A magazine that showcases purebred dogs has named Delaware as one of the three worst states for dog health.
Among knocks on the first state: it ranked number seven for tick observations per capita, according to the study promoted by Showsight Magazine.
How was the study conducted?
Showsight Magazine's rankings are based off various measurements it says are relevant to dog health.
Those include:
- The average annual temperature and humidity.
- Air quality scores.
- The water quality in states' rivers and lakes.
- Disease rates among dogs in various states.
- The number of tick observations were calculated on iNaturalist, a social media application for people to learn more about nature and share sightings.
The magazine assigned a weight to all of these factors to create a one through 10 scoring system and rank each state.
Why does Delaware rank low? Ticks.
Delaware's overall score was a 3.30 out of 10, the third lowest in the country behind California and West Virginia.
“Delaware presents a mixed bag for dog owners,” the Showrunner website states.
The magazine noted Delaware's long tick and flee season and the high observation rate of ticks. Delaware ranked seventh-highest in the nation for tick sightings per capita with 26.4 tick sightings per 100,000 people. Vermont had the highest rate with 149 sightings per 100,000 people.
