A Monona restaurant’s staff stepped in to protect a woman who said a man followed her during an evening walk with her dog on Sept. 26, sheltering her inside and calling police when he entered the building looking for her. Carly Major was walking her senior dog along Monona’s Lake Loop near Broadway when she noticed the man behind her, she said. She changed direction to avoid leading him to her home and headed toward Buck & Honey’s. As she crossed the Broadway bridge, Major said, the man removed his shirt and ran across four lanes of traffic to get ahead of her. Major ran into the restaurant and told employees she was being followed. Staff members moved her to a spot out of view from outside, she said, and stayed with her and her dog. The man soon entered the restaurant and asked employees where Major and her dog were. The staff formed a barrier between them and directed him out, according to Buck & Honey’s General Manager Katie Leiter. They also called 911. One employee went to a nearby park to warn a woman who was alone there, Leiter said. The Monona Police Department said officers were dispatched to the restaurant at 6:13 p.m. for a report of a suspicious person following Major. Officers contacted the man nearby. Police said he showed signs of mental illness; after assessing the situation, officers gave him a ride away from the business. Restaurant workers offered Major and her dog water and food, and offered her a ride home. Major said their response helped her feel safe even while the man was still nearby. The staff’s actions, she said, showed her that strangers can look out for one another.