Yes, I do have a lot of dogs–four of mine, one I inherited, and one who belongs to my tenant. Yes, a half-dozen canines roam my acre property. A year ago, my golden doodle escaped from her collar and leash as we entered the vet’s office, and ran back and forth a six-lane highway. It was truly a miracle she wasn’t killed, but given the 112-degree heat that day, she suffered a heat stroke and seriously burned her four paws. To this day, I have PTSD every time I drive through that intersection, and she has developed extreme anxiety in many situations. Thus, I decided I’d no longer take her to the vet I’d use a mobile service when necessary that comes to my casa.

When the vet and her tech came on Friday, I wasn’t quite prepared. “Didn’t you get our text?”

“No, I was rather surprised by your early arrival.”

“We apologize. We must have had the wrong number. Check it, Allison.”

Allison scrolled through her laptop, “The message was flagged and not sent.”

Both the vet and I asked in unison, “Why?”

“Unacceptable language. I guess the AI censors didn’t like: Arriving in 15 minutes for our appointment with Fanny.”

I laughed, “I named her Fanny Brice after the Broadway musical Funny Girl because I’m a fan of the musical and the film. The only other Fanny I knew was my great aunt whose really name was Frances. But my late neighbor, who was English, was horrified I named a sweet puppy, Fanny. ‘Sue, you need to change her name; it’s really a filthy word in England.’ And when she told me, it was filthy.”

Certainly, as an English major, I believe there must be some acceptable standards of word usage in writing, but I am uncomfortable with some AI bot lifting a word from context and serving as the censor police. The next time I need a GO VETS visit I’ll make an appointment for Frances, Francine, or Fantasia.