I was visiting relatives in British Columbia a couple of years back, and was out for a walk on a mountain path with my cousin and her alsatian.

Rounding a corner towards a viewpoint, she suddenly turned and said "Bear. Don't run!", briskly walked past me and headed down the mountain.

Despite her advice to refrain from breaking into a mad dash down the path, I noticed that she was moving rather quickly, and was now wisely (for her, at least!) between myself and the black bear.

I never actually saw the bear myself, partly because I never got round that last corner before retreating, and partly because I never looked back.