Brown Dog Tick

Indoors and outdoors in temperate to tropical climates; highly adapted to human habitations, kennels, and dog shelters.

Blood of mammals, with domestic dogs being the primary preferred host.

Unlike many other ticks, all life stages (larva, nymph, adult) can complete their entire lifecycle indoors, crawling up walls and hiding in cracks, crevices, and dog bedding rather than dropping off in vegetation.

Risks include transmitting pathogens that cause canine ehrlichiosis and canine babesiosis to dogs, and occasionally transmitting diseases to humans. They provide no significant benefits to human environments.