Infestation of the tick!

Question
I have an adorable puppy which is a mix of somthing with a black spot on its tounge, but I'm not exactly sure what of. She's absolutely adored by everyone. So much so she thinks she has mind powers over humans, especially me and Dad. Her problem: the ticks. She has them everywhere. We find 1 per week on her body. And the bad bit is that the most recent ones were on her face. We don't travel much, just to the hillside surrounding my house and the woods north of my backyard. (This is the main walking ground.) Where are all these ticks coming from?

Answer
Hi Zoe,
I think I have two questions hear from you so I will probably delete the first one and just answer this one okay?
So ticks are a problem pretty much all over the Northeast and growing throughout the country. They are spread by any kind of vermin- like mice or squirrels and rabbits, even birds. Deer are of course one of the largest movers of ticks. They live in high grasses and underneath leaves, they fall off trees and climb up your legs. Dogs stick their noses  in just about everything so if there is a tick to be gotten, they're  the first ones to get them. None of the topical monthly chemical poisons that you can put on your dog will really keep ticks off for very long and certainly not for the three month period that they tell claim on the box. There's a new product out now that all the vets are pushing but I still find that there is only one reliable defense against ticks and that is a particular brand named collar called "Preventic". It is a product that you have to buy from either a veterinarian or an online pet med company. This collar seems to work better than any other product I have ever used and I have been using it for at least 25 years.
The problem with ticks and lyme disease and all the other diseases that ticks transmit, is that they need to be on the animal sucking blood for about 24 hours. So you need to check your dog daily at the very least if you were walking in places where there is high grasses, low grasses, trees etc. etc. I find that the Preventic collar keeps the ticks from latching on for more than 24 hours. They fall off with in that time period. Vigilance is the only real protection for your animal. Try to stay out of grasses and areas that have a lot of underbrush. Check your dog daily and if you find more ticks then you're comfortable with then you should have your dog checked for the diseases the ticks transmit by the veterinarian. Most of these diseases can be controlled easily if caught early.
I hope this gives you a little more perspective on the problem.
Enjoy your dog -she sounds lovely.