I want to ask your opinion. I have started jogging down my road in preparation for my 5k this weekend and beyond. If I jog 1.5 miles from the house then a round trip is 3 miles.

I did it Thursday night and about 1/2 way up my country road, I started to feel a little vulnerable. There were no houses in sight and lots and lots of woods. I was thinking about that black bear we saw last year in our neighborhood and started to worry that some animal, dog, bear, whatever could come out of the woods and I would be defenseless. There aren't many cars going by that time of night and no cell phone signals on that road.

A guy in my vanpool suggested I carry some kind of protection, which I agree with. He also pointed out how many murders have resulted in someone jogging alone.

Having said all that, I'm trying to decide what is reasonable and smart.

I already bought some mace, called "the jogger". It has a holster that straps onto your hand for easy carrying. I haven't jogged with it yet to see how it makes me feel, but it's kind of small and I have to be 8-10 feet from my assailant.

Another option was a taser, but you have to TOUCH your assailant for it to work and I am not about to approach an angry dog or attacker to zap them.

My third option would be to carry a small handgun. Some folks are saying I absolutely should carry it and it would send a clear "don't mess with me" message to any potential attacker and would provide distance from any animal attacker. We have a small 38 special revolver with a holster at home. Part of me feels like an idiot even thinking about it, but the other part of me doesn't want to be foolish either.

What would you do?

@@LipstickLady tell me more about these batons please

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Mine looks like the pink one. The taser is on the tip and along the sides. The wrist strap is key. If anyone grabs it from me ( or my kids), they can't use it against me. That's important. Once the key is dislocated, the stun gun is inactive.

http://www.thehomesecuritysuperstore.com/self-defense-stun-guns-baton-stun-guns-sub=37