I live in a rural area of the Florida Panhandle. There are a few Black Bear and a lot of Coyotes. For the last few years I always put a Walther PP in .22LR in my pocket along with a spare mag in the other pocket.
It doesn’t hit hard but it hits hard enough. The only thing I have used it on are rattlesnakes. I would feel comfortable with it on feral dogs or coyotes. Black Bear would be only as a last ditch.
You aren’t that far from the new airport in Panama City. When they were building it, one, or more, was seen by residents and security at River Camps, on the south side of Hwy. 388W.
The FWC denied they were panthers but they were.....probably disturbed by the construction crews.