The Hidden Danger in the Sagebrush
As cases of rabies rise among local livestock and dogs, residents face the grim reality of a potential health crisis.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
The M. S. Meeks dog died in the throes of hydrophobia one night this week. The dog was bitten by a coyote about six weeks ago and has been kept tied up ever since. Like the Fanning dog, it was attacked by dumb rabies and did not at any time become violent. Another one of Charlie Rennie’s sheep dogs, at his camp west of town, had to be killed the first of the week after having gone mad. While Henry Burgett, the herder, was examining the animal, it snapped at him, biting him on the hand; it did not break the skin and Mr. Burgett is undecided whether or not he will take the Pasteur treatment. A mad coyote is said to have visited the road camp of O. S. Brown, south of Hanford, Thursday night. It was killed but not until after it had bitten one of the men. Stockmen are all fearful of what may eventuate and are keeping a close watch.
“Stockmen are all fearful of what may eventuate, and are keeping a close watch.”
Rabies remains a zoonotic threat in the arid regions of Washington, though modern veterinary care and reporting have drastically reduced the risk to human populations compared to the early 20th century. Today’s livestock owners still manage similar wildlife conflicts at the edge of the Hanford Reach National Monument.
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