My daughter had a fairly big one under her arm sunday I didn't think they would be out yet. Crystal

I found out the hard way (and very expensive way also) last year that the tics in our area do carry disease. Both of my primarily indoor dogs came down with life threatening tic borne diseases (Rocky Mountain Spotted Feve and Lyme Disease). One dog went from normal to at death's door within a few days, and only recovered as I was willing to have her admitted to UT Vet Hospital (she was in intensive care for a week receiving oxygen and blood transfusions).
The other dog went lame (often one of the few noticeable signs dismissed as arthritis),and the vet checked her for tic borne diseases knowing what happened to my other dog.

I NEVER saw one tic on any of my dogs, as the disease is ofter carried by tiny tics that bite and release without you seeing them. At the advice of UT Hospital and my vet, I will be keeping special tic collars on my dogs year around.

I was also advised to familarize myself with the HUMAN symptoms as many of these diseases are very serious, but can be very difficult to diagnose. Many of the webbased sites indicate that Lyme disease is not in Tennessee - that is incorrect.