The University of Bristol study has looked at the link between tick bites and dog walking in parks.

Research maps park walks and number of tick bites

GPS recorders attached to dog collars, have been used by the University of Bristol to track the link between ticks and parks.

The University of Bristol study recorded the rate at which dogs picked up ticks, after using a park just outside the city.

Over the course of a year, it looked at the number of ticks in different types of habitat within the park.

The research first looked at the numbers of ticks in different types of habitat in the park over the course of a year.

Then the pattern of pet dog movement was mapped by attaching GPS recorders to the collars of the dogs, allowing their walking routes to be tracked on a computer.

Information about each dog and how often it was bitten by ticks was obtained from the dog’s owner.The walking routes were then mapped using the GPS collars and information about how often the dog was bitten by ticks was taken from the owner.

The study found that most ticks were present in the wooded and rough grass areas of the park, particularly where deer were present.

Tick infestation was surprisingly frequent with some dogs being bitten four to five times per week. 

Ticks are blood-sucking parasites that  can spread disease pathogens as they feed. They become particularly active in Spring and early Summer.

Tick numbers and the incidence of tick-borne disease such as Lyme Disease, are thought to have increased substantially over the last 10-20 years. 

Changes in climate, habitat management, and  the abundance of hosts such as deer, may all be partially to blame.The researchers suggest that pet dogs can act as sentinels and give a useful indication of the likely risk for humans. 

The study concluded that exposure to biting ticks may be unexpectedly high and people need to become more aware of the potential risks – even in what would seem to be relatively innocuous habitats such as the local park. 

Prof Richard Wall, who led the study, said: "These green spaces that are heavily used by people and pets can funnel all the ingredients together to create high risk of tick infestation. 

"It is important that people are aware of these risks and check regularly for ticks if they visit tick infested areas and, if bitten, remove any tick rapidly."