MENIFEE COUNTY, KY. — Hobbling down Big Salt Lick Road, a three-legged dog greets me at the Menifee County line. After a furtive bark, she trips across Route 36 and comes to rest in front of a crumbling, rusty trailer home.

Danny Smith, who lives a mile down the road, chuckles when I ask him about the dog. “It’s creepy,” he agrees. Smith wears sweatpants, socks, and sandals — and that’s it. The coal miner’s ample belly bulges proudly into the brisk late-morning air on Wednesday.