Tuesday, August 26 was National Dog Day. I wasn't able to write an article about it last week due to the Romeo Peach Festival. However, this photo tells such an interesting story that I couldn't pass it up.
The front page of the February 18, 1965 issue of The Romeo Observer displayed this picture. It shows a bunch of people with their dogs on South Rawles Street. My favorite part is the pooch on the right side that's holding onto its owner's leg. The newspaper couldn't resist calling the area "the doggiest place in town."
What was going on? It turns out that on the Saturday before, February 13, there was the annual township dog vaccination clinic held at the Romeo Fire Hall from 1 to 3pm. The clinic was for canines from both Washington and Bruce Township. In other words, these people were waiting to get their pooches vaccinated. Sadly, we don't know the names of the people or the pets in this photo. If you do, feel free to contact me.
The building in the background is the Romeo Fire Hall. It still stands today on South Rawles Street near West St. Clair Street even though it has been private property since 2016.
While it's not clear how long that clinic was around, there had been reports of dogs contracting rabies in the Romeo area as early as 1937. The problem was prevalent enough that the townships got together to organize a day for dogs to get vaccinated.
How did the pooches fair on that Saturday? The Romeo Observer mentions the following, "For the most part it was a well behaved group and aside from a few yips and yelps when the needle went in, it was a quiet afternoon. Isn't it lucky the siren didn't go off?"
It's good to know that these dogs were mostly good boys and girls while getting vaccinated.
To learn more about dog vaccinations in Romeo, you can contact the Romeo Community Archives at rca@romemodistrictlibrary.org or call (586) 690-4890. If you want to search for articles on that topic, you can find the Romeo newspapers on the Suburban Library Cooperative's Local History Digital Collection website.
Images and sources courtesy of the Romeo Community Archives; Melvin E. and Joan D. Bleich Collection, The Romeo Press, November 5, 1937, p.2 and The Romeo Observer, February 11, 1965, p.1-A and February 18, 1965, p.1-A; and Macomb County Register of Deeds