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A case in point for local tick awareness is a recent social media post by the Morristown-Hamblen Humane Society.

The nonprofit agency uploaded a photo of a fluffy pupper with the words, “We have named this sweet girl ‘Hallie.’

The story behind the post was that Animal Control was called the day prior by a citizen who saw ‘Hallie’ lying in a field unable to get up.

At first it was believed she had been hit by a car.

Once ‘Hallie’ arrived at the shelter, it became apparent to staff that she was not a typical hit-by-a-car case so they continued to check her thoroughly and also contacted a veterinarian.

Shelter staff pulled an estimated 100 ticks off of her and, as a result, suspected tick paralysis.

“She couldn’t stand on any of her legs yesterday at all. By this morning she was starting to crouch up on all of her legs and then progressed to sitting, standing and walking,” staff said in the post.

The veterinarian confirmed that no bones were broken, bloodwork was normal and agreed that the temporary paralysis was caused by ticks.

Although ‘Hallie’s situation was an extreme case, and her body was covered with a massive number of ticks, shelter staff cautioned that it only takes toxins from one tick to cause a negative reaction such as tick paralysis.

“This is why flea and tick prevention is so important,” a representative of the shelter said. “We are thrilled with her progress and hope it continues.”