Thank goodness for manly men! ;)

You know kids insist that you look at the tick because it's sooooo "exciting". I dash for the door during the extraction process. I've determined that time to be a dad/son bonding moment.

My own "wilderness" brother removed all his own ticks.

There are no ticks in Macy's, thank you very much.

Believe it or not, I live in LYME, CT, home of Lyme Disease and we get ticks on ourselves and our pets all the time. Of all the many ticks I've pulled off my body over the years I've only had Lyme Disease once. I think all the hype is unnecessary and common sense is the best medicine. If you or your pets have been in a wooded or grassy area, do a quick "tick check" especially up around the neck and hairline area. Yes, ticks are gross, can spread disease and at the very least leave an uncomfortable little bump on your skin, but I wouldn't avoid wooded areas because of them. The benefit of outdoor recreation on one's health outweighs the risk in my mind.

... a ticklish, mitey tough problem, that's what bugs me!

I had to do that match on the butt thing when I was a kid and got a tick in my leg at summer camp. However, half the tick ended up liking my leg and stayed in. I never went to any doctor about it, though. I was just teased by everyone that it would grow another body and stick around for awhile.

Now that I think about it...THAT must be what's wrong with me....ha!

I learned this from the girl scouts: After removing the tick, you should put it in a Ziploc bag and then kill the insect. Then you should give the bug infested ziploc bag to the parents (or doctor) so it can be tested for lyme disease or Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever. RMPF is more of a concern with NC ticks and is deadly if it isn't treated.

Most everyone I know does a tick-check after walking the dog.

Scarlett, it's gross alright, but please don't deny your Pup the extreme doggy joy of rolling and romping on grass just b/c of one little tick. It's extremely unlikely to have been a deer tick, so I'd also go easy on the Off if I were you. You're really upholding the Urban Princess stereotype here, and we all know you're better than that.

ncgrrl, you must have been in a better troop than I, since my tick incident occurred at girl scout camp. Actually, it was our troop leaders that told me not to worry about leaving the body inside my leg.

Good idea, however, about having the insect tested....that way you know for sure whether or not you can be affected by it.

LOL, Urban Princess, thank you SO MUCH E!!
I do my best to uphold some kind of Princess stereotype :)

For a North Carolina raised girl, I should be used to ticks, my mother put clear nail polish on them til they came up for air then pulled them out. But I would just close my eyes and scream til they were gone, burned to death in an ashtray if I had my way !
I guess, this is the price I will pay for having such a sweet and gently pup, who keeps me company while that Yankee is out working all the time :( But I refuse to get all citified and pick my own ticks !
Time for a trip to Paris, I bet they don't have ticks! Unless they wear tiny berets and sip wine ~

Out here in California we deal with ticks on our dogs every rainy season. I have discovered that a tick collar works like a charm! They clasp around the dog's neck and last for 3 months. Much easier and safer to use than a spray repellant. Ticks may alight on the dog but will not attach and penetrate the skin. Ask your vet, Scarlett. Here I buy one each season and my best friend wears one from mid-October until the end of January. Beats trying to pull those 'lil hummers off!! UGH!

Yikes Scarlett, thanks for the heads up! I spend time with my own pooch in central park at least twice a week...and my vet told me I didn't need to use Frontline or its equivalent in the city, so I completely understand your outrage!
I'll be sure to do a full inspection of the little guy when I get home. And myself while I'm at it...YUCK.

Although this is not directly on point, I think it's interesting to note that coyotes have been seen prowling the streets of New York.

I also recall a story in the NY Times a couple of weeks ago telling the unfortunate tale of a Jack Russell dog being drowned in the lake in Central Park by a rather irate goose.

If I have a point, I suppose it's that though Mother Nature can be quite beautiful, it can also have a very ugly side, as well. But we co-exist. Unless, we - the supposed superior animal - believe that all that is ugly should be eradicated.

"Unless, we - the supposed superior animal - believe that all that is ugly should be eradicated."

Was just at the state fair and I believe that this is not possible.

A Jack Russel was drowned by a goose???
Jeez, Tate the pup just gets weird when he sees pigeons. That was some Goose! I would watch my children if that is so.
You are right, Jack, and what is beautiful to some is not to others --
I still can't look at spiders on television or movies ~shudder~
Do ticks serve a purpose other than making my skin crawl? Or spreading illness? Perhaps if I saw a tick in the light of a do-gooder, I would be less grossed out by them.
Meanwhile, the Pup takes Heartworm pills and Frontline for ticks and fleas! So that tick may have been breathing his last anyway-but not many people I know wear flea/tick collars so this is still worth mentioning :)

Very few ticks here in Montana;however when I lived in Minnesotta (tick heaven) I also had one in my leg, pulled it of,but the body stayed in and is there to this day. That was 24 years ago!!!
Is that why I gained all that weight???

I guess I like at this a little differently. I have had dogs all my life, and I have lived in many different parts of the country over the years. I've always been aware (I feel it's my duty to my dog's well-being, as well as my own well-being) of what "pests" existed in my locality. Alligators in Florida. Scorpions in the desert Southwest. Ticks anywhere there's trees and shrubs. (Ticks really are more prevelant in shrubby areas. They hang on the limbs - about knee high- and wait for someone - man or beast - to amble by.)
So, I guess, I'm not sure what all the hub-bub is.

Jack,

Now in your best valley girl voice "eeeeuuuuwwww". The Hub bub is about how icky it is to find a tick on the dog or other family member. ;)

Suzie,
no disrespect meant (seriously), but what does this have to do with travel?

Jack,
read the original posting and you will see that I was making a point for people to be AWARE that they should be careful when walking in Central Park, or any Park, even if it is in NYC. Wear OFF or whatever you like to keep the bugs off of you and if you have a pet, the pet also.
The vet told me that there is a problem in NYC with ticks in the parks, I was unaware, so I felt that I should tell people-people who might be TRAVELING to NYC and visiting the Parks!

Jack,

Don't have a clue as to how this relates to travel but Scarlett opened the thread and we all joined in. Isn't it fun? Like you, looks like lots of people have something to say on the subject. ;)