We had such a great summer without them.

For real... In the spring, I pulled a few dozen ticks of all shapes and sizes, off my dog, every day. Then somewhere around the end of June, it was like someone flicked a switch. They were just gone. I let my dog rumble through some of the grassiest, leafiest, brushiest spots I could find. Nothing. Not one tick.

I even wrote an article about it. There were even national articles about whether or not ticks had been "weaponized" by the government. It was fascinating. Now to be fair, I only half-heartedly paid attention to ticks before I got a dog, but then they pretty much became my life for a few months when all the snow melted. I enjoyed the break.

They're baaaaaaack....

Deep down, I knew it couldn't last. On the wildlife pages I follow on Facebook and Instagram, I've already seen people posting a few photos here and there. And according to the BDN, it's that time of year when they start poking their crappy little heads back out. As we enter fall, we're also entering the breeding season for ticks.

It's tick pulling time again...

So for the next several weeks until snow falls, we will see their return. Their plan is to lay a bunch of eggs to hatch lots of new baby ticks, find a host, and then die. But in huge numbers. It will likely feel like spring all over again. So it might be time to invest in some tick removal spoons. They do a wicked bang-up job pulling those stupid things.

You can buy them on Amazon, but the state will even give you free ones. Check out this link if you want some for yourself. Otherwise, you run the risk of leaving the tick embedded, and that's the fast track to Lyme Disease.

At any rate, I've personally enjoyed the little respite from these 8-legged jerks. I'm not looking forward to having to check the dog, check myself, check all the spots he likes to hang out... like my bed... and go back into tick hypervigilance. Again, it was great while it lasted, but it's time to go back to war with nature.

Here Are 17 Things In Maine That Will Bite You

Here in Maine, there are plenty of critters that can take a bite out of you if they do desire.

LOOK: Here are the pets banned in each state

Because the regulation of exotic animals is left to states, some organizations, including The Humane Society of the United States, advocate for federal, standardized legislation that would ban owning large cats, bears, primates, and large poisonous snakes as pets.

Read on to see which pets are banned in your home state, as well as across the nation.

LOOK: Here Are 30 Foods That Are Poisonous to Dogs

To prepare yourself for a potential incident, always keep your vet's phone number handy, along with an after-hours clinic you can call in an emergency. The ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center also has a hotline you can call at (888) 426-4435 for advice.

Even with all of these resources, however, the best cure for food poisoning is preventing it in the first place. To give you an idea of what human foods can be dangerous, Stacker has put together a slideshow of 30 common foods to avoid. Take a look to see if there are any that surprise you.

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