• Stephanie L. Minkova, Department of Veterinary Microbiology, Western College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Saskatchewan
• Louwtjie P. Snyman, Department of Veterinary Microbiology, Western College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Saskatchewan
• Emily J. Jenkins, Department of Veterinary Microbiology, Western College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Saskatchewan

Ticks serve as vectors for a number of pathogens in North America and are a public health risk. In summer 2022 in Saskatchewan, we conducted passive and active surveillance to determine the risk of tick-borne illnesses and the potential for establishment of Ixodes scapularis, the principal vector for Lyme Disease. To date, this species has not been collected via active sampling, but 33 adult females were detected through e-Tick, 69% from dogs. Dermacentor variabilis and to a lesser extent, D. andersoni, are endemic to Saskatchewan and frequently feed on mammals, including humans and dogs. Off-leash dog parks are increasingly popular in cities, but may serve as a reservoir for pathogen transmission, including tick-borne pathogens. In this study, we compared environmental tick burdens using standardized dragging protocols in 2 off-leash dog parks with 3 urban green areas not frequented by dogs in the city of Saskatoon. Off-leash dog parks had lower abundance of ticks compared to conservancies and agricultural land. Dermacentor variabilis was the sole species found at all the surveyed sites except for one conservancy where dogs are not allowed, where D. andersoni was also present. In order to assess the potential for interspecies hybridisation, the second nuclear internal transcribed spacer was amplified and compared using electrophoresis. Additionally, all ticks collected from the sympatric population were screened to determine and compare the prevalence of Rickettsia species. Our findings suggest that off-leash dog parks have a lower abundance and diversity of ticks, which may pose important ecological and public health implications.