week. Separately, near East Village, a homeowner’s dog bit one of two masked men who slipped into a home through an unlocked door, according to FOX 5 San Diego.
My thoughts: There’s something almost comedic about the contrast here, in the same county, in the same stretch of time, one dog is growling and scaring off an intruder, another is biting one, and this one is just happily accepting a belly rub from the guy stealing the bike. It’s a good, low stakes reminder that dogs don’t actually have a universal read on “danger,” they read energy and behavior, and apparently this particular burglar came across as friendly enough to fool a very good, very trusting Golden Retriever.
Source: Hoodline / NBC 7 San Diego
