You didn't say how your dog reacted to the situation, that would be the first thing to know about how you would handle the situation next time.
While there are exceptions to the advice I am going to give, most of the time it will defuse the situation, if your dog is well socialized.
You need to release your dog from its leash and back away. Dogs are built-in wired to approach something they fear. By releasing the dog, you accomplish two things, one it gets you out of the middle of the situation and two it releases your dogs feeling that it needs to defend you, because you are tied together. If your dog is well socialized, it should submit to the more dominant dog, but it will only do this if it is not attached to you by the leash. It may still get bit, but it won't be attacked.
Trying to prevent your dog from being attacked, especially by a dog that is hell bent on attacking, is a good way to end up in the ER. We all love our dogs, but unless you are confident that you can end the situation, stay out of it. Being bit hard by a big dog is not a pleasant experience at all, let alone attacked!
If this were a child walking with you, well that is a different story.
One word of caution about carrying a stick. I am guessing that this is a normal route you would be walking, if so then Tommy 2 Thick is likely going to take your stick as a threat to him or his dog. To be honest a stick is not going to stop that dog from attacking yours and will likely cause more problems than solutions.
I would walk a different route and put it behind you. If that is not an option, carry something stronger than a stick and prepare yourself for what it will actually take to end the situation if it happens again. The dog will only be a part of the problem at that point.
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