What is the most practical and safe way to defend your family?

I've decided that a gun would be a bad choice in our house, but I'd like to have some way to defend my family if necessary. I have a 2 year old toddler, a husband, and 2 dogs and we live in a rural area. I think that a TASER would be a good option and I think they're legal in Maine. I qualified with a rifle in the Army, so I have some proficiency with firearms. There are TASERs available that shoot a projectile, right? Other considerations for me are #1 - safety (young boys and guns are NOT a good mix--I need a nonlethal defense) #2 - possibility of defending against wildlife (we have many acres of woods around our house that are a habitat to many creatures) and #3 - something that would allow me to incapacitate an attacker long enough for me to secure the intruder to await the cops' arrival. We have a rowdy bunch of neighbors that I suspect are selling drugs (it's a rented house down the street and they've never directly threatened us, but they're just not the normal, quiet neighbors I would prefer) and I just feel isolated and don't want to be helpless. Would mace be a better choice? Are there any permits I'd have to get? Where do you buy them?