TICKS

October. The ticks are back. April into June, and again in October–November, they are the absolute worst.

The dogs pick them up on our walks. Once we get back to the yard, I try to remove and crush as many as possible. A lint roller helps, but unfortunately, the ticks like to hide out under the fur. I’ll see them later, crawling around on the dogs IN THE HOUSE. And that’s the real problem.

The dogs are well protected. They take an oral pill to kill fleas and ticks, and unlike humans, they can have a Lyme vaccine. It is the rest of us I’m concerned about, because the ticks hitch a ride into the house on the dogs. Ticks that bite the dogs will die; ticks that drop onto the floor or transfer from dog to person are free to infect us all with nastiness.

Sadie in particular is apparently irresistible to ticks. I once removed three dozen of them after a walk. My goal each and every year—so far, completely unsuccessful—is to find a nice bug repelling spray, safe to apply to dogs, that will deter ticks from crawling up the dogs’ legs in the first place.

There are all the products that have failed me. All claim to repel ticks:

I’ve tried asking on Facebook, but I only get suggestions I’ve already tried or solutions that are not for the problem I actually have. People recommend treating your yard or getting chickens. The ticks aren’t in the yard, though—they’re out here, in nature:

Currently I’m investigating neem oil, picaridin, and the Seresto collar (again; the negative reviews scare me and I always chicken out of trying it). In the meantime we all have to check ourselves for ticks whenever we change our clothes.

The tick problem really detracts from the Northern New England autumn experience. Bring on the snow.