Crossword Genius

Animal in the meadow to follow (7,3)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

prairie dog

I'm a little stuck... Click here to teach me more about this clue!

'animal' is the definition.
(prairie dog is a kind of animal)

'meadow to follow' is the wordplay.
'meadow' becomes 'prairie' (I can't justify this - if you can you should believe this answer much more).
'to follow' becomes 'dog' (I've seen this before).
'prairie'+'dog'='PRAIRIE-DOG'

'in the' acts as a link.

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for prairie dog that I've seen before include "Rodent" , "A ground squirrel" , "North American burrowing mammal" , "Animal" , "Underground community member" .)

I've seen this clue in the Sydney Morning Herald.
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