(KAIR)--Dog parks are a popular place in many cities for pet owners to let their pets have a little fun. However, there is some risk involved with taking your dog to a public park due to a disease called parvovirus.

That, according to Kansas State University veterinarian Susan Nelson, who says that most owners do not realize that it takes about three shots and sixteen weeks for a puppy to be fully vaccinated against the disease.

Nelson says you should avoid taking your pet to public places such as dog parks and city parks during this time, as parvo is highly contagious and “it's fairly hearty in the environment. In the house, at room temperature, it can live for about two months. Outdoors, as long as it is kept away from the sun and from drying, it can stay for months, to even a year or so-so it can be very hearty out in the environment.”

Nelson says the disease is most prevalent in younger dogs, but “it's not that older dogs can't get it, but it's these young guys that get hit the hardest with it. And it's usually the ones that have had maybe one vaccine as a puppy and never completed a series or had no vaccinations at all. So, this is definitely a preventable disease...so it's important when you have puppies to get them in starting around six to eight weeks of age for their first set of vaccinations for this disease and then they will get that vaccine every three to four weeks, and need to end around fourteen to sixteen weeks of age.”

Nelson adds that dogs are not considered immune to parvo until after 16 weeks of age, so you do need to complete the full set of vaccinations. However, your puppy can still attend puppy classes before then. She says that “once they've had their first distemper/parvo combination...their first series, once they're about a week out, they can go to classes with other puppies where all the other dogs are required to be vaccinated. The risk is there, but it's much, much, much lower and socialization is very critical at this time, so we need to have that done with puppies.”

Parvovirus can be potentially fatal, and Nelson says that if you encounter another puppy and are not sure if it is vaccinated, it is best to keep your own puppy away from them.