Mosquitos in summer in Branson area? (Springfield, Joplin: homes, construction, living in)

[skeating]

This was in 1979. Our entire family were staying on the houseboat. My 70 year old father-in-law told us to stay away from the snakes they were cotton mouths. He had lived and fished these lakes for years. I will trust his knowledge, rather be safe than sorry.

[C44]

I'm looking to relocate to the Branson/Springfield area. I have to BIG Dogs and we love to take walks. What are the problems with the snakes and bugs that we might encounter? Will my Dogs be bitten by the snakes? Are insects or the poison ivy be a problem? We live in a city now that doesn't have these problems and I'm not sure what or how dogs take to this part of the country. Any advise is welcome.

[Lake Junkie]

Well, it depends on where you walk! In my area, we usually walk around the subdivision or the trails at the State Park, so they are paved & well lighted...the snakes & bugs generally stay in the bushes!

If you're a hiker and like exploring through the brush & woods you might encounter some wildlife...I know when I'm showing acreage in the summer I always wear long pants & boots. I also spray myself & my guests with Deep Woods Off and watch out for poison ivy.

If you buy a house in the country, you'll want to become familiar with what the poison plants look like, and make an effort to pull out the stuff near the house or where the dogs will run. And use chemicals once in a while for ticks & chiggers.

I wouldn't let my dogs run loose in the country.
Personally.
But I wouldn't have let my dogs run loose back home, either...


Does that help?

[C44]

I'm from Utah where there are a couple of places that are off-leash dog trails. I don't let my dogs run wild, they stay close to me when we hike.

Are the poisonous plants in your area something dogs like to eat? Never had a problem as we don't have a whold lot of that going on here. Also, we don't have fleas, ticks, or chiggers-are there any special or best ways to deal with this other than over the counter remedies?

Are there any dog lovers out there that has knowledge of dog parks, hiking trails, groups/organizations for volunteering? Best part of area (from Springfield to Branson) to live with 2 big dogs? For example-are there too many risks factors for dogs living in the country (poisonous plants, snakes, wildlife, etc)? I'd give up having lots of land for my dogs to be safe. How does the humidity affect pets? My German Shepard does not not the desert heat.

I live in a small town now with a tiny, tiny back yard. Don't need a huge place, anything under a quarter acre, one bedroom, one bath, old new, is enough.

Any help on best areas to live with my babies is much appreciated!

[mrschilicook]

Many dogs have an uncanny ability to know when to stay away from snakes. My dad used to live out on on a ranch on the King River and had three dogs that ran all over his 600 acre cattle ranch several years ago. They were outside dogs and never had a problem with getting bitten or eating anything poisonous. One was a king shepard, one a lab, and one a retriever mix. However, they were forever bringing something onto the porch. Squirrels (sp?), mice, chicken, etc..sometime dead sometimes not quite. Even where he lives now on the lake his dog, when he was alive, never bothered snakes just other dogs that didn't belong there.

I personally wouldn't let my dog run totally free in the country. Our 11 month old lab will run in the back yard (about 1/4-1/3 acre of fenced yard) and we'll have to watch her to see how she'll handle the snakes this year (We've had her since November so snakes haven't been a problem yet). But when we are out in the development or at my dads, she is on a long (horse-training) leash.

Bugs...don't know of any issues with dogs and bugs other than the normal ticks and mosquitoes. We don't have that many mosquitos but ticks are very common....there are drops and pills for both.

[Darlynn0217]

A friend of my Boss recently had to hopitalize her two dogs because they ate some mushrooms from her yard. They were in VERY bad shape and nearly died!!
I thought Dog's were smarter than that, as I had never heard of such a thing!!

[C44]

Are mushrooms a big problem there?

Any Dog Parks in Springfield? How do long hair dogs fair in the humidity? What about ticks and Lyme disease? Do Dog get it too? Anyone ever have problems with ticks? I heard a story about someone who had a tick stuck in her armpit! Yikes!

[Asthedeer]

Originally Posted by C44

Are mushrooms a big problem there?
How do long hair dogs fair in the humidity? What about ticks and Lyme disease? Do Dog get it too? Anyone ever have problems with ticks? I heard a story about someone who had a tick stuck in her armpit! Yikes!

Dogs could get into any trouble you let them lol. We are moving there also with a german shephard and are not concerend about any of the above because we also have those things here and he has managed to survive just fine for 11 years so far

[Lake Junkie]

Originally Posted by Darlynn0217

A friend of my Boss recently had to hopitalize her two dogs because they ate some mushrooms from her yard. They were in VERY bad shape and nearly died!!
I thought Dog's were smarter than that, as I had never heard of such a thing!!

I've never heard of that either, Darlynn...

I don't have dogs now but my neighbors do and they just use the usual flea/tick protection. The dogs run all over the neighborhood & woods and don't seem to have any trouble!

I had a small dog here for years and he was fine, too. It doesn't really seem any worse than being out in the country or the woods back in CA to me...

[sunshine girl]

Mosquitoes are thick in the summer.

Dogs-fleas/ticks more of a problem in grassy/wooded areas, but there are numerous effective products out there.

No dog parks anywhere around here. A grassroots group trying to start one, but lack of funding and city interest in project.

Pit bulls and their owners have lots of rules/regulations/costs for ownership in Spfld.