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Life Exposed In Linda Watson's Prairie Dog

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Linda Watson spends her twilight years rescuing prairie dogs. She has relocated some 80,000 over thirty years, more than any other person in the world. Watson spends every day traveling to farms, stalking “barking squirrel” burrows, using a hose to pump in water and dish soap, and grabbing threatened, wild animals with her bare, scarred hands. Prairie dogs are not well-regarded in West Texas, as few creatures are, a fact Watson identifies with as a woman reared in the macho ranching business. Before she left the world of breaking ungulates, a young Watson found herself trapped in the hostile terrain of an abusive husband. Prairie dogs have been blamed for a slew of unfounded ills and punished for them. On one occasion, the FDA and CDC euthanized thousands of rodents because of a monkey pox scare. Watson’s work and life reveals the humanity of this keystone species. Prairie dogs have a distinct language that has been mapped by scientists, with calls able to differentiate breeds of dogs and humans. They are one of the few …show more content…

I have followed Watson around while rescuing and have interviewed her numerous times. The story narrative would be a day spent rescuing dogs with Watson as the piece discusses her work and the plight of both Watson and rodents. My nonfiction has won literary awards from Shenandoah, North American Review, and Columbia: A Journal of Literature and Art. My essays also appear in Orion, Fourth Genre, The Rumpus, Hotel Amerika, Hunger Mountain, and elsewhere. My longform has appeared in The Denton Record Chronicle and The Dallas Observer, among others. I hold an MFA in nonfiction from the University of Iowa where I was an Iowa Arts Fellow and am pursuing a PhD in English and creative writing at the University of North Texas. Thank you so much for your consideration. I’ll include some links to my work below, and I can be reached by return e-mail or telephoned at (615)

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