HONESDALE, Pa. -- Even though it's going to get colder soon, the threat of ticks and spreading Lyme disease isn't going away.
While Harley is out for a walk in Central Park in Honesdale, his owner Autumn Delong-Vanderhoff is mindful of the chance he could be picking up more than he bargained for.
"I have two other dogs at home too, constantly having to check them."
At the Cherry Ridge Veterinary Clinic just outside of town, pets and ticks are a major concern. Many ticks carry Lyme disease and that could end up making dogs and cats sick. Experts say one in four dogs in Wayne County has Lyme disease.
"We have people come in for exams, and they don't even notice there's a tick. When we're going through, we go through and notice there's a tick attached," said Ashley Bedetti, Cherry Ridge Veterinary Clinic.
Vets say one way to combat ticks is to prevent them in the first place.
"There's topical products you can swipe on their back. There's collars like the Seresto collar, oral preventatives as well," said Dr. Maryann Ostrander, Cherry Ridge Veterinary Clinic.
After all, dogs with lots of hair can make it hard to spot a tick before it's too late and some ticks are smaller than a grain of rice.
Experts say colder weather doesn't necessarily mean no more ticks.
"Ticks are amazingly resilient. They'll hide out under the frost, and once we get a warm day, they'll come out and start attaching," Dr. Ostrander said.