Maine’s Current Warm Weather Patterns have Brought Back the Ticks

Seriously, it's not even Spring yet.

At this point, I think it's fair to say that in Maine, ticks just don't ever really go away. When there's snow on the ground, they're not really a bother to anyone. But rest assured, they're lurking just underneath. It fills one with about the same amount of joy you'd get, when you watch your ex leave the bar with someone else at last call.

In my yard, the snow has been pretty much gone for a handful of days. Literally, my first thought was, "I wonder how long it'll take for the ticks to come out?" Well, the answer was four days. Four measly days, and I saw a stupid tick on my dog's paw when we came in from our trek out back in the woods.

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Allegedly, we have a tick "season".

Once upon a time, I may have believed this. I would've gotten behind the idea that at some point every year, ticks go away. According to the American Kennel Club, Maine's tick season runs from April-November. But just this year... we didn't get snow until late in the year, and it was warm. And we got basically no snow this year.

It's snow and cold air that's supposed to kill them, and we got neither. Every single time we've had minimal to no snow on the ground, I've removed ticks from my dog. So as far as I'm concerned, Maine should be classified as a year-round state when it comes to ticks. If they never really go away, how can we say there's a season?

So I guess it's time for me to update whatever I need to so I can make sure my dog doesn't get Lyme Disease, or babesiosis, or heartworm... But it's also time to bust out the 91% rubbing alcohol and leave it in the kitchen at all times, so I can drown the ticks in it as I pull them off my boy. Screw them. Ticks in March... Pssshhhh... What next?

Actually, based on this list, let's not tempt fate...