Dog Tick

5993  Good Morning.   I went for a walk in some grassland with a few trees here and there, not far from a beachy area on Lake Ontario and since then have found several of the bugs that you can see in the attached photo.   They don’t bite or anything but seem to hook themselves on to your skin and are not easily swiped off. They are also “unsquashable” so must have a very tough shell –  the only way I have been able to kill them is by flushing them down the toilet.   My dog was with me on the walk but does not appear to have any on him and I’m wondering where they are coming from ….and why they seem to like me so much!!! – I also live on a marina so my home is right by water…is this the connection?  Please let me know what they are and how to best get rid of them. There are not loads but it’s a bit disconcerting finding them periodically attached to me (and my daughter)   Thanks   Sue

This is a female dog tick.   They can be a health hazard if they bite.   They should be removed quickly.  It is quite likely your dog has ticks that should be removed. 
More Info:  http://www.wallisroughley.ca/ticksurveillance.html