When I lived in Los Angeles, even the mention of a tick on an animal was enough to send pet owners into a complete panic. For the record, in the over 20+ years I lived in California, I have never known a single pet owner who got even a single tick on their animal hiking anywhere.
In Rural America, ticks are a way of life in the summer. Fortunately, the tick and flea preventative for animals has become incredibly advanced and I try not to think too much about what might be in them. They work so well, I don't want to have any moral conflict about slathering them onto our beloved pets so religiously.
The preventative to keep them off of humans however, is non-existent. I won't go into a whole lot of detail about the process and procedures associated with walking and working around grass and trees all day. Trust me, you get used to it.
Eventually, so says Fearless Mom.
I'm still working on the mind over matter thing.