Anthrax!

So on the 4th of July, Lauren and I did what nearly everyone in Provo does--- we tried to find somewhere convenient for watching the Stadium of Fire fireworks. It wouldn't have been my first choice, but Lauren enjoys fireworks, so whatever.

We found a spot just east of the temple (a little bit farther up the hill) and watched it all. During all the pops and explosions, Lauren saw a little dog scurry scared across the street and hide under someone's car. Worried that he would be lost and could get killed while navigating the terrible traffic that would follow the end of the fireworks, Lauren got him out from under the car. When we saw that he had no identifying information on his collar, we took him home, planning on taking him to the animal shelter the next day.

Now, I hate animals. Basically all of them. But Lauren loves basically all of them, so to help me warm up to him, she let me name him. What else could I name him, but something that I like and that truly fascinates me: Anthrax!

Look at the little guy. I almost liked him, he was so cute.

Any animal can be cute, but for me, all cuteness ends once you start having to walk them multiple times a day and you're picking up their droppings. Cuteness ends abruptly.

The shelter was closed for the weekend, but Anthrax's family had posted signs in the area of where he was lost, so we were able to return him to his family quickly. Turns out his real name was Peeko. My name for him was MUCH better.

This got me to thinking about other great names for pets. Lauren wants lots of pets in our home, once we live somewhere that allows pets. I gave up the possibility of vetoing that idea long ago, so rather than be miserable with the idea, I'm trying to warm up to the idea by brainstorming for good names. Infectious diseases have inspired me.

Are these or are these not great ideas for pet names?

"Anthrax"- From the disease of the same name, caused by Bacillus anthracis
"Tula"- Tularemia, Francisella tularensis
"Botchy"- Botulism, Clostridium botulinum
"Bruce"- Brucellosis, Brucella abortus, B. melitensis, B. suis
"Sinia"- The Plague, Yersinia pestis
"Tuber"- Tuberculosis, Mycobacterium tuberculosis
"Melio"- Melioidosis, Burkholderia pseudomallei
"Campy" or "Juni"- Food poisoning, Campylobacter jejuni
"Shiga"- Food poisoning, Genus Shigella, especially S. dysenteriae and S. flexneri
"Nella"- Food poisoning, Salmonella enteriae
"Pappy"- Warts, any of the papillomaviruses
"Ebo"- Ebola, Ebolavirus
"Rick"- Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, Rickettsia rickettsii
"Typho" or "Typhus"- Typhoid Fever, Salmonella typhi or Typhus, Rickettsia prowazekii
"Brio"- Cholera, Vibrio cholerae
"Dippy" or "Coryne"- Diphtheria, Corynebacterium diphtheriae
"Tella" or "Tussis"- Pertussis, Bordetella pertussis
"Q"- Q fever, Coxiella burnetii
"Coccidio"- Valley Fever aka Coccidioidomycosis, Coccidioides immitis
"Lepra"- Leprosy, Mycobacterium leprae
"Cantha"- Amoebic keratitis, Genus Acanthamoeba
"Plasmo"- Malaria, Plasmodium falciparum
"Elia" or "Dorf"- Lyme disease, Borrelia burgdorferi
"Simplex"- Cold sores and genital herpes, Herpesimplexvirus types 1 (cold sores) and 2 (genital herpes)
"Enza"- Flu, Influenzavirus
"Iola"- Smallpox, Variolavirus
"Dengue"- Dengue fever, Denguevirus
"Polio"- Poliomyelitis, Poliovirus
"Thrush", "Albi" (the racist dragon) or "Candy"- Candidiasis aka Thrush, Candida albicans
"Seria"- Gonorrhea, Neisseria gonorrhoeae
"Rhino"- Common cold, Rhinovirus

This could keep going for a while. I like the idea of a pet with a name that begins with "The", a la The Cheat, like "The Plague" or "The Legionnaire" (Legionnaire's disease, Legionella pneumophila). We'll see what Lauren thinks.