I have a little pepper spray with a velcro wrap-around-fingers holster that rides in my zipper pocket on my hipbelt. I don't worry about animals, just people, but mostly even the people are pretty friendly on the trail... I carry it because of the same sort of paranoia, because it would be just my luck, I'd be ten miles from anywhere and some guy would decide that means he can do whatever.

I don't know that I would rely on a dog. It would have to be a formally trained attack dog, I think, and big enough to be dangerous. I don't know that I would want to subject a pet to giving up its life for me, which is what would likely happen in confrontations with bears, or a guy with a gun. And then I'd be just as vulnerable.

I also have three years of karate training (in a style meant to be used as self defense; not all styles are) and I'd bet you that gonad-grab-and-twist they taught me would work wonders. In fact, you can do it regardless of gender of your attacker. The girls have fleshy bits too, they just require a bit more grab. Self defense classes might be worthwhile. I'm pretty much okay with anything I have to do, from a whack in the crotch/upside the head with a hiking pole to an all out finger-breaking nut-grabbing get-your-hands-off-me defense. Like a gun or the pepper spray, you have to be comfortable enough to use the technique/tool effectively, so whatever you consider using in a pinch, you need to practice. (remember to wash your hands if you practice aiming the spray, and remember not to spray into the wind - I rubbed an eye an hour later and we won't talk about the results.)

I know that none of this guarantees I'm going to be completely safe, but it sure helps. One of the things I appreciate about the karate was not that it trained me to hurt others, but that it made me less afraid of being hurt. I was knocked cold during a belt testing by a wild punch, but I was up a few seconds later and going after the kid who landed it. I know that if confronted by a guy with anything other than a gun, I can trap and disarm, then give the guy a reason to lay there on the ground screaming while I hike out at my own pace to find a ranger to give his description and last known location to.

Sorry to all the guys (and girls) who just crossed their legs and winced. But I'm just bein' practical here.