When I go for walks in parks, I normally carry a Gopro monopod with me as a deterrent to stray dogs. Some stray dogs are aggressive and they will chase any passers by. There were times when I have been threatened by aggressive stray dogs.
The gopro monopod is about 20 cm folded and opens up to about 1m. Cost around USD 10 on Aliexpress/Ebay with free shipping.
It is not as impressive as a full size monopod, but it is compact enough to go into a mid size waist pouch. It is not expensive, so even it is is damaged, it does not cost much to replace.