I love bringing my dog. I carry her food, obviously I'm not gone for a month, and bury her waste on any trials; no one wants to step in doogie doo on a well marked path. She can drink from any stream w/o ill effect, but I do carry some simple meds (e.g., metronidazole) for her just in case.

I've never brought her for protection. I just feel like primordial man out in the wild with my monster dog. Of course, she'd try to protect me from just about anything on the planet.

But I wonder where all these worries come from of being attacked while hiking/camping. I've never felt unsafe outdoors except due to weather or natural phenomena, such as an ice sheet that looks like it's about to calve; that's scarier than all the crooks in the world combined.

I think I've seen one drug deal in the woods and I was alone at the time. I kept my distance, they kept theirs. Otherwise, everyone I've ever met is happy to see another person and far friendlier than strangers in a city. Maybe it's that I generally stick to trails and reasonably well-established routes. Although I've also gone way off the beaten path without any problems either.

And for the record, tents or mesh enclosures all the way. I hate black flies.