The browns and dogs don't carry Lyme but can carry other nasty shit as well. They're all evil.
We are hyper vigilant about 'tick checks' at bedtime. We live on a lot of acreage and the thought of being imprisoned to a tiny section of it is a no go. I don't ever remember a tick on me as a kid in the 80's and the same town and area is full of them now. Lotta deer herd up in the wintertime and that's where a lot of problems start with the ticks/Lyme. Not that small rodents aren't carriers of them as well, ticks aren't choosy about hosts.
When we find a tick embedded, we bag it and freeze it. If the bite mark looks at all suspicious or gets worse, we go for antibiotics and send the tick out for testing.
Gl man. I feel your pain. The thought of one of the kids getting Lyme or something else is a tough one.
