Dogpatch Press

Lee Miller, a Colorado furry fan and internet troll who goes by Foxler, is heading to trial for child sex offenses. His April 2019 arrest followed years of allegations of grooming and “neo-nazi-cult-like” activity in his group the Furry Raiders. Miller’s trial is set for May 26, 2020.

In February 2020, the investigation brought new charges for Miller. This followed a December 2019 arrest for his associate Jacob Kovar (known as Sneps or Flare). Kovar was a Furry Raiders admin with a felony record. He got arrested for alleged witness tampering in Miller’s case that was uncovered by Dogpatch Press. Kovar hid that activity as “Dodger”, Head of Security at a Wyoming furry convention that dropped him when the “batshit story” came out.

The Daily Beast has their finger on the pulse.

Third arrest on 3/6/2020

A new arrest puts a third name on public record. (Other source.) It’s a 23 year old man charged with “16-19-103 DENVER: TAMP W. EVID”.

It’s the same charge that Kovar was arrested for around 12/11/2019.  Indictment info hasn’t come in yet, and it doesn’t come with history like Miller and Kovar’s, and this person could have been manipulated to make mistakes, so details will be short. It does tie him to the Furry Raiders and a relationship with Kovar.

The man’s LinkedIn and Facebook pages place him at the University of Colorado Boulder, where he’s published as the author of a linguistics research paper: Furry Culture and an ‘Endearing’ Register. His full paper has a Google Doc that makes an interesting read. A Reddit profile ties it together.

He has furry accounts on Deviantart, Weasyl, Furaffinity, and Twitter. They show Kovar is his boyfriend and used fursona art he made. His Telegram account ties with his bio, and he joined the Furry Raiders just 5 days before Kovar was arrested in December. That doesn’t show much participation or being a habitual criminal or troll, and someone who wrote about personal issues could have been misled. If true, the friendliness of furry fandom could help him get out and help bring Miller to justice.

There’s more that isn’t public. Have more info? Private tips are very helpful so please get in touch to share with protection.

Like the article? These take hard work. For more free furry news, please follow on Twitter or support not-for-profit Dogpatch Press on Patreon. Want to get involved? Share news on these subreddits: r/furrydiscuss for anything — or r/waginheaven for the best of the community. Or send guest writing here. 

Have you heard? Rumors are flying around about some kind of contest for votes in the USA. It has a Birdie and a Bi-Den. That sounds furry, doesn’t it? Maybe it’s for the Ursa Major awards for the year’s best in furry movies, art, books, news magazines, and more.

You can vote HERE during all of March 2020, but don’t wait until it’s too late! VOTE NOW! 

Non-fiction and fursuits aren’t up for awards due to not enough nominations. (You CAN still nominate for the Good Furry Award.) Remember, armies of furry soldiers fought for your freedom to vote without getting told “yiff in hell”. So please do support those who are nominated, whether it’s for art, fiction or news from some fabulously erudite news hound!

Since 2001, these awards have been run with long hours of work by volunteers. They would appreciate any support you can give to defray costs for a website, making and mailing awards, and more.

NOMINEES FOR BEST OF 2019

Best Motion Picture
Live-action or animated feature-length movies.

• Avengers: Endgame (Directed by Anthony Russo and Joe Russo; April 26)
• Frozen 2 (Directed by Jennifer Lee and Chris Buck; November 22)
• Pokémon Detective Pikachu (Directed by Rob Letterman; May 3)
• Rocko’s Modern Life: Static Cling (Directed by Joe Murray and Cosmo Serguson; August 9)
• Toy Story 4 (Directed by Josh Cooley; June 21)

Best Dramatic Series or Short Work
TV series or one-shots, advertisements or short videos.

• Aggretsuko, Season 2 (Directed by Rarecho)
• Amphibia (Directed by Bert Youn and Derek Kirk Kim)
• Beastars (Directed by Shinichi Matsumi) Episode 1, October 8, 2019 (Japan)
• Mao Mao: Heroes of Pure Heart (Written and Storyboarded by Phil Ahn, Allison Craig, Nathanael H. Jones, Griffith Kimmins, Alexandria Kwan, Nora Meek, Michael Moloney, Emily Oetzell, Parker Simmons, and Chris Ybarra)
• My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic, Season 9 (Directed by Denny Lu, Mike Myhre, and Gillian Comerford)

Best Novel
Written works of 40,000 words or more. Serialized novels qualify only for the year that the final chapter is published.

• Darwin-sensei, Kemono Musume-tachi ga Gakuen de Omochi desu!, by Daisaburo Nonoue
• Fair Trade, by Gre7g Luterman
• Nexus Nine, by Mary E. Lowd
• Off The Mark, by Bernard Doove and Jeff Hartt
• Red Skies, by GS Cole and NC Shapero

Best Short Fiction
Stories less than 40,000 words, poetry, and other short Written works.

• Black Out In Space, by Mary E. Lowd
• Bourbon Jack, by Linnea Capps
• Ecto-Cafe, by Mary E. Lowd
• The Move, by Kristi Brooks
• This Dog For Hire, by Mary E. Lowd, in Jove Deadly’s Lunar Detective Agency

Best Other Literary Work
Story collections, comic collections, graphic novels, non-fiction works, and serialized online stories.

• Fang 10, edited by Kyell Gold and Sparf
• Heat 16, edited by Alopex and Dark End
• Jove Deadly’s Lunar Detective Agency, by Garrett Marco and Mary E. Lowd
• ROAR Volume 10, edited by Mary E. Lowd
• The Rabbit Dies First, edited by Ryan Campbell
• Tri-Galactic Trek, edited by Mary E. Lowd

Best Graphic Story
Includes comic books, and serialized online stories.

• Beastars: Volume 12-16, by Itagaki Paru
• The Dreamkeepers, by David & Liz Lillie
• Lackadaisy, by Tracy J. Butler
• Shine, by Babystar
• Slightly Damned, by Chu

Best Comic Strip
Newspaper-style strips, including those with ongoing arcs.

• Carry On, by Kathy Garrison Kellogg
• Doc Rat, by Jenner
• Freefall, by Mark Stanley
• Friends You Are Stuck With, by Gabe Bold
• Housepets!, by Rick Griffin

Best Magazine
Edited collections of creative and/or informational works by various people, professional or amateur, published in print or online in written, pictorial or audio-visual form.

• Dogpatch Press, edited by Patch Packrat
• Flayrah, edited by GreenReaper, Sonious, and Dronon
• Up Fur Review, podcast by Jaden Drackus, TJ Minde, and Mog K. Moogle
• Virginity Clan, YouTube videos
• Zooscape, edited by Mary E. Lowd

Best Published Illustration
Illustrations for books, magazines, convention program books, cover art for such, coffee-table portfolios.

• Idess, Jove Deadly’s Lunar Detective Agency book cover
• Moth Monarch, Furnal Equinox 2019 T-shirt design
• Moth Monarch, Surf Pacific Anthrocon 2019 banner and conbook art
• Silfoe, Off The Mark book cover
• Teagan Gavet, Tri-Galactic Trek book cover

Best Game
Computer or console games, role-playing games, board games.

• Blacksad: Under The Skin
• Kingdom Hearts III
• Pokémon: Sword and Shield
• Untitled Goose Game
• Winds of Change

Best Website
Online collections of art, stories, and other creative and/or informational works. Includes galleries, story archives, directories, blogs, and personal sites.

• e621.net
• Fur Affinity
• Inkbunny
• Newgrounds
• WikiFur

A preview for next year… this is a good bet to get lots of love. We can’t say too much yet, but it’s likely to be in furry news much sooner than that.

Like the article? These take hard work. For more free furry news, please follow on Twitter or support not-for-profit Dogpatch Press on Patreon. Want to get involved? Share news on these subreddits: r/furrydiscuss for anything — or r/waginheaven for the best of the community. Or send guest writing here. 

Join Bernie Sander’s Furs on Telegram.

Thank you for joining our movement! We'll never forget this moment. pic.twitter.com/vrSo3ANAUM

— People for Bernie (@People4Bernie) March 1, 2020

This is OUR moment, and if we keep building our movement, this moment will go on until we win and build the world we demand! #NotMeUs pic.twitter.com/mMqoL6vpNU

— People for Bernie (@People4Bernie) March 1, 2020

How we got covered by KQED in A Secret Weapon of the Progressive Left: Furries by Nastia Voynovskaya.

There was no time for breakfast. It would take a miracle to find parking for the Bernie Sanders rally in Richmond CA. We were nearby and already together after a dance party the night before. Now we could see him speak with 11,000 supporters.

Candy, BerryPecanTart and Lux rode with me. Wild Child and Zahi were there, and Apollo Wolfdog, who we didn’t know, made contact from seeing us in the crowd. We were a litter worth of furries in the blocks long line to get in while Bernie’s motorcade passed 10 feet away. The blazing sun and fursuit photos weren’t as big as a wave from the man himself.

His speech praised supporters in attendance like Danny Glover, and Richmond city government officers. Their movement featured in the 2017 book Refinery Town: Big Oil, Big Money, and the Remaking of an American City (Sanders wrote the introduction.) The book followed the path of history that passed beneath our paws.

The rally was in a former Ford factory that helped win WWII while union workers struggled with segregation. The town’s industry then became dominated by Chevron, whose refinery sometimes has fires like one in 2012 that hospitalized 10,000. Sometimes I can watch these industrial accidents with binoculars.

Climate change in action — I saw this scrapyard fire a few blocks from the rally site in 2017.

Chevron’s millions bought the city government for a long time, gaining power over development or costs like liability for people getting sick from pollution. That changed in the 2000’s. Despite being vastly outspent, progressives took power. It was what Sanders hopes to accomplish with his 2020 campaign.

At the rally, the fire was in Bernie’s challenge for a leader who listens to scientists, not climate change deniers, and a message of #NotMeUs. Even a furry could feel a stake in it (such as their high LGBTQ membership.)

Later some online watchers worried that being there in fursuit could make Bernie look bad. But in the crowd, there was nothing but positivity. Kids just old enough to start voting got energized. A candidate for US Congress asked for help with his race. They wouldn’t stop asking for photos.

KQED took one. When I shared it, they noticed all the animal-people sharing it too. That led to meeting the reporter and giving tips on good furries to talk to. This Twitter thread covers how.

This furry news story from 2017 had an optimist point about bringing attention to causes. https://t.co/o8BLdua4bF
I was reminded of it when @ShahidForChange asked me for photos at Bernie's rally today. He said 1 volunteer like this is worth 50 in a crowd. #furries4bernie 1/ pic.twitter.com/DE1bLSQyR3

— Dogpatch Press (@DogpatchPress) February 18, 2020

I can't speak about fursuiting at rallies, but I've had a fair bit of experience fursuiting at events like make-a-wish or relay for Life, and the positive effect on those people of us being out there and suiting is very obvious. Definitely not the stigma we expect!

— Inkblitz Furnal Equinox! (@Inkblitzer) February 18, 2020

Why Furries For Bernie? Quotes from those at the Richmond rally.

Lux Operon:

Bernie Sanders is a populist candidate, undeniably. He’s an underdog, a long shot. It wasn’t too long ago that he was hosting rallies in barns and backyards with 20 people in attendance. He’s struggled his entire life to be taken seriously. He’s almost like an imaginary character himself? How can we, furries, not identify at least a little bit with that? We all had a life before we came to the fandom, and for many of us it was a less than happy one. We all struggled to be understood and to be treated with respect. When we found our community and found an outlet of self-expression, we could discover who we truly were. The fandom is our pulpit, just like the presidential race is Bernie’s. He’s polarizing? He’s spirited? In another life, he’d be a furry.

If you’re asking me what his fursona would be, I would imagine it’s a secretary bird. Not only does it have the correct hair, but I can imagine Bernie kicking a snake in the head.

BerryPecanTart:

Well, as you know, back in 2017 at Anime Boston, Bernie’s benevolent presence was enough on its own to stop a fight of ultimate destiny between Strobes the Lynx and Jack Skellington. I can only imagine what peaceful reactions he can bring between the U.S. and the Middle East if he became president?

But in all seriousness, Bernie’s message of unity and togetherness in the face of overwhelming odds, from years of ridicule from constantly being on the right side of history, is something that us furries have understood too well. It’s a window of opportunity that has never been bigger in the history of the United States for an openly Democratic Socialist candidate to make it to the White House in over a hundred years.

And as a community that has opened its arms wide to the LGBTQ community and the first to push back hard against the alt-right (whether they been the Burned Furs or Furry Raiders), we understand the stakes better than anyone.

Wild Child:

Bernie means justice in desperate times!

Bernie means removing the crushing boot which the Establishment (Left and Right) and War Industrial Complex (see President Eisenhower’s speech on it) have held against the peoples’ throat for decades. This frees the people to be healthy, happy and live with dignity; Even when diginity is being a talking lion, frolicking with your friends. Speaking of, Bernie is a wonderful specimen of Lion, look at his poofy mane and magnanimous leadership!

Bernie means standing for the right thing, even when it is not popular. Bernie is honorable. Though to be honest, he needs to take off the gloves and confront war criminals like Biden.

The Facebook group Furries for Bernie:

Originally I made this page as a joke between me and my furry friends: wouldnt be funny if Bernie himself had a fursona and was an active member of our fandom? I made a few images that went with the page and slowly I realized people liked the idea! Bernie supports a lot of the ideals the fandom holds: LGBTQ+ rights, educational rights and animal rights. More than just being a supporter of Bernie personally I think the fandom of furries could get behind him for what he stands for.

"A Secret Weapon of the Progressive Left: Furries"

You heard it here first.https://t.co/UvqcPaOTb6

— Shahid Buttar for Congress (@ShahidForChange) February 28, 2020

Watch out for trolls…

When KQED (a PBS/NPR type channel) did a Furries For Bernie tweet, it drew tagging from small trolls who tried to sic big trolls on it. One they tagged is known as a Republican political consultant and deliberate spreader of fake news with 180,000 followers. Recently a Fox “news” story shared it with no news content; it was a naked boost for a twitter troll by major media. It showed how the playing field tilts.

More chat about getting involved. 

Arrkay: I think the Worst Year Ever podcast helped a lot for furries on the left. My brother is campaigning for Bernie on college campuses here in Canada. He was super awkward about furry stuff for years because of Somethingawful prejudices. After the podcast we had some great conversations. He tells me that the Americans abroad caucus is larger than any individual state caucus.

Patch: Why Canada, is it a lot of students and military?

Arrkay: I think students are the easiest to target.

Goku!: The next time Bernie comes to PA, I should really dress up in my rat suit- we could show rodent solidarity for him! Time to get in Brooklyn and have a hell of a time. I’d be perfectly fine just chilling outside and socializing with local citizens… but I wonder if they’d let me inside in fursuit?

Patch: No problem here, they just made me take off my head for a sec, they weren’t checking ID or anything either. Do it and use the hashtag if you do make it to the rally. Make a hashtag sign too, I must have gotten over 100 photos and would have seen more if I remembered to do that. They wouldn’t let home made signs inside but the crowds outside made it worthwhile.

Wild Child: One more reason to support… Bernie makes cruelty against animals a topic discussion more than most politicians, and he has a thriving Facebook page for it and platform policies on humane treatment.

Like the article? These take hard work. For more free furry news, please follow on Twitter or support not-for-profit Dogpatch Press on Patreon. Want to get involved? Share news on these subreddits: r/furrydiscuss for anything — or r/waginheaven for the best of the community. Or send guest writing here. 

CNN: FBI announces charges

New FBI arrests are putting the heat on Atomwaffen Division. They’re a group with a dream: White supremacy through violent terrorism.

This is the “but not that!” clause you always get from free-speech defenders. Supposedly, neo-nazis just hold opinions you should tolerate, but you never get a good reason why. In truth, if you leave them alone they WILL hurt people. This group is tied to 5 murders.

Now add hundreds of swatting incidents, as announced by the FBI. “Swatting” is a terror tactic of falsely reporting a crisis to send a SWAT team crashing through a victim’s door. It gets people shot by mistake. Their international conspiracy targeted a US Cabinet official under Secret Service protection, journalists who reported about hate groups, and a vape shop. They did it for power, revenge, and a day off from school. (Really).

Doing terrorism to avoid homework sounds like the plot of a whole comedy movie about racist boneheads. For now, laugh at the dopes with me, a cartoon dog.

They’re more evil than geniuses, but they know furries reject nazis. They know tough guys fear being yiffed into oblivion with a Furry Apocalypse. They’re the type raised on easily-abused tech platforms with a mix of moldy old bigotry, ironic memes, and anime. Of course they know nazifurs. FBI evidence confirms it.

Breaking: Former Atomwaffen Division leader arrested for swatting conspiracy. Click below for court docs. @FBIWFO https://t.co/Ej1siMwAYo

— U.S. Attorney EDVA (@EDVAnews) February 26, 2020

The Atomwaffen Division leader was John Cameron Denton, alias “Rape”. (That’s con-badge-ready.) He’s a Texas man who took control after the 2017 arrest of founder Brandon Russell. Denton made propaganda art to spread fear, and it looks effective to gain recruits — if your life goals involve joining a prison gang, and you’re OK with art criticism in the form of a shiv in your liver.

In 2018, Denton’s Atomwaffen propaganda showed up in a Dogpatch Press report. There was an event in New Jersey being infested with nazifurs, and they spread it to target a black furry for harassment. Why? He asked them to grow up. Really. (The story was taken down to let some people move away from hate.)

Nazifurs threatened me for the story. Meanwhile a major reveal by ProPublica led to Atomwaffen Division swatting their office and a writer’s home. There was no sign of deeper ties at the time, but new evidence puts nazifur activity right inside the conspiracy.

fella got some judges and journalists, too, was picking his victims from Shodan so he could watch the cops do the actual swatting and share it with his friends and co-conspirators on a secret internet nazi IRC channel called #.graveyard

— Neural Culture (@neuralculture) February 26, 2020

Inside the Atomwaffen Division swatting conspiracy chat logs.

IRC is old chat tech but still active. Some neo-nazis favor it with a belief that young antifascists won’t be familiar with it and they can stay obscure without censorship. It’s also insecure so usernames can be stolen, or channels taken over if one server goes down. A techie fur I consulted called it a terrible idea.

IRC logs appear in the FBI document as excerpts without mentioning furry at all — so let me point out where it is!

The swatting IRC logs are from November and December, 2018. At least 7 members are in it. Two of the most active were from outside the US.

Leader John Denton (“Rape”) was led to IRC by someone named “Lion”. There he used voice conferencing (Mumble) to avoid leaving written documents. (It’s a practice in Nazifur activity too, like when Foxler organized a chat group to do false hotel room booking to ruin a con.)

Two members discuss getting a fursona for Denton (“Rape”) as a snow leopard. As the group propaganda artist, he would know furry art. (It’s interesting that alt-right figure Milo had one of those, although this was a year before his Midwest Furfest trolling.)

Confirmation of using Furaffinity on 12/7/18.

This was 6 months after the site banned hate group activity. It was 3 weeks after a furry interview with Jello Biafra (who wrote the “Nazi Punks Fuck Off” song they discuss). It was during the week of a video of Jello saying Nazi Furs Fuck Off. They’re in the middle of the furry discourse.

Saevyl may be a sergal or at least he shares an erotic body pillow of one:

Saevyl’s link: Kadd Dakimakura Cover – Adult Naked.

“Cuddle up with the Shigu Army’s tactician and one of Rain’s companions Kadd as featured in Vilous Green Chapter Episode 2: Dark Clouds of the Shigu! Pillow not included, this 160cm pillow cover comes with graphic male Sergal genitalia accurate with the universe!”

Saevyl was invited to swatting conference calls on Mumble, where the sergal link was shared on 11/18/18. Denton was very close to Zheme and used voice to have him pass invites. It was a henchman arrangement that brought nazifur discourse inside.

Zheme also uses Zeem/Zim (probably the cartoon) while Saevyl cites this anime:

“Siege Culture” refers to neo-nazi book author James Mason — who joined them at times on IRC.

Mason is an advisor to Atomwaffen Division, a paramilitary neo-Nazi terrorist organization … During a court case related to Atomwaffen, the prosecutor stated that James Mason “may well represent the most violent, revolutionary and potentially terroristic expression of right-wing extremism current today.” – Wikipedia

Will we learn more about nazifurs mingling with terrorists? It could happen by tracing names published on the FBI’s news release. At the least, this makes an absurd and scary reminder of how deeply furries have saturated into all corners of culture. Keep watch for what might creep inside.

Correction: Denton is one member who works on the art with others as mentioned here.

A TL;DR for those who may still be confused:

The FBI’s court document has chat logs from an IRC channel where AWD organized swatting. The FBI doesn’t talk about the furry parts, so this article points them out, with extra comments about how most furries oppose nazis.

Denton, leader of AWD, used a member “Zheme” to invite others in to avoid leaving written evidence. Zheme invited Saevyl. They discussed furry art, furries mobilizing against nazis, Denton’s awareness of it, and wishing nazifurs could get tolerated. Saevyl linked furry porn (a body pillow.)

They are familiar enough with furry activity to be closely connected, like wanting snow leopard fursona art for Denton and using Furaffinity, the 100% furry art website. They rub shoulders with nazifurs and Saevyl probably is one.

Like the article? These take hard work. For more free furry news, please follow on Twitter or support not-for-profit Dogpatch Press on Patreon. Want to get involved? Share news on these subreddits: r/furrydiscuss for anything — or r/waginheaven for the best of the community. Or send guest writing here. 

The 2020 American election year has a high-stakes power struggle. But The Worst Year Ever podcast isn’t just staying in the studio to report about it. They’re going out in real life to visit as many different groups as possible and show solidarity. They even got up close and personal with furries!

This must-hear podcast comes from Robert, Katy, and Cody (who also do Some More News, Behind The Bastards and more, with over 340,000 Twitter followers lumped together.) They make top quality media backed by research, wit, and dedication to truth. That’s how the fandom was introduced here.

Until now, outsiders have seen glimpses of a furry fandom struggle with far-right groups. It ties to happenings around the country. But few have gone all the way down our rabbithole to learn unique background that no mainstream media has covered. I had never heard some of this.

How The Furries Fought The Nazis and Won — by The Worst Year Ever

• Part 1 — A look at the background of nazifurs and the Midwest Furfest 2014 chemical attack. (47 minutes)
• Part 2 — Fandom responses, a big shoutout to Dogpatch Press at 4:00, and a visit to MFF 2019. (36 minutes)

It’s more than fluffy cheerful stuff every member knows or the drama of one conflict. It goes deeper into what the fandom means to members and why they’re so protective about it. It shows what “furry politics” even means: a disregarded subculture on the fringes defining how it runs on its own terms. Now many outsiders can say they never knew it before, but they’re allies.

Speaking of mingling politics, outsiders and furries…

Sen. Bernie Sanders is in Richmond today rallying supporters to turn their ballots in as soon as possible.

"Furries 4 Bernie" seen outside, before the event
(@nananastia / KQED) pic.twitter.com/p46SLzkm3w

— KQED News (@KQEDnews) February 17, 2020

The rally was in my neighborhood and that’s my fursuit. KQED is my local public radio (as in, not ad or ratings driven.) The reporter who took the photo was astonished about all the animal-people sharing it. That led to a 90 minute interview a few days later.

Skaifox art: Bearnie Sanders

Over coffee, we talked about furries and political organizing. Not about “furry political opinions” so much as talking about how furry is a grassroots subculture that makes its own media and organizes without outside investment.

There was a comparison to how the punk or rave scene has power to bring people out, help raise awareness or register them to vote. Punkvoter was active for organizing punk fans during the Bush II years. Rave people have a group called Space Cat Voters, “a loose-knit outfit promoting democratic participation and a progressive slate of candidates and causes on the local and state levels.”

Those help voters get registered. But do furries even do that? And why not? If health issues get attention at cons, this seems like a great opportunity to reach inactive young people. Mere registering can’t be accused of bias.

The story by KQED’s reporter will come out soon, in print for ahead of the March 3 Super Tuesday primaries. Meanwhile, how about fursuit canvassing? Let people get cute photos and tell them about healthcare policy!

Like the article? These take hard work. For more free furry news, please follow on Twitter or support not-for-profit Dogpatch Press on Patreon. Want to get involved? Share news on these subreddits: r/furrydiscuss for anything — or r/waginheaven for the best of the community. Or send guest writing here. 

Furries return to San Francisco Pride – June 28, 2020 

Back in 2012, the weekend celebration of SF Pride didn’t have any activities with anthropomorphic animals. Maybe they would just stay in their dog houses, or sit on eggs and wait for their terns, or whatever they do alone. That seemed like a loss when the SF Bay Area had the worlds most dense population of furries.

Why shouldn’t they go to Pride? Companies, schools, and all kinds of interest groups do. Pride is a statement about love that any group can support. But they didn’t seem to have any activity since a parade contingent around 2002-2005. (It’s not well documented, but the original organizers told me about overcoming some of the most friction for it from other fans, in fear of fear itself.)

Whose job is it to make it happen? Everyone’s. That’s why in 2020, I can report 8 years of starting and helping to organize award-winning floats in the parade, with partners like @Zoren, @StevenTigeron and hundreds of supporters and members. They’re coming back with a newly purchased trailer to have for the future. Generous donations last year covered it, but now they need to build a float on it and give everyone an experience to remember.

You can help on GoFundMe. Donations are matched by Spottacus.

Fundraising has begun for 2020's SF Pride Parade NorCal Furries contingent! There's a new float this year and @Spottacus is matching donations, but they need your help to keep this thing going! (Thanks for tip @5p1ic3) https://t.co/B3RqknkJjl

— Dogpatch Press (@DogpatchPress) February 15, 2020

A new event for the SoCalPrideFurs 

Pride is everywhere, and a great place to see furries bring their magic is at the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras. That’s where they devote months of preparation and talent to build professional floats to blow your mind. I keep meaning to interview them, (including ones who did costume building for The Masked Singer, Australian edition). But that’s way farther south than I’ve had time for!

Back in California, a few hundred miles from the SF Bay, furries in San Diego are coming back for a second year at their Pride event. One of the biggest reasons is organizer Dave Hester, who engaged me about it last year and says more below.

Help the SoCalPrideFurs fundraiser here.

There's a GoFundMe to help SoCalPrideFurs appear at Pride in San Diego and LA. It comes from the organizer of their successful float last year. Support them here: https://t.co/Jw4QYQZg7P @fallingnoises #sdpride https://t.co/xYu43xb6QL

— Dogpatch Press (@DogpatchPress) February 19, 2020

Dave Hester overcame a difficult background to bring Pride for furries in SoCal and help show them support:

Last year, the reason I wanted to run it had to do with the environment I lived in for a few years. But once I started planning everything and getting others involved, I started to realize how many people told me that they wished they could go with everyone. Telling me the reasons why they couldn’t. Their families aren’t supportive, they haven’t come out yet. Not just for being in the LGBTQ+ community, but also being furries.

We are mixed between two wonderful and supportive communities. Every year I want nothing more than to give something to the communities I hold dear to me. I want the furries to be in as many Pride parades as possible, we are a large community that is mostly LGBTQ+ and supporters. I want the kids of this generation to see us up there and know that they aren’t alone, we have gone through the same thing. We know their pain and suffering of having to hide something that’s a part of them. I want them to know that one day, when I’m a graymuzzle, I’ll still be running this event and those kids will be a part of it with their friends and their furry family.

On top of what I want to do and my purpose for doing this. I’ve had a few people new to California and the Pride parade was their first fur meet. They met a lot of amazing people that day, they enjoyed themselves. Hearing how everyone had so much fun and loved walking in the parade, it makes me really happy to know that I gave my friends a hell of a Pride month and that they can look forward to it again and again.

What will the plans be for L.A. Pride? Let’s catch up about it closer to the time, but it’s part of the reason for the fundraiser. It can benefit many furs who have far trips to reach these events, while their own city has a big one ready to join. 

More: 17 years of progress with the Norcal Furries at San Francisco Pride.

I also volunteered at SF Pride and my favourite group was the Norcal Furries, they give the best and tightest hugs pic.twitter.com/QYqcMDRbGE

— Rio (@Rioraptor) July 1, 2019

Like the article? These take hard work. For more free furry news, please follow on Twitter or support not-for-profit Dogpatch Press on Patreon. Want to get involved? Share news on these subreddits: r/furrydiscuss for anything — or r/waginheaven for the best of the community. Or send guest writing here. Also, NOMINATE GREAT FURRIES FOR THE GOOD FURRY AWARD UNTIL MAY 31.

Art by Alterkitten (Furaffinity / Twitter)

There’s so much news about politics lately. What kind of liberation will the next election bring? Does it make your mind wander?

At Animal Farm (formerly Wild Things), you can get liberated as heck. Get in that headspace where you’re a pup and let your paws wander on a furry friend. Consenting adults only of course. Come explore kink at a safe licensed club, with super cute furries, pet-players, trainers, and opportunity to go ALL the way.

In San Francisco, this is one of the only openly advertised, public-access furry fetish parties in the world. Shy newcomers are welcome! Dungeon monitors are there to help. Any curious visitor can get a healthy nonjudgemental sample, or go whole hog. Bring a partner into trying a new kink. Come find a new partner in the lounge where there’s just chatting, a counter full of snacks, and temptation beckoning you to the dungeon for a frisky good time.

Features:

• The Citadel’s dungeon has lots of toys and a light-up disco floor with DJ.
• Murrsuits and any animal costuming or gear are encouraged, with lockers and headless lounge.
• Safety supplies are provided (house rules discourage going raw dog unless with your SO.)
• The lounge has lots of couches and chill space with a full kitchen.
• Volunteers are needed for setup, cleanup, kitchen, and more. Want to help run demos?

Get involved, find friends, or volunteer to get in free:

• Fetlife event page
• Animal Farm Telegram Chat

also if you try to do anything in one of these clubs, these dudes will literally form one of those big snake mating balls around you

— every cool guy needs a popular girl (@bitterkarella) February 16, 2020

I thought about trying one of those places once but I figured I'd either be super uncomfortable the whole time or would become one of those dudes and neither option seems appealing

— Nightmare Rings (@RelaxingDragon1) February 16, 2020

Go to a furry one like @AnimalFarmSF, there are very few to none of those and if you see one they kind of stand in the corner looking totally perplexed. Also there are lots of nice cuties who will talk to you without creeping.

— Dogpatch Press (@DogpatchPress) February 16, 2020

Totally true, our next party is on Feb 22 and you won't be bothered by gawkers there, just cute furries, fursuiters, and pet players. There's a dungeon for any kind of play, and a lounge for safe socializing to hang out and make friends.

— Animal Farm party (formerly Wild Things) (@AnimalFarmSF) February 16, 2020

Like the article? These take hard work. For more free furry news, please follow on Twitter or support not-for-profit Dogpatch Press on Patreon. Want to get involved? Share news on these subreddits: r/furrydiscuss for anything — or r/waginheaven for the best of the community. Or send guest writing here. 

The Noah’s Ark of furry fandom has many ways to get on board. Friendly and toony characters you can hug bring me there. But others are drawn to a sleek, inhuman-but-warm latex sheen that takes them to their headspace. Headspace is a good word. Despite negative notions, pup-players say it doesn’t start below the belt, and adult topics need no mention for this story about a team of artists who craft their headgear. How about marketing it as useful? When it starts to rain, these animals can stay dry and wear one instead of an umbrella. No? Even if they aren’t for you, you may enjoy learning how the secret ingredient that floats this business is the brainstorming and collaboration that furry fandom provides. Pup players are part of a community of makers. (See also the recent article — Fursuit Animatronics: the future is now with Ocelynk of Feliform Labs.) –– Patch

WearWolf Creations is spinning off into two independent businesses for latex hoods to serve the pup community: @CreationsWear and @SnapJawForge.

FC 2019 art show entries

Behind the scenes with the team, shop, and creation process.

WearWolf Creations (@CreationsWear) is entering its second year and has spawned Snap Jaw (@SnapJawForge) recently in the process! In this exclusive story with Dogpatch Press, we wanted to share the story of the founding furs of this creative band and offer a bit of a peek into how everything came together!

The three founding artists have been friends for years: @NovaD0g (Bubba), @Jai_the_Jackal (Jai), and @M2tM (Devacor), but the seed of our collaboration for WearWolf Creations was sown in the weeks leading up to Further Confusion in January of 2019. Jai and Dev had been working on masks of various kinds for some time, and decided to enter the FC Art Show with a resin warthog skull mask Jai had sculpted, and Dev helped create the molds for. In preparation they created 3 variations of the skull for entry.

At the same time, NovaD0g/Bubba had been wanting to make latex hoods, but didn’t have the space at home to do it. He saw a perfect opportunity to join in with Jai and Dev, who were already making a beautiful and productive mess in their back room. He had some stone molds which hadn’t been put to use in a long time. Leading up to the convention, Bubba worked on his very first latex pup hood alongside Jai and Dev — as well as Rex (@TooMuchDynamite) — who was working on his own art for the art show along with us.

Bubba working on his original stone mold Dobie

Everyone finished their work on time and the FC Art Show was a huge success all around. The first sale was great, but there was also a flurry of initial orders Bubba took. It proved there was a ton of interest, and a warm and welcoming community wanting more pup hoods and looking for new makers!

Based on Bubba’s success with his hoods, he decided to shift his career from full time furry commission work to pup masks. Jai was inspired by Bubba’s success and decided she wanted to try her hand at making a pup hood too. It had been an idle but present interest for a while, and this was really the catalyst that helped her make that decision and act on it.

Devacor had just purchased a 3D Printer a month prior. Dev has a good deal of experience with mold making and problem solving as a game programmer. He and Jai had additionally taken various SFX courses with Vancouver FX in pursuit of fursuit making skills over the years. Devacor thought that maybe they could 3D print molds, instead of the messy and space consuming stone molds.

A silicone bat dragon traditionally sculpted in monster clay and made by Devacor

With a 3D printer at their disposal, Jai decided to try sculpting in Zbrush instead of traditional Monster Clay, and see if they could make some original molds that resonated with the furry or pup communities. Jai already had a BFA in Illustration and some 3D sculpting experience with her game development work on Bindstone. She immediately fell in love with the process of sculpting hood designs!

It was the perfect storm to begin a new enterprise, with three passionate artists with complementary skills, all interested in the same thing: Making quality never-before-seen pup hoods.

Jai working on the first iteration of her original pitbull mask in early 2019

The art room in Jai and Dev’s home provided a great space for the creative group to get messy and explore with materials. It slowly evolved and transformed into a full-fledged art studio over the coming months. The addition of a comfy couch, adjustable table, and back room TV, and a fully stocked 3D printer room made this space perfect for mask production. As the art room evolved, so did the methods for pouring and finishing hoods. Each one is an individual hand made work of art. A lot of love and care is put into each hood.

There were some teachable moments as Dev clumsily learned how to do the pouring process.

A few weeks before making the very first mask, Bubba came up with the name WearWolf Creations. It was a perfectly appropriate, playful description of the very products he would be making. As they all learned and grew together, it made a lot of sense to share a social media account to help support each other in selling hoods. This is how WearWolf Creations came to be, and naturally evolved to combine both Jai and Bubba’s artistic work and mask labor, with Devacor serving a supporting role in developing the mold making process and learning the complexities of wrangling several 3D printers.

Throughout 2019, Bubba, Jai, and Devacor all spent time teaching and learning and growing as artists and creators. There were multiple re-designs of existing molds to get the perfect fit. The number one hit has definitely been the culmination of collaboration between Jai and Bubba: the Dobie. The Doberman was originally blocked out by Bubba, and fine details and anatomy were finished by Jai, with final touches on a second iteration to get the fit just right applied by Devacor. The response has been overwhelming. It really took a lot of focus to keep up with demand over the past few months!

A collage of many of @Jai_the_Jackal’s pups for the past year!

Focus on new hood sculpts was slow for a while, but the past few months has involved a ton of quiet R&D, fitting adjustments, and Zbrush practice. As Jai, Dev, and Bubba enter 2020, they all felt confident that many of the growing pains in the process have been hammered out. New unique designs are going to be coming out from Bubba and Jai, and everyone involved felt confident in running their own brand.

It is with this collaborative spirit, and continued support, that the trio continue to work in the same space, cross promote and support each other’s accounts. But they also maintain separate businesses to reduce confusion about which artist is responsible for which work, especially as Jai & Dev (who are married as of October 2019) begin to split their time between other passions, like their game project Bindstone. This allows Bubba to grow WearWolf Creations and focus on it full time.

2020 is going to be an exciting year for pups and furries alike, as the market for pup hoods expands to include even more unique and inspired designs from both WearWolf Creations *Bark!* and Snap Jaw *CHOMP*!

Wolf Dog by @CreationsWear

Big ol’ Chompers by @SnapJawForge

Like the article? These take hard work. For more free furry news, please follow on Twitter or support not-for-profit Dogpatch Press on Patreon. Want to get involved? Share news on these subreddits: r/furrydiscuss for anything — or r/waginheaven for the best of the community. Or send guest writing here. Also, NOMINATE GREAT FURRIES FOR THE GOOD FURRY AWARD UNTIL MAY 31.

Here’s a guest article from Sy Sable, AKA Mark Merlino, a founder of furry fandom and its first convention ConFurence. Sy, Rod O’Riley and Changa Lion host monthly parties at their house (The Prancing Skiltaire) in Southern California. The parties screen animation like Animalympics. It became popular at 1980’s fan parties, where furries adopted it as their own cult favorite like Rocky Horror and kept it alive when it might be forgotten. Last week I hosted a furry movie party where the furry-made version (C/FO Cut with rare lost scenes) got a fresh look as an original fandom root. The Youtube video is at end of article. – Patch

To go with the story, Changa Lion provided his scans of a vintage TV Guide from when Animalympics first aired (Jan 26 – Feb 1, 1980). “NBC was at the time in the dumps in ratings and very desperate. It had been this way for some time. They would not dig themselves out until the Cosby Show.” (full issue on Archive.org.)

Animalympics: The “Rocky Horror Show” of furry fandom – by Sy Sable

In 1980 I had my video setup in our family room (pool hall and HiFi sound-room). A Sony (analog) tuner-timer unit connected to an industrial Sanyo V-cord II VCR (not a Betamax, and VHS was not a thing yet). The TV was a 13” color portable rigged with a lens and a curved screen (a crude projection TV). I had seen an ad in the TV Guide for an animated TV special called Animalympics, and decided to watch (and record) it…

It totally blew me away!

The opening sequence of various animals bearing the torch (which was lit by a sleeping dragon), the somber professional narration, great theme music and the striking graphics were not what I had expected, being used to 80’s Saturday morning and (slightly better) Holiday specials. The transforming graphic of the traditional Olympic rings becoming a paw-print, with the glowing script of the logo written boldly across the screen… and the line “Now, Live via satellite, Animalympics!” made a shiver run up my spine (it still does, after watching it hundreds of times)! This was obviously something very special.

This half-hour special was part of NBCs 1980 Olympic coverage. Steven Lisberger (yes, the creator of TRON), with a grant from The American Film Institute/NEA, had made a 7-minute short about the animal version of the Olympics. NBC commissioned Lisberger Studios to create two specials, the 30 (22) minute Winter games and a 90 (66) minute Summer games, to be ran in summer of 1980.

Sadly, with the Russian invasion of Afghanistan and US boycott of the games, US TV coverage was cancelled. This included the Animalympics Summer games.

TV Guide’s editorial from the Olympics boycott.

That May my partner Linda hosted a birthday party for me at my apartment in Garden Grove. My good friends Kay and Nicolai Schapiro showed up with a special gift, an unmarked VHS tape. “We want you to watch this right now.” Nicolai insisted. OK, so I put it in the VCR and sat back… completely unprepared for my second encounter with Animalympics… the feature! After the disappointing cancellation of the summer games, Lisberger and his associates edited together the two specials into a 90 minute feature. They premiered it in Florida at a distribution convention, but were unable to interest anyone in a theatrical release. The film was eventually licensed to screen on cable TV, and in Southern California (which had no cable service in the 80’s) on the subscription “scrambled” broadcast service Select TV, which the Schapiro’s subscribed to. They recoded it and presented it to me at the party, but they wanted to be there when I watched it, because…

A Mink sports commentator! A Russian sable gymnast! A river otter swimmer/diver! Really? Needless to say my reaction was what they had wanted to see and I did not disappoint. I am a huge fan of the weasel family; I’m a pine marten, after all. It was the Animalympics I loved, but More! Amazing characters, great voices and music, trippy graphics and clever writing parodying the “close up and persona” TV sports coverage that was becoming popular. The celebrity voice and character impersonations and humor for all ages just worked. The show became a regular at the Cartoon/Fantasy Organization screenings, and one of the influential films that helped start the furry fandom.

It was great that we now could watch the rest of Lisberger Studios anthro masterpiece. What could be better than that? At the time I was helping a friend, Tim Peters, who worked at the audio-visual company that supported the Disneyland Hotel and Convention Center. McCune Audio Visual had a small studio and video editing bay (Umatic ¾” “broadcast” quality cassette) on the second floor of the convention center, which we had access to. At one point, we created a (terrible) talk show called “Who Cares” where I interviewed several members of the local C/FO chapter to send to the New York chapter. Tim handled the camera and I did the intervies, Carson-style. Later we edited in several commercial for local tourist attractions to complete the farce. It was during the editing that an idea hatched in our collective brains (?).

The Animalympics feature combined the Winter and Summer games, with some material from the Winter games left on the cutting-room floor. Having never seen the original Summer games, we had no idea if there were scenes missing from that special. But… I had my copy of the Winter games recoded from the original broadcast, and we had a copy of the combined feature… and an editing bay at your disposal. So, we proposed, what if we carefully removed the clips from the winter games from the feature. Would the material remaining make a credible Summer games?

Luckily the title card at the beginning of the feature was tagged “Summer Games”. We started the project by converting our VHS copy to 2 Umatic cassettes (each tape was only 60 minutes long) then we carefully removed all the Winter game sequences and scenes from the feature, using the scene breaks and adding a couple of additional ZOO bumpers. When we finished, the remaining show was 58 minutes, long enough to be a “90 minute” special (66 minutes maximum with commercials). And it looked good! We then made a “mother” VHS copy with the C/FO color bars (featuring the skiltaire mascot Fanta with her magenta stripe), the complete Winter games, and our recreated Summer games.

That was the birth of the C/FO version of Animalympics. We made copies from the VHS “mother” and began showing them at C/FO meetings and at the 1985 Westercon science fiction convention in Sacramento, CA at the Prancing Skiltare room party, the first “furry” party. From then on, we would screen the C/FO version of Animalympics at science fiction conventions, including World Con in the US and the UK, at comic conventions, including San Diego Comic Con International, and in room parties we hosted at every fan convention we attended.

Music by Graham Gouldman of 10CC

The show was extremely popular with fans. It included well designed characters of more diverse species than any other animated film made for decades. So many had watched it so often that some of the audience began reciting lines of dialog, making jokes, and singing along with the catchy Graham Gouldman songs. Our special version of Animalympics became an important icon in the development of the furry fandom. We literally played the tapes until they had worn out and could not be shown. The show became forgotten.

Originally Steven Lisberger turned his back on Animalympics. It was a lot of hard work that amounted to nothing, thanks to the Olympic boycott. He would not even acknowledge that it existed for many years, though it did show often on cable networks, HBO and even Disney Channel (with some scenes edited out), and various distribution companies got the rights to produce limited VHS releases. Steven Lisberger had relocated to Germany, and it happens that Animalympics has a very strong fan following in that country. When a well preserved film print was discovered, fans approached Lisberger and convinced him that the show was a masterpiece that he should be proud of. Their dedication and reverence convinced him, and he allowed them to arrange a DVD to be made (2007) and eventually a Blueray (2016) for limited release.

In 2014, my video guru partner, Changa Lion, found the DVD on Amazon.de and purchased it. He suggested that he could reproduce the summer games, using modern non-linear editing systems, and I agreed enthusiastically! Changa also managed to coax a copy of the Winter games off of the aged “mother” VHS tape and set about to clean it up using advanced video enhancement software. He finished the project in April and we planned to premier the remastered version at CaliFur. On a whim I contacted Michael Fremer, the co-writer/director, voice actor and music editor of Animalympics through his audiophile website Analog Planet. (I’m an audiophile myself, having designed and manufactured a line of HiFi speaker systems in the 80’s and 90’s.) An amazing stroke of luck had Mr. Fremer attending a HiFi show in Southern California the same weekend of Califur. He said he’d be delighted to attend the premier and he enjoyed himself immensely, answering questions and telling stories about the production. One tale he told explained the inclusion of a coati mundi (Pepe Rubanosa) in the marathon lineup. The character was based on a pet coati he had at the time!

Once again the C/FO special addition of Animalympics was available to show to furry fans around the world! But the story doesn’t end there… this year Changa obtained the German Blueray of the Animalympics feature, and though it was digitized from the same film print (and missing the same scene) the overall video and audio quality was superior to the DVD. We also had a fresh digitized VHS copy to provide the missing material. So, once again the process began: Cleaning up the Winter games copy (with improved video processing software) removing all Winter games content from the Blueray feature, adding the missing scenes from other sources, and putting it all together: The C/FO Special Addition (4.0) of Animalympics!

Saturday, February 1, 2020 was the 40th anniversary of the broadcast of the Animalympics Winter Games. On that day, Changa made the new version of our special edition available on the Prancing Skiltaire YouTube channel so everyone can enjoy this classic film, and experience an important part of the history of furry fandom!

“…and now Live, via satellite, Animalympics!”

UPDATE: this video about the making of TRON talks about putting together the animation studio and making Animalypics from around 5:00-7:00.

Like the article? These take hard work. For more free furry news, please follow on Twitter or support not-for-profit Dogpatch Press on Patreon. Want to get involved? Share news on these subreddits: r/furrydiscuss for anything — or r/waginheaven for the best of the community. Or send guest writing here. NOMINATE GREAT FURRY CREATIONS FOR THE URSA MAJOR AWARDS UNTIL FEBRUARY 15, and THE GOOD FURRY AWARD UNTIL MAY 31. Let creators know they count!

Thanks to Ocelynk for this guest post. To submit for public access, get in touch from the About page.

As night falls in the South American jungle, an ocelot comes out to hunt. The small spotted cat’s ears perk at the sound of a snapping twig in the trees above, and the pursuit begins. Eighteen razor-sharp claws extend to grip a branch for an effortless ascent, and a tail balances every movement. With its prey in sight, the ocelot pounces, its fangs glistening in the moonlight…

Imagine if the furry fandom could develop fursuits that do all that, in addition to being friendly. Since the summer of 2018, I’ve been working on animatronic technology to make it possible.

It all started when I came across a post about fursuit technology that opened my eyes to the possibilities of fursuit animatronics. This was an opportunity to apply my experience with electronics and robotics to a new and exciting area.

• FUTURE FURSUITING: furry’s most original creations and the rise of tech-enabled smart suits.

Before long, inspiration struck. I decided that I would make a realistic fursuit with all the animatronic technology I could build. I wanted the animatronics to work without anyone actively controlling them. To decide which projects to start with, I thought about my favorite features of cats: the ears, eyes, claws, and tail. Since then, I’ve developed working prototypes for all four features.

Info display at Further Confusion 2020

Ears

I started working on the ears by reading every book I could find about feline anatomy to see how real cats move their ears. Each ear has at least five muscles that pull the ear in different directions and give it an impressive range of motion. To make the project manageable, I decided that my ears only needed to rotate to point forward or sideways.

Next, I considered how the ears would move. I noticed that real cats move their ears around constantly and often point their ears toward sudden noises. I decided to replicate this behavior with several microphones hidden in the fursuit head pointing in different directions. The ear controller analyzes the audio from the microphones to detect where sounds are coming from, and points the ears toward sound sources.

My first ear prototype had foam ears moved by small motors, and four microphones to detect noises. It had some unexpected behavior and its motion was not expressive enough, but it did show that the concept was sound. With a few more iterations, I found an ear design that allows expressive and fairly realistic movement.

Eyes

I wanted to make eyes that would do something interesting but not too obvious. Real eyes respond to ambient light: their pupils get larger in darkness to help with night vision. I realized that a fursuit could use an ambient light sensor for the same effect. Each eye uses a small LCD display to show the iris and pupil. Depending on the ambient light level, the size of the pupil changes. The color or other properties of the eyes could also vary based on input from other sensors.

Claws

I recognized that retractable claws might not be the most useful feature on a fursuit, but I decided to work on them anyway as a mechanical engineering challenge. As with the claws of real felids, my fursuit claws extend by rotating out from each fingertip. The entire mechanism needs to fit within the tight space constraints of a handpaw. To solve this problem, I tried muscle-like actuators and solenoids, which all turned out to be impractical. I settled on a simple motor mounted on the back of the wearer’s hand that pulls on cables to extend all five claws at once. To control the claws, I use a non-invasive muscle sensor that lets the wearer extend the claws by flexing their forearm muscles.

Tail

The tail presented a different kind of engineering challenge because it is a whole extra appendage that needs to support its own weight and move. I started by finding out how real cat tails work. Their basic operation is simple, with vertebrae connected by flexible joints and muscles that pull in different directions. I designed my tail to follow this model closely, with four control cables to move the tail up, down, left, and right. Two motors at the base of the tail pull on the cables as necessary.

Interconnection

While the ears, eyes, claws, and tail can each do interesting things on their own, they all need to work together to unleash their full expressive power. Real cats communicate not only through body movement, but also with eye contact, ear movement, tail positioning, and purring. Animated furry characters also have familiar forms of expressive ear and tail movement. A fursuit with interconnected animatronics could use all its features to more clearly communicate the character’s emotions and intentions. To make this possible, all my animatronic control modules can communicate with each other. Future software updates will let them use this communication to work together.

The future

Building one fursuit with animatronic ears, eyes, tail, and claws is a formidable task. Still, it is only the first step. There will always be opportunities to make the animatronics lighter, quieter, more reliable, more expressive, and easier to use. As long as I have inspiration, there will be new goals to achieve.

– Ocelynk

————————————–

More information and updates on the animatronic projects: https://feliformlabs.com/

Contact: [email protected] or Telegram: @Ocelynk

Like the article? These take hard work. For more free furry news, please follow on Twitter or support not-for-profit Dogpatch Press on Patreon. Want to get involved? Share news on these subreddits: r/furrydiscuss for anything — or r/waginheaven for the best of the community. Or send guest writing here. NOMINATE GREAT FURRY CREATIONS FOR THE URSA MAJOR AWARDS UNTIL FEBRUARY 15, and THE GOOD FURRY AWARD UNTIL MAY 31. Let creators know they count, and maybe Ocelynk will have one soon! 

Dogpatch Press is commissioning regular new banner art — check out a gallery from past months. Each artist gets an article, with a goal to promote ones outside the USA. Last artist was Glasses Gator from Mexico. It’s a little behind schedule, so here’s catchup with both Azure Paragon (December) and Meteor05 (January.)

• Furaffinity for Meteor-05
• Twitter: @MeteorZeroFive
• Deviantart

Hi Meteor, so you’re in Mexico and have a wolf fursona — why wolf? And you teach — ever teach cartoon art?

I choose a wolf as my fursona because something funny happened to me as kid, when I entered primary school. I was kind of a hyperactive/playful kid, so, in my first class, instead of doing stuff for class, I just wanted to play with the other kids, I started to shout “hey, there’s a wolf at the window!” and ran around, but none of the other kids wanted to play and later they started to call me “Wolf”, something that I hated at the time (and hated for years LOL). I eventually started to accept it, and even liked it, until it became part of myself.

About my work as a teacher, I really don’t teach anything relative to cartoons or art (that would be really nice though). I’m an elementary/primary school teacher, I work at the computer lab from the school, teaching kids how to use the computer (basic stuff of course). But even though my job is not fully related to art, I use it sometimes on school stuff, like the cover of my class planning book.

Can you say a little about fandom activity where you are? Do you go to meets or cons?

Here in the Mexican state where I live there is not much fandom activity. I know there are some furries in nearby cities, but I haven’t meet them, and also there are no meets around here. I have gone to one con. In the past year I went to Confuror in Guadalajara. It was my first con ever, and it was an amazing experience, I met some good friends and other cool furry artists for the first time. There were many nice activities there, mostly related to art, games, the fandom itself and much more. I loved the really good vibes at the event, it made me feel very comfortable there, like a space to be the wolf inside of me. So, I totally want to continue going to more cons or other furry related events. This year I’m planning to go to Confurtiva in Mexico City, and Confuror in Guadalajara again, and in the future I want to try to go to foreign cons.

I like the banner art you did, it’s very fun characters. Ever been in a snowball fight?

Thanks, and no, I haven’t been in a snowball fight in my whole life. Here in Mexico there are not many places where it snows, but I really want to visit a place like that someday. I want to make a big snow “wolf” man, make other snow figures or yeah be in a snowball fight, I bet it’s fun!

Do you have any words for other artists, or want to share some of your favorites?

To other artists, always work with joy and love, I know there are always hard times where we all get blocked, angry, sad, hopeless… but there’s always a rainbow after the storm, and a light of inspiration around, we just have to look for it, so, never give up, we can do anything!

For favorite artists, I could make a very long list (LOL), there are many I like but I’m going to mention some of my most favorite. Artists like Takemoto, Teaselbone, Gyntyatyatyatya and Tardor are a big source of inspiration for me. Their art styles are pretty different from each other, but every artist is very unique, and it’s hard to not enjoy every pic from them. Also I want to mention other cool artists from Mexico that are part of my favorites: DrawItAndrew, GlassesGator and Ligoni, they’re really amazing and I’m glad to be good friends with them too.

December’s banner artist:

• @AzureParagon on Twitter
• Furaffinity for Azure Paragon
• Deviantart
• Website

Hi Azure, is there anything special people would enjoy knowing about you?

My names’s Azure Paragon. Been doing art all my life, and I do illustrations, paintings, drawings, digital mediums, even print media and ceramics. For subject matter and style, it varies to the extreme, sometimes it’s not even furry. I enjoy doing dragons, monsters, figures and faces, creatures, and perhaps most prominently, environmental and surreal landscapes, including space art and dreamscapes, even fractals & experimental.

If there is anything anyone would enjoy knowing about me, it’s how I interact when it’s not serious. I do not hold back at all on my quirks. Sometimes I’m silly, others downright nutcase for entertainment, which leads me to wonder about going into cartoon character voice acting. I think that would be a lot of fun, but like visual art as a profession, I bet it’s no cakewalk either. People also adore how my character looks, depending on the depiction of my purple skydragon Azure.

You’re located in North Carolina — how involved are you in the furry community?

My days of associating with furries locally are long past. Rarely do I go out of my way to meet other furries in the state, but I want to work on that when I’m ready and more financially stable. There are a lot of other things I need to finish first.

Anything neat to say about the banner art you did for the site?

The banner art was improvised when I discovered the site in November 2019. I had a surge of energy and wanted to contribute, and thought to myself “why not?” I figured I’d contribute as quickly as possible in my trademark visual style I usually do. It’s meant to show that miracles are possible under the right circumstances.

Where do you feel you are at as an artist? In a good place already or with goals still to reach?

I always find myself walking a long and complex road. I enjoy what I do but it seems like a never ending adventure, for better or worse. Minor goals met, major ambitions always not yet met. Then again, greater things take years to truly complete.

Any words to share with other artists?

What I wrote above. If you enjoy and want to do art for positive goals, don’t ever give up. But there’s no shame in giving yourself an extended break. It might be the most needed thing in hard times. This goes for anyone with their own pursuits and careers, not just for artists and creators.

Want to share a favorite piece, or other artists who inspire you?

On the “safe for work” side, my favorite piece I’ve made was this, from November 2014. Perhaps one day maybe I can reboot it as a 3D piece!

Melodies Among the Ocean and Sky by AzureParagon

For artists that inspire me, the piece above shows how much influence Narse had on me. I looked up to him among others such as Darkgem, Hun, SpiritRaptor, Cheetah Paws, Kenket, & Rhos. For any major pieces or paintings, I would refuse to take shortcuts and do everything from rendering to writing the concepts and lore. This is important for some comic and story series I want to finish. I have some planned, and would even love to create animations or video games of them, starting with “Anthroventures,” and “Ateht Legions.” I may make music again eventually. I haven’t done that in YEARS. When I’m ready, they’ll be posted!

Like the article? These take hard work. For more free furry news, please follow on Twitter or support not-for-profit Dogpatch Press on Patreon. Want to get involved? Share news on these subreddits: r/furrydiscuss for anything — or r/waginheaven for the best of the community. Or send guest writing here (it pays.)

Sent in by a host of the Ursa Major awards, and co-founder of the first furry convention and oldest fan house in Southern California (the Prancing Skiltaire):

It’s that time of year again! The Furry community will honor the best of Anthropomorphic animation, art and literature, and everyone is invited to help choose the best for 2019! You make the nominations, and vote for the winners. Nominations are now open, until February 15, 2020. There is even a recommended list to help you make your choices, but you may submit anything your feel deserves the award. To nominate in any or all categories, go to https://ursamajorawards.org

Sylys Sable

Nominations for the 2019 Awards are now open and will close at midnight on February 15th, 2020.

To nominate online, go ENROLL FOR ONLINE NOMINATIONS or LOGIN if you have already enrolled.

Choose up to five nominees for each category:

• Best Anthropomorphic Motion Picture
• Best Anthropomorphic Dramatic Short Work or Series
• Best Anthropomorphic Novel
• Best Anthropomorphic Short Fiction
• Best Anthropomorphic Other Literary Work
• Best Anthropomorphic Non-Fiction Work
• Best Anthropomorphic Graphic Story
• Best Anthropomorphic Comic Strip
• Best Anthropomorphic Magazine
• Best Anthropomorphic Published Illustration
• Best Anthropomorphic Game
• Best Anthropomorphic Website
• Best Anthropomorphic Costume (Fursuit)

You don’t have to nominate for all categories. Fursuit nominations need a link to one GOOD photo taken in 2019, where it was taken, and who made it.

After nominations close, finalists will be compiled and announced. VOTING runs from March 1 to March 31. You are strongly encouraged to get your friends to register and nominate. After all, this is a people’s Award, and not voted by a committee. The more the merrier!

GOT IT? GO FORTH AND NOMINATE… thanks to thoughtful readers who feel like nominating Dogpatch Press for Best Magazine or Non-Fiction Work.

AS LONG AS YOU’RE AT IT… NOMINATE FOR THE GOOD FURRY AWARD TOO! It’s open for submissions until May 31.

Like the article? These take hard work. For more free furry news, please follow on Twitter or support not-for-profit Dogpatch Press on Patreon. Want to get involved? Share news on these subreddits: r/furrydiscuss for anything — or r/waginheaven for the best of the community. Or send guest writing here (it pays.)

“I threw my paws to the ground and took my head and collar off” — The last thing they see before the furpile.

In San Jose on January 17, fursuiters were cooling off outside Further Confusion‘s main hotel. That’s when a car stopped short, and they heard the driver screaming “Get out!” She was being beaten. Onlookers ran to the car and pulled a male passenger off of her.

“Among the first on scene was the pink dinosaur, who wrested the suspect by the head and shoulders while a massive tail bobbed in his wake” – The Mercury News

Kin Z. Shiratsuki is the furry they quoted: “This guy was just walloping a lady,” Shiratsuki said. “He had to have hit her 10 times.” But wait, pink dinosaur? She’s a KOBOLD/ROO (also sometimes a purple gryphon). Get it right… read furry news!

The group of helpers show that not all heroes wear capes — some wear fursuits. They can join the ranks with furries in a past story who helped crash victims escape a car on fire.

Kin is often at local SF Bay Area meets and responded to a Q&A.

Hi Kin. Did you see the video of the incident went around a lot? It even made CNN’s front page.

Oh gosh it did, meep meep I did not see. I just saw one Twitter post and a Facebook post. I’m just glad that the cops came and arrested the guy.

What’s the story from being on the scene? 

I was walking around the corner in suit with a friend. I heard some people talking, and focused on two in the car. As soon as I saw what was happening I yelled at the group of people, “get the car door open, get him out of there!” and they acted. I told people to call 911, and called myself.

The people who were trying to get him out of the car couldn’t calm him down, or handle him, and he started getting aggressive to them. I threw my paws to the ground and took my head and collar off and ran over to help.

Since I have been studying two forms of martial arts my whole life (taekwondo and karate) I was able to pull him from the vehicle and detain him on the ground with minimum violence needed.

I even tried to let him get up. I was telling him “calm down, get it together” and tried to let him up two times. Both times he just kept trying to attack me or somebody else. The last time I pinned him down and security finally came over and escorted him over to an area until the police arrived.

From the stories I was hearing, it was her lover. He very much was either very drunk or on something. When the police were putting him in the back of the car, he was screaming at the top of his lungs like a kid “I’m not resisting arrest!”

Ever had to use martial arts by surprise before?

This was actually the first time.

What do you think about being in the news and being called a dinosaur?

I’m just happy the lady is okay and if they called me a dinosaur that’s okay. I just was doing it to help the lady and defuse the situation. I am glad I could help and get her away from him.

According to police, a 22-year-old San Jose resident was arrested and booked into the Santa Clara County jail on suspicion of domestic violence. Fur Con went on with 4,509 furry fans from around the world, and raised $20,452 to benefit the The Billy DeFrank LGBTQ Center.

Then she started talking to me about the incident where the furries citizen arrested that guy and I was like “oh yeah I saw that on twitter, what happened was—“

— ellome @NieR Orchestra!! (@automatonprince) January 21, 2020

pic.twitter.com/7QVA01UYO1

— ROBBIE! (@robbiesets) January 18, 2020

Several members attending a furry convention in California on Friday helped restrain a man who was assaulting his girlfriend until police arrested him, according to officials https://t.co/NRyKmdLjGI

— CNN (@CNN) January 22, 2020

Thanks to Spacebear

• The Mercury News — San Jose: ‘Furries’ pulled assaulter out of vehicle, sat on him
• San Gabriel Valley Tribune — Azusa man and ‘furries’ pull man out of vehicle, sit on him until police arrive
• NBC Bay Area — Fight Unfolds Outside Furry Convention in San Jose
• CBS SF Bay Area — ‘Furries’ Stop Assault Of Woman On San Jose Streets
• SFGate — Video: San Jose furry convention attendees help make domestic violence arrest
• Fox KTVU — FurCon video: Domestic violence suspect restrained by ‘furries’ until police arrive
• KFI AM 640 — Furry Fight In San Jose Caught On Video
• CNN — A group of ‘furries’ stopped a domestic violence assault and helped police make the arrest

Like the article? These take hard work. For more free furry news, please follow on Twitter or support not-for-profit Dogpatch Press on Patreon. Want to get involved? Share news on these subreddits: r/furrydiscuss for anything — or r/waginheaven for the best of the community. Or send guest writing here (it pays.)

Fursona of Rastin, a furry in Tehran

The Iranian people seem pretty cool: Just last month, they were doing huge anti-austerity protests. Then they marched with over 1,000,000 to mourn the death of a military leader. Now they're demanding their gov't resigns after killing 176 civilians. https://t.co/2rzzxZ2l5O

— WHITEY OwO BULGER (@Kamunt) January 13, 2020

Governments are supposed to represent their people. Instead they often end up representing a few haves against many have-nots. It might put oligarchy and corporate greed first, or theocracy and military power. You can read between the lines of headlines about the USA vs. Iran.

But how often do people in both places talk to each other directly without borders, filters, propaganda, stereotyping, and forced conflict? And when they’re pitted against each other, what could these different societies possibly share in common?

Pizza time! Pizza battle! Which one do YOU prefer?

— Rastin (@Rastin_Woof) January 7, 2020

Like pizza, you don’t need to speak the same language to love art. So furry fandom builds bridges around the world. That’s how Croc (@Microdile), a California furry, first made friends with Rastin (@Rastin_woof). Rastin is a 16 year old member of a generation living after the 1979 Iranian revolution, which put religion and laws together, unlike the USA which separates church and state (at least in theory.)

In the following Q&A, Rastin uses forbidden internet contact to discuss forbidden topics — criticizing authority, oppressed LGBT identity, parents who don’t understand, and fandom that isn’t shared by anybody near him. His fursona species isn’t even tolerated (dogs aren’t loved pets in Iran.) What stands out more than differences is the universal stuff in common: creativity and self expression, and wishes to escape to a more peaceful world.

When I saw he was from Iran, I was immediately curious.

All I'd ever heard about Iran my entire life, was that they hated us, supposedly hated our way of life. It was just a place of war and religious authoritarianism.

Here was a chance to actually learn something first hand.

— Emotional Support Animal (@microdile) January 8, 2020

(Dogpatch Press:) Hi Rastin, I was looking for Iranian furries when Croc tweeted about you. Do you know any others?

Hello, unfortunately I don’t know any other furries who live here.

I have heard of a few others, but I’m guessing they’re rare so there probably isn’t any community for it besides online. It may be mostly ex-patriot Persian people in other countries, but I’m glad to find you! Can you give me a bio in a few lines about yourself?

I’m 16 years old. As mentioned in the tweet, I live in Tehran and have for all of my life. I’m currently in 11th grade and yeah, trying to find a way to transfer to a foreign school. Regarding the ex-pat situation you mentioned, it’s fairly accurate, most with a well off income or wealth (of their parents) tend to leave Iran rather than invest their money here.

How did you find furry? Was it from Croc?

Croc wasn’t my first encounter with furry but it was most certainly an encouraging one. The first time I remember seeing anything about furry is when pictures of Cosmic Wuffy showed up on my private Instagram. His photos and videos led to me searching for them on YouTube, considering it’s a platform of which I spend a lot of my time on, and I found the ‘Paws’ furry music video.

How easy is it to look at where you are? I was curious about internet access, if they specifically block furry stuff or it has to be kept hidden.

As of late, that has been a very inconsistent topic considering Iran’s government has gone back and forth but also has permanently blocked out websites such as Twitter, YouTube and Telegram. The difficulty of getting around it is nothing significant considering it only requires a working VPN. So it may not be ideal for me, but I personally don’t have any struggles when it comes to being able to get ahold of furries and furry content.

What are the security policies about communication?

Their version of secure is “don’t use them”. It’s fucking garbage and pisses me off so much. “Oh Americans, use Telegram to talk and talk about politics too”, so Telegram should be banned in Iran. Which it is. We have to use VPNs to bypass it. Also of which they are trying to block, break and ban.

What does furry stuff mean to you, why do you like it and how important is it?

I feel like I’ve been drawn to ‘furry related’ subjects from a very young age and didn’t even know that until my mother pointed it out. I guess the reason I joined the fandom was the sheer amount of creativity and diversity there was along with all the cuteness that came with it. But the reason I stayed was the immense amount of love and acceptance that the fandom has which I am very thankful for.

Can I ask more about you as a furry, like your fursona or how it makes your life better?

Furry to me is a community of kind and accepting people who ALSO have an interest in anthropomorphic animals. To me the anthro part comes second. I think with most fandoms, you get absorbed because of the thing that the fandom loves. But whether or not you stay is up to how the community of people treat you. The furry community has had a lot of ups and downs for me emotionally, mainly having to do with the support of others and on the other hand, the immense amount of FOMO that has come with it.

French-made animated film based on Marjane Satrapi’s comic about growing up during the Iranian revolution.

Does it have any connection to where you live… like is there animation in Iran that you like?

Furry is probably the most foreign in Iran, there are no events, there are no cons, I’ve never seen someone in a suit here either. I’d say Iran and its religious beliefs are the furthest things from furries.

Luckily I was mainly raised by Americans (aside from mom who is Iranian) and that in particular is one of the reasons I’ve been told that I look and act like a foreigner in my own country. Iran has NO regard for copyright when it comes to foreign content, which led to me watching a lot of the cartoons and shows that an American kid would watch. (Most of the cartoons sold here were stolen from Disney and whatnot.)

I have also been lucky enough to have access to satellite, which in Iran is considered a crime but it’s not taken too seriously. That also had a huge impact on me. Iran has made several attempts at making their own animations but their efforts are anything but plausible.

How is furry regarded there, if anyone you know knows about it?  

This one’s a mixed bag, no one in my family and relatives knew about it until I explained it to them. My mom did some research on her own, and at one point was thinking that it was all about sex, and that Croc was a pedo. I calmly explained it to her and changed her mind. My father never really cared for much of my interests, so he just thought it was weird and insults me here and there about it to this day. Some of the kids at school who knew also knew it as only a sexual fetish, but some of them are far too stubborn for me to want to try and change their mind about it.

Where do you see yourself in furry fandom in the future? Would you go to cons, get a fursuit or start a Youtube channel?

It very much depends on whether or not I can leave this country or not. I CAN’T go to 95% of the cons even if I wanted to, they don’t grant visas to Iranians for most of those places. I can’t get anything from other countries SHIPPED here because of the sanctions, we don’t have international post like EVERYONE else. YouTube is very much a hassle in my country, not to mention that there is no way I could generate revenue from it.

How about just writing or drawing?

I designed and drew my own ‘sona. I did get help with a body reference but I’ve been practicing it here and there. (The one in my icon is commissioned.)

It makes me wonder if there is much nerd stuff in Iran… science fiction, comics, gaming? And if so, is any of it home grown, or is it mostly from elsewhere?

Considering how bad and half-assed most of Iran’s products are, most are influenced by foreign markets.

I watched this travel documentary to help ask questions: Rick Steves’ Iran: Yesterday and Today. 

“Join Rick as he explores the most surprising and fascinating land he’s ever visited: Iran. In a one-hour, ground-breaking travel special on public television, you’ll discover the splendid monuments of Iran’s rich and glorious past, learn more about the 20th-century story of this perplexing nation, and experience Iranian life today in its historic capital and in a countryside village. Most important, you’ll meet the people of this nation whose government so exasperates our own.”

The show talks about people having vacations, and if you cant leave the country there seem to be lots of places with amazing sights to see inside. They went to 3 or 4 cities. Have you done any trips you liked?

More than 70% of iranians don’t even have passports. With how bad the economy and incomes are, only the wealthy can afford to travel let alone stay in hotels and fly. So, a considerable amount of them are rich enough to find a way around it. The people who can AFFORD it are also the only people who will complain about not being able to do it.

What kind of animals might you be close to in Iran? Wildlife, zoos, or pets?

First off, dogs are considered sinful animals, especially as pets. I think that’s absolute BS and I adore dogs. Same goes for pigs, meat from the pig is considered as very sinful and dirty. Same goes for alcohol.

The travel show visited a book store that had a lot of poetry. It reminded me of hearing that some Islamic culture avoids showing humanlike intelligent animals because of religious teachings, and it had to do with art being geometric with beautiful patterns and less emphasis on humans. I wonder if art around you is traditional without much place for stuff furries like, or is it no big deal to talk about cartoons and stuff like that? 

Satellite and cartoons and stuff are thanks to me using it as a way to learn English at a very young age. It’s not the fact that we can’t talk about it, but when it comes to animal related stuff, very few people are enthusiastic about it. Also, something you might not know, with dogs being considered as sins, very few people own pets and interact with animals. Therefore that idea is not that popular either for that reason.

No cats either?

Some do but very very few.

I saw horses and sheep in the travel show, and the shepherd had a working dog. That’s not an every day city thing though.

Well sure but one in 1 million people do that. Keep in mind I said it’s a sin to have them as a PET. I really love dogs.

People in the USA think of Iran as religiously repressive. I was hoping to help people understand another person like them living there. I suspect the government isn’t the same as how people really think. 

A lot of the religion brings up dumb rules. However the society itself doesn’t bring a lot of enforcement on it. Even in situations where they should. So suuure alcohol is illegal and you would go to jail if cops found some in your house, but we still have it. You can’t easily purchase it, hence why some people try and make it themselves, but it really isn’t taken THAT seriously for people to completely avoid it. It’s like the law is there but everyone is just walking past it. You’ll only have issues if you run into it. And yes, it’s the government that is forcing us, those of us that aren’t crazy religious hate it too.

(Markus Scholz/AFP/Getty Images). Slate.com: What Iran—Yes, Iran—Can Teach America About the Fight for LGBTQ Rights. 1970’s Iran was islamic but inching towards gay rights, which was rolled back. Today it’s illegal to enter the country for that, do activism inside, or blog about it.

Can we talk about LGBT stuff?  I read this: LGBT rights in Iran. Let me know if anything is off limits or scary or might cause trouble… will the government take notice of you talking about this if an American furry news site publishes it? 

I’ve read it before, and know it very well. And it’s not like nobody dares to do anything in private. It’s one of the dumbest things in the Muslim culture and especially how much it’s enforced in Iran. For the government, I’m safe to answer any questions I feel comfortable answering.

The travel show showed so much history, but the cities looked modern. The biggest difference was theocracy at the top, which hands down difference in how people relate to each other, like restricted public display of affection (PDA). Furries are known for hugs when they meet, so that must be interesting to see. Like you say, the government can’t watch everything in private so I wonder how much unapproved socializing there is, even if people are badly punished if things get too high profile. Can you say anything about the private side, like how do people meet if it’s not approved?

The part about religion and government is so true to the point where it hurts me to even watch the news. But if found out, LGBT stuff is taken very seriously, I did get removed from my last school because of it (they didn’t expel me because they didn’t want to ruin their brand.) It’s serious if you get caught. But it’s hard to get caught unless someone is really out to get you or you’re doing it in public.

About religion, is worship expected a lot or just a little for you?

Unfortunately for me, I went to a very religious school from 5th grade to the beginning-ish of 10th grade. The schools before that were a bit religious too. In that school you had to go to the school’s mosque. We would sometimes hide away from the teachers so they couldn’t take us. But it was mandatory.

For what it involved besides praying, I don’t think this is something that exists where you are, but we have a whole subject for religion in school, that we have to give exams for and stuff. And also, before 10th grade we had to be able to read the Quran well and memorize some of it. It’s actually taken very seriously. Even the private schools that I go to — (public and private schools are different from the definition around the world) — are still looked after by the government, so it’s mandatory and taken very seriously.

I guess you have to be very involved with it to have any job in military or government.

Not so sure about the details of that, because I haven’t looked into it. But private jobs mostly don’t care. By private I mean not involving the government.

I saw there are some political parties interested in making things more secular (opposite of religious) from some parties that might not be the powerful ones. Like the communist or green parties saying LGBT people should be free to choose relationships, or similar words.

Personally, I didn’t even know that. So that should tell you that they have nowhere near enough power and traction to do anything. The only thing that I have ever seen or heard of are protests and that didn’t involve LGBT. It was just about women’s dress code.

But he didn't want to be a victim. He kept trying to help people, even getting robbed & beaten when he stopped to help someone, which turn out to be a trap.

He father didn't care whatsoever, resentful that his son would dare bring shame upon him.

He paid his own medical bills.

— Emotional Support Animal (@microdile) January 8, 2020

Croc wrote about you having hardship, like bullying in school, disapproval of parents, and getting beaten and having to pay the medical cost.  How much of a worry is that? Is there anything you need or people can do to help?

People can help by not being selfish cruel assholes. The hardships are significantly more serious than bullying or harrassment, but that is as much as I want to say about what happened to me. As for parents, they don’t support it, my dad is kind of in denial. My mom is disgusted.

I’m sorry to hear that, I hope things change. Have you seen any signs of hope or is leaving the country the best hope?

Honestly? No. The economy and the relationship Iran has with other countries is getting worse by the day. At this rate I don’t think I can even go to Canada if for whatever reason Iran goes to war with the US.

I hope it doesn’t. Canada is a great place that is welcoming if it can be done.

Let’s hope it stays that way for another year or two.

Related:

• Fandom grows in Southeast Asia – could it bring culture clash with Islam and authoritarianism?
• Dwale’s critical review of “Red Engines”: When furry fiction becomes islamophobic propaganda

Like the article? These take hard work. For more free furry news, please follow on Twitter or support not-for-profit Dogpatch Press on Patreon. Want to get involved? Share news on these subreddits: r/furrydiscuss for anything — or r/waginheaven for the best of the community. Or send guest writing here (it pays.)

The Good Furry Award is for furries (or groups of furries) who have shown themselves to be good citizens of the furry community and deserve recognition.  It debuted in 2019 on the Ask Papabear advice column website, and Tony “Dogbomb” Barrett won. Check the tag for more about it.

Winners get $500 and a trophy. Three Honorable Mentions also get trophies. Nominations can be sent until May 31, 2020. After that, the furry community gets to vote, with winners announced in June 2020.

Below are the furries who have been nominated so far for the 2020 Good Furry Award.

You can nominate people through the end of May 2020 from this form.​

As shared by submitters:

Furry Weekly

Furry Weekly is a long-running magazine on Furry Amino that has been running for nearly 3 years. They highlight all kinds of people in the community, including dancers, musicians, artist, writers, and more.

They are a nonprofit organization, and they haven’t been paid 1 cent for all their hard work. A little award to promote these amazing people will surely be an amazing thing for them.

Aleshka Alejandra

Note: This furry was nominated last year and, since she was a runner-up, is eligible to win this year. She has been nominated four times for the 2020 award. Below is what the nominators have written:

• She is always so kind to everybody, she helps her friends who are in need, including me. And she makes everyone’s day brighter!
• My girlfriend was going through a really rough patch. She was really upset, in the middle of a move. This person, Aleshka, was there from the beginning. As far as I know, she doesn’t do cons, but she is incredibly amazing and kind. I highly recommend her being a nominee.
• She has helped me through hard times, the hardest, when she could have walked away from me. She could have left me but she didn’t. She has been there, this is the least I could do to prove have much I appreciate her. She is a really good, kind-hearted person, and I respect her for her hard work.
• ​She has come a long way and worked very hard. She tries so hard and is very kind to those she works with. She doesn’t get to attend cons or, but she among one of the most amazing people I know. I recommend her again, she is an amazing person! I wish people of the world could see it too.

Danny Palic

Danny Palic (Thabo Meerkat ) has a YouTube video series called “Digging Up Positivity” about the good news and good stuff going on in the furry fandom. He also helps with charities in his home country, the Netherlands. His fursuit is a Pawsome & Cute Meerkat.

Missti Mystical

This fursuiter has helped a lot to the younger furs in hosting Giveaways both on TikTok and Instagram, as well as being there for when (not just young furs) people are in need of a friend or a shoulder to cry on when hate gets to them.

Personally, she has helped me get through when the phase of dino masks was receiving a lot of hate.

Overall, she is super nice and makes sure that budding furs don’t get overwhelmed by GateKeepers or elitists’ style of furries.

Dakota Labato

​Dakota is not afraid to admit that he is a furry and never afraid to help others. He does what he feels best to help other furries find the passion. He is never afraid to mention his own problems and once stopped another furry from committing suicide.​

2019 award, prize donated to charity

Dawn Willow

They’re a good furry because they do a wonderful job representing the fandom to the outside world. She commissions gorgeous artwork to support artists, puts on shows for everyone, and keeps it up with a smile and beauty. She’s raised beautiful puppies, and if you watched her while they were little, she made huge personal sacrifices to ensure they were safe and well kept.

Muscle Wolf

He was one of a group who sponsored my first furcon trip, as well as gifting some of my first pictures before I could afford commissions. He and his partner, Dineegla, also host furs for MWFF each year who can’t afford a hotel room. He’s been a wonderful friend and would do a lot for everyone if he wins.

​Arvada Tail Heads

(Note: this is a nomination for a group instead of an individual)
​The heads of Arvada Tails have created and maintained a welcoming and safe monthly hangout for furs of all sorts, as well as organizing additional fun events throughout the year. Arvada Tails has grown to roughly the size of a mini-con with its popularity, and even local non-furs feel free to join in at times. With constant vigilance, a positive attitude and indomitable spirit, the heads have helped a tight-knit community to flourish.

Vivian Reyna

I can’t really explain, But she is very motivated and made everyone cry because of it, a motivational furry speaker, I really know she can win this reward, if you give her a chance. I know it’s not based off art and fursuit, but if you were to give her a chance, that would be awesome. Papabear please if you know about all the hate in the world about furries you would give my friend a chance. I”m not saying that I’m nominating her because she is a good friend. I’m nominating her because I believe in her and I believe her motivational speaking can change the world a lot. ​

Majira Strawberry

He has helped raise funds for charity. He also has made contributions to the furry community by creating furry content on YouTube.

Like the article? These take hard work. For more free furry news, please follow on Twitter or support not-for-profit Dogpatch Press on Patreon. Want to get involved? Share news on these subreddits: r/furrydiscuss for anything — or r/waginheaven for the best of the community. Or send guest writing here (it pays.)

Continuing from Furry college clubs — a place for artists and animators with dreams and fears.

Fall Fest 2019

Yesterday’s article looked at college clubs for furries being a new movement in a growing fandom. It covered clubs at art and animation schools being a special place for people who haven’t always been in synch with the mainstream. It could involve stigma with jobs, but the upside is pro artists making good ties to fandom, and indie artists finding opportunity.

Georgia’s Savannah College of Art and Design is a top rated school near Furry Weekend Atlanta, and a place to find furry talent. SCADfurs is a club for them you can see on Furaffinity or Twitter. SCAD furs president Bucky is a Sequential Art major, and here’s our Q&A.

This fandom has been nothing but a joy to be a part of

I've made most of the friends I have now since joining, and I couldn't be happier to be a part of this community, Let alone president of @scadfurs!

Thank you all! You guys rock!! #FurryAndProud pic.twitter.com/tJ0fz1Usrt

— A fricken wild dog (@BuckWildDog) November 22, 2019

Can you tell me about the history of the SCAD furs club?

I’m currently the fourth of the presidents to run SCAD furs, behind our founder Chaz (@kinghime_ on twitter), Nick Pina (@stupidsnowfox on twitter), and Katy Mack (@h8nlof on twitter). We have this club here at SCAD to invite like minded furries, and sometimes non furries, to hang out and have fun with other people who have the same interests in the fandom with activities like game days, fandom history days, Art trade days, fursuit building days, and outings like FWA, Parades in Savannah, picnics, etc.

Who are some members to shout out?

We’re lucky to have a great amount of talented artists, fursuit makers and speakers who attend club who were willing to do presentations on different kinds of art forms. Some of the notable fursuit makers, who have created suits of their own are Harley (@harleyhyaena) Iceartz (@iceartz) DutchVali (@dutchvali) and splash (@atomic_splash)!

My VP Nathan, (@GetoutofZeWei) has also been such a fantastic and positive influence on the club, helping present and making sure people feel welcome!

@celestialshibe where they shouldn’t be

What are relations with the school like?

Thankfully, we haven’t had any negative relations! It’s always great to have students and sometimes faculty take an interest in the furries, as one of our professors helps us as a faculty advisor for the club. Every year, the school also holds an event called “fall fest” where student based clubs can set up and show off what they have to offer to new students arriving at SCAD. We, of course show up in fursuits if we have them :3

As well as school wide club events and planning, The SCAD inter club council takes care of what we can’t in regards to reserving a space for the club to meet, and allocating extra funds for club events should we request and need them.

How about relations with other students at the school?

As far as club itself goes, anyone who goes to SCAD and cares to join is welcome at any point! We sometimes have new people show up in the middle of a quarter when current members spread the word to friends or colleagues. As said before, Fall Fest is our best way to talk to and invite new members to the club each year, but it’s always fantastic to see new faces whenever!

What are the typical activities and what’s the coolest thing you ever did?

As mentioned before, we do a bunch of outings like walking around and meeting people at the annual Martin Luther King Day parade here in Savannah, we have our yearly commute up to Atlanta for Furry Weekend Atlanta, and other smaller more casual outings like picnics in the park to zoo trips!

Last year’s VP @coffeekoley at the MLK day parade 2019

Do you have any ideas about furries in the industry… like is it still a thing to keep quiet as much as years ago because of fandom image? Do you know of furries in the industry… and do you think there might be a “furry illuminati” that helps get jobs, like there is at tech corps in Silicon Valley?

Personally, I think being a furry is a fantastic way to get into the industry despite the negative image placed on us in the past. In my experience at SCAD, I’ve never seen more kind hearted, expressive, and creative people than I have here in the fur club, and I have no doubt that those are qualities that the industry looks for in a person, and no doubt that there are people currently in the industry that have started in a similar place.

Even now there are graduates and club attendees that are selling their work at cons, and working as freelance artists, which is as good a way as any to get your name out there, and make a bangin’ portfolio for any passing industries in the process!

As for a furry illuminati, I’m not sure about that one, but I don’t doubt that connections have their perks!

Favorite animation?

We always like to go back to the classic Disney movies like Robin Hood and The Lion King, to show off our “furry gateways” and how we started out in the fandom, but with newer movies featuring anthropomorphic characters and all of the fantastic content creators and animators on other platforms, we’re never short on inspiration.

Tell me a little about the courses and school and what art is coming out of it?

Most of the attendees of the club are either Sequential Art or Animation, and a lot of the professors teaching the courses in those fields allow us to do furry themed animation or comics for art projects. The courses provided here at the school range from the fundamentals of most of, if not all kinds of different art forms ranging from animation, figure drawing, comic art, storyboarding, game design, film, creative writing, and plenty, plenty more to count!

I’m sure other members could have a lot more to say about making art, what the club does, the fandom, and the industry stuff in the introduction article. Hope to hear more from them in comments. The club looks so fun and positive, thanks for doing this!

Group Fursuit photo 2019

Like the article? These take hard work. For more free furry news, please follow on Twitter or support not-for-profit Dogpatch Press on Patreon. Want to get involved? Share news on these subreddits: r/furrydiscuss for anything — or r/waginheaven for the best of the community. Or send guest writing here (it pays.)

A staple comic, 1998-2000

Furry College Clubs are a new movement

Furscience, the group researching furry fandom data, say the majority of members are around college age. By law, they can only track ages 18+, so this growing subculture may have an army of new lurkers just finding their whiskers and tails.

Looking back, furries at colleges are nothing new (check big furry comics of the 90’s) — but having enough members at the same schools to start official clubs is a new chapter in fandom.

A 2005-era Livejournal-connected list has a few dozen college furries — in the world, not the same place. A 2008 forum topic mentions handfuls finding each other (but more likely at anime clubs.) Then during a watershed time of mainstream media turning from mockery to fascination with the fandom (between MFF 2014 and Zootopia), a USA Today headline says: Growing community of ‘furries’ finds acceptance on campus.

Student newspapers love the topic now. It’s a common reason for alerts about furries in the media. And in big online forums, college location lists get hundreds of responses. Looking into it gives an impression that many are majoring in tech, science, or arts. But one subject stands out the most.

Pro animator dreams

Furry fandom overflows with art talent. And the animation industry is a hoped-for destination for many. For a guiding light, they can look at artists like Joaquin Baldwin (Disney’s Zootopia) joining furries as a popular convention guest.

I wanted to share this touching moment. @Reo_Grayfox was telling me his story, and said those lines while staring straight into his fursuit's eyes. Hearing personal stories like this makes you appreciate the vastly diverse reasons why the furry fandom is essential to so many. pic.twitter.com/fD09Wmv6mf

— Joaquin Baldwin (@joabaldwin) January 22, 2018

For these artists, a feature studio artist job is like aiming to be a pro sports athlete. Many try but few make it. Other paths may lead to TV, graphics and illustration, or freelancing.

Furries doing freelance art commissions have a burgeoning indie niche. But the downside of catering to fandom is being boxed in, by economic challenge or the pull of lucrative adult art: Furry artists among top highest-paid Patreon creators, but face threats to their livelihood.

That’s how the mainstream industry might feel exclusive. It’s hard to tell how much, but furry art in job portfolios can get negative moral judgement. For every Joaquin Baldwin, there could be many staying undercover, like in: Interview with a Secret Furry animator inside a top movie studio.

Dogpatch Press has an interview on file representing a Hollywood studio half staffed by furry artists. It was withheld by fear of affecting jobs, because they were working on a popular kids show and the #MeToo movement was coming out in Hollywood. That leads to a piece of irony.

Ren & Stimpy & Stigma

It’s rumored that in 1998, a hurtful judgement by director John Kricfalusi (Ren and Stimpy) on a young artist led her to launch the Burned Furs manifesto. (A “clean up the fandom” effort tainted by puritanism and homophobia that quickly fizzled out). Kricfalusi later made fun of furries for Adult Swim.

Then in 2018, judgement bounced back. He became a subject of #MeToo allegations by artists. It’s mentioned in my story about visiting his house — A furry look at an abuse story about John Kricfalusi.

Before going pro, John K. went to a certain animation school. A lone furry artist at the school was a friend to me. Many years later, the friend’s untimely death made his family ask about that hidden part of his life. My search for others he knew was met with fear of their identity coming out, even from decades ago.

Tomorrow’s Joaquin Baldwins

Times are changing. There’s that studio full of furries. The fandom is producing loved talents like: How furry animator Jib Kodi found his art.

Furry art is most active with illustration or fursuiting. Full animation is rarer. Outside of schools, it’s an intense medium that’s hard to do full time without studio support. Will it will always be that way? Or could indie production make something like this cult-worthy animated movie? Nova Seed movie review- a rare find of sci fi animation.

“Nova Seed looks like what I imagine could come out of my favorite art subculture some day – something like this is a holy grail of furry art.”

You can get an idea of how much work it takes from this indie animator. He made what looks like a winning show pilot that’s 12 minutes long. It took years and he became a furry in the process.

NEW VIDEO: Boomerang in a Gun Fight

A new Sheriff Hayseed short, and my longest video ever!https://t.co/mRIDrZdYzQ

— Mike (@Piemations) December 21, 2019

These are challenges on the path from college to career. That’s why when college furry clubs are the topic, a club at an animation school stands out from others.

SCAD: a top animation school

Georgia’s Savannah College of Art and Design is rated in the top 4% in the US by Animation Career Review. It has a great reputation with lots of pro artists coming out. It’s also in the neighborhood of Furry Weekend Atlanta, one of the top few fandom conventions.

That’s a great place to look for furry talent and energy. SCADfurs gathers dozens of members who you can find here on Furaffinity or Twitter. Check out an interview with them posting tomorrow: “SCADfurs: These furry animation students will make shows you love one day.”

Art: EnjoiPandas

UPDATE – responses.

Some furries working at animation studios sent private messages as well about how they feel in the industry.

The majority of the industry furries I know are still not public about it, but that balance is shifting, especially among younger artists. The silly stigma is looking dumb, especially after so much positivity coming out, like furries raising over $1M for charities in 2019 alone.

— Joaquin Baldwin @FC (@joabaldwin) January 14, 2020

Wow, you can never predict responses, they have been SO nice. Got tipped about this article just out today. https://t.co/6npkt6sdU7

— Dogpatch Press (@DogpatchPress) January 15, 2020

Like the article? These take hard work. For more free furry news, please follow on Twitter or support not-for-profit Dogpatch Press on Patreon. Want to get involved? Share news on these subreddits: r/furrydiscuss for anything — or r/waginheaven for the best of the community. Or send guest writing here (it pays.)

Yesterday was Part 1 of a list for articles at Dogpatch Press. These stories aren’t just from 2019. There’s some older ones that had revived or ongoing interest in the year. They’re not ordered by most viewed on top (some of them are deeper dives into brief/specific stories) — but these were the top 20 listed in a way that makes a snapshot of a subculture.

11. Mainstream crossover. Margaret Cho barks about furries, pride, and costuming on The Masked Singer.

This is right on the line drawn by queer/weird power that keeps furry fandom independent. Here’s one of the bigger names in mainstream entertainment who has openly mingled with furries. She takes pride in supporting misfits, was Grand Marshall of a pride parade, and was in The Masked Singer as a singing robot poodle. This article with her drew mainstream news to ask for furry opinions of the show. Expect more because the Australian edition has costumes built by furry makers, and the UK edition had fursuits in a sponsor’s ad.

12. Roots and influence. A furry pilgrimage to the Adult Swim Festival and the Prancing Skiltaire house.

Cartoon Network’s Adult Swim puts weird animation on TV at night and features furries on rare occasions. Their Los Angeles festival was a blast where I was the only fursuiter among thousands there for heavy metal, standup comedy, screenings and rides. Nearby was the oldest furry fan house (in California or maybe anywhere) where the founders of the first fur con show how a few fans can start something much bigger.

13. Fighting hate. The “New Paws” Hoax: How alt-right trolls piled on a disabled man to boost their failing careers.

This was THE most viewed article of the year, but furries didn’t do that (and drama doesn’t deserve #1 on the list.) The malicious hoax came from chan boards and was spread by big troll accounts. Outsiders kept googling and linking to the article, and it helped debunk fake news so it wasn’t worse. It shows how internal fandom power can be weaker than you know externally, and the same old malice keeps going since the media was mocking furries many years ago. Could there be any better argument for why there should be furry news?

14. Beating hate. Story of a Former Alt-Furry: Clouded by Clout.

Fake news and trolling is the toxic waste of social media corps. They profit from cutting out the cost of human moderation, and dump it on the public like a coal factory spewing smoke. It has a human side. Here’s how one person was caught in the haze, but gained clearer vision.

15. Problems high up. The Zaush Issue – leaked private messages make a public discussion.

Not all of the worst things in fandom come from outside. People keep searching to learn what’s wrong, and they find this article. If some of the most popular content in the fandom is borderline-illegal, creatively-empty Disney parody for profit… demand better.

16. Con security. “Confederate fursuiter” Magnus Diridian arrested at Midwest Furfest – what’s the story?

The “Confederate fursuiter” keeps coming up as a meme. Trolling isn’t just a social media problem, it’s a real life problem. It kept getting notice with threats to MFF 2019 from Milo, who turned out to be a paper tiger. That led to my story about Milo that was written by request of mainstream site LGBTQnation: The furry community is very LGBTQ-inclusive & doesn’t tolerate haters like Milo. Then at the end of 2019, Anthrocon’s long time security partners the Dorsai Irregulars announced parting ways with the con. The reason I was told was high rate of volunteer burnout. I think that’s an issue across the fandom.

17. The worst story to ever hit the fandom. Evidence of a furry crime ring emerges: Legal docs and news tie Cupid, more to zoosadism.

THE worst. With tech-enabled secrecy, an urban-legend level animal snuff porn ring reached worse excesses of human evil than could even be imagined. Failure to do anything about it was a black eye about certain parts of the fandom, from Kero defenders to con staff blowing it off. It’s not just for the cops when it comes from an exponential rise of reports way beyond their power, as reported by the NY Times in 2019. The full extent of the story isn’t out yet. However, the ringleader was hit with dozens of felony charges at the end of 2019 and faces 16 or more years in jail.

18. Corporate complicity. Youtube’s popular Reptile Channel has a history of banned animal abuse by JonahVore.

An earlier and now weaker by comparison story of animal cruelty for fetishes, views and profit. Youtube still doesn’t regulate it even when the channel is evading bans. Reptile fans who oppose cruelty cited the 2017 story for new videos in 2019.

19. Justice and safety. Arrest of Growly brings feeling of vindication for furries with safety concerns.

Long going protests about sex offenders focused on one person, but didn’t even scratch the surface of rings or profit operations. More is in the above 2 stories or this previous one: R.C. Fox arrested for child pornography, furries question fandom connections.

20. Reporting for justice. Arrest of Lee Miller (Foxler) brings a call for witnesses to come forward.

Foxler was a troll whose malice fed headlines in Rolling Stone and elsewhere in 2017. Reporting it in furry news led to a 2019 sex offense arrest. Reporting that led to the last story posted in 2019 — Furry Raiders sex crime case: Arrest for felon tied to witness tampering and Milo’s “troll school”.

These come from a margin between subculture and mainstream, where art and events thrive with excitement, misfits give and get support, abuse can hide, and ordinary people do what they can to stop it with only occasional outside help. Of course most people are just here for art, so you might not see the deep stuff unless you get furry news.

See the amount of bad stories? There’s 2 good stories shared for every negative one here, but ones that get notice are evidence that The Medium Is The Message.

For a long time i have maintained posts on a rough ratio of 2 nice/positive/informative posts to one sad/drama one. If one kind gets traffic, that has to do with what social media sorts and how users choose to boost. Make a choice to consciously counter the nasty stuff.

3/3

— Dogpatch Press (@DogpatchPress) December 29, 2019

COMING UP: Crossover with the mainstream keeps making some of the most interesting stories — and commercializing will keep being a topic  complicated by stories like above. While there was uproar in 2019 about Converse sponsoring a con in Brazil, and worry about corporate takeover, I think that story was mostly a nothingburger about a brief flirtation. There was little risk to furry-made shoe business or a shoe company having a native furry userbase, and ordinary widget-selling companies can worry about backfire from mingling with a subculture, but it’s not like companies never used animal mascots before.

I think the greater risks come from within. Furries have what I would call inherent deficits of open-source fandom. It has to do with gaps in security, moderation and policing itself. It’s not going to get better by relying on for-profit platforms made for advertising and driven by conflict for views, and superficially calling things out. When that’s confined to a bubble like Twitter, it feeds the corporate monster. Real life organizing and in-depth reporting makes a difference.

An interesting comment came in at the end of the year from a mainstream journalist. Remember 2016 news about a triple murder with furries in Fullerton CA, where the full story never came out? There was a conviction right before the start of 2019.

“This isn’t old news at all – in fact, i’m working actively on this story as we speak, and I know a lot lot more than I did then, thanks to the trial in part.” – Sanjiv B, December 2019.

I’m looking forward to a good read from a fandom ally. It has to do with reporting problems for learning and improvement. That needs good media, and much more than just social media. But that’s one of those deficits of fandom that just has handfuls of hobbyists writing about it for the love of it.

Like the article? These take hard work. For more free furry news, please follow on Twitter or support not-for-profit Dogpatch Press on Patreon. Want to get involved? Share news on these subreddits: r/furrydiscuss for anything — or r/waginheaven for the best of the community. Or send guest writing here (it pays.)

By Walter Ringtail

My chihuahua was amazed when I sneezed and fireworks exploded over the city. She stopped shaking and did a head tilt, like “did you do that?”

It was New Year’s Eve, and catching a plague kept me from going out. But pets like attention when there’s scary noise, and it made time to write.

This list is for articles at Dogpatch Press. That’s not the only way to get furry news, but how easy is it to get? Trust 1132 published articles here. It takes tons of work that few will do. Or ask those who start new sites, because great intentions often only last a few weeks. (RIP Good Fur News, Jan-Feb 2019).

This site has 6 years in service because it’s about DIY power, like a little sneeze really has power to make fireworks. It starts with one fan, but it needs everyone who sends tips, support, or guest writing, and makes art and events. That’s why 2020’s plans include supporting Moonraiser’s furry blog, a regular guest roundup of furry comics, and too many projects to ever finish (the site has hundreds on file).

These stories aren’t just from 2019. There’s some older ones that had revived or ongoing interest in the year. They’re not ordered by most viewed on top (some of them are deeper dives into brief/specific stories) — but these were the top 20 listed in a way that makes a snapshot of a subculture.

1. Art business and careers. Furry artists among top highest-paid Patreon creators, but face threats to their livelihood.

This 2018 article brings traffic every week. It has evergreen topics for hungry artists, like adult art business, insecurity about rules and art theft.

2. Deep wallets and love for creators. A look at furry business with a $17,017 record fursuit auction price, July 2018.

The fursuit auction record stands unbroken since 2018, and it more than doubled in 5 years. Where do sales happen now? After the end of auction site Furbid (1999-2015), Furbuy went down in 2019, leaving only The Dealer’s Den to serve the fandom until it returns.

3. Hearts bigger than their wallets. The impact of Dogbomb on the furry fandom and charity to cure ALS.

The story of Dogbomb’s life ended in April, but his afterlife goes on. It’s not just a news story, but a movement on social media, a big chunk of all fandom charity donations, and a rare level of mainstream crossover with charity events in many locations.

4. Antidote to negativity. Meet Emma the Tiger – A Showcase of Fandom Love from BLFC 2018.

This story of bullying and positive response gets steady views from some Youtube videos citing it.

5. Fierce independence. How furries resist a commercialized fandom (Parts 1-3)

It’s a deeper dive into a story that briefly hit mainstream news — When furries attack: Zweitesich criticized for marketing fursuits as expensive luxuries. A fursuit maker had a marketing misfire and got dogpiled like an invasive outsider. It connected business and bullying, with the highest ideals of independent creators and the worst excess of social media negativity. The deep dive looks at why it happened, with complicated conclusions because both DIY power and Disney-type fandom are furry roots.

6. Shared lore. Original species of furry fandom: an overview.

Rune’s guest article talks about furries creating their own worlds and species, like Dutch Angel Dragons, Sergals, or Protogens.

7. Events with style. Galactic Camp: a furry con takes flight on the USS Hornet, Feb 23, 2019.

There was a furry con on an aircraft carrier. I called it the cutting edge of turning swords to plowshares. The cool/weird factor got high notice on Reddit with Galactic Camp sets record with 742 furries, a San Francisco Bay warship and a Soviet time traveler.

8. How to get inside. A Newcomer’s Guide To Furry Terms and Customs.

The secret is there is no secret. Being a fan means doing it organically because you love it. The story is an Onion-style shitpost/prank (the site is zine style with occasional entertainment like that). It was made to satirize boring “Furry 101” news that used to be the only kind outsiders saw. This one keeps getting mistaken for the real thing.

9. Constant Queerdness. 5 STAR VISIT: Furry gets Airbnb room in San Francisco, finds furry yiff art on the wall.

It’s goofy entertainment but not a prank. An encounter with furry yiff art “in the wild” showed the queer/weird side of fandom that helps make it thrive. You could also call it loveable Furry Trash (like fun trash movies, which isn’t an insult.)

10. Classic Queerdness. Q&A with Biohazard, artist of the infamous “Too Hot for PBS” auction video.

More of the queer/weird side of fandom that makes it thrive. Your eyes could pop out to see this artist putting gay yiff art on public TV in the 1980’s before there were furry cons. Truly part of the roots, and that’s why this keeps getting views for years.

Tomorrow: stories 11-20.

Like the article? These take hard work. For more free furry news, please follow on Twitter or support not-for-profit Dogpatch Press on Patreon. Want to get involved? Share news on these subreddits: r/furrydiscuss for anything — or r/waginheaven for the best of the community. Or send guest writing here (it pays.)

Here’s a wild story that has all this: Internet harassment, the disgraced alt-right troll Milo Yiannopoulos, the furry fandom pariah Foxler (known for stories in Rolling Stone and Newsweek about neo-nazi furries and his Furry Raiders group), his right-hand man “Sneps” who has a heroin trafficking record, and their plan to frame a witness for sex crime that Foxler is charged for doing. There was even a bungled plan to target me for reporting. It blew up in their faces, put “Sneps” behind bars, and leaves the crime witness needing vindication after being framed.

If you were Foxler — AKA Lee Miller of Fort Collins, CO — what would you do if:

• In 2017, Dogpatch Press reports you’re tied to grooming kids and intimidating witnesses with your “neo-nazi cult-like group” (The Furry Raiders).
• In 2019, you’re charged for a 2015 child sex offense (details not public) uncovered during reporting for Dogpatch Press (credit to Aristide).

If you were Foxler, how would you defend from these charges? Maybe get a good lawyer or well-regarded community member to help clear your name?

A smart person with a good future could do that. That’s not Foxler. He got his close friend and Furry Raiders admin, known as Flare or Sneps, and they cooked up a scheme to get him out of trouble by attacking the sources. I helped uncover it and report it to the police, with this result:.

Arrested with a “Fugitive from justice” charge — it looks like Sneps was already wanted by police.

Where is Sneps? WHO is Sneps? Colorado resident Jacob Kovar was arrested on December 10 after intimidating the witness in Foxler’s case.

Jacob Kovar says he was born in Russia. He became close enough to Foxler to hang out with his mom at his house in Fort Collins (calling it “Raiders HQ.”) Jacob/Sneps gained notice as a Furry Raiders defender in April 2018, using the name Flare in an apologistic article at the Rocky Mountain Collegian.

Flare Tigersnow, another member of the Raiders who wished to remain anonymous, said the portrayal of the group is entirely inaccurate.

The intrepid journalist who quoted him in 2018 didn’t notice that this great source was under indictment for a felony. Soon after denying the accuracy of the Furry Raiders reputation, Jacob was convicted for what appears to be heroin trafficking. It earned an 18 month sentence (with early release).

Mug shot for Kovar’s 2018 felony conviction

Case 17CR2390 ties Jacob Kovar to heroin trafficking on 12/31/2016 with Shane Andres, who may be jailed until 2024.

After his release, Jacob/Flare/Sneps worked as a lead admin in the Furry Raiders. He also became a high level member of a “professional troll school” started by Milo Yiannopoulos. Milo’s school advertises a mission to teach people how to be “internet terrorists” — with high payments solicited by Milo for teaching tactics to abuse and harass people. It was no surprise when I found Sneps had ties to the Kiwifarms harassment site. (More about this below.)

While doing “internet terrorism”, Jacob led Furry Raiders and Milo fans to think he was a counterterrorism intelligence gatherer, DHS liaison, and “Navy Sergeant” — which he used to push political smear propaganda about lefties to gullible group members. But military members are calling it a lie for Stolen Valor.

The US Navy doesn't have Sergeants…

— Pumpkin Spiced Ott@FC20 (@CoffeeOtt) December 12, 2019

Foxler’s spy inside — Furry Raiders infiltrating convention staff.

Most astonishingly, those tactics helped Jacob/Flare/Sneps to gain the trust of furry convention runners, and a staff position under another name: “Dodger”. As Dodger, he was a volunteer at Denfur (at least, if he wasn’t impersonating that person). That credential led to being named Head of Security at a new con in Wyoming, Furever West. (I don’t have any reason to be suspicious at them. Volunteers get no access to private info, and the cons he was going to staff didn’t happen yet. They’re now aware and taking action.)

Official statement I received: “Dodger Shep is no longer affiliated in any capacity with Furever West.”

When Dodger reached out to me, the staff positions sounded impressive at first, and a good way to get my attention. Of course the plan was to gain my confidence too, and troll me into boosting the Furry Raiders’ corrupt scheme.

It started with a tip about an alleged child rapist. There was a Telegram doxing channel, and a request for me to raise the issue in public. I engaged the tip, but the more questions I asked, the fishier it got. Why did Dodger keep making excuses when I asked for police docs he claimed to have? After I told him to put up or shut up, why did the Telegram doxing channel disappear and move to a new channel that had me blocked?

The Furry Raiders scheme to frame a young crime witness. 

Jacob/Sneps was still on probation for his previous felony when the Foxler Defense Plan started. The idea was to groom or pressure the witness to Foxler’s crime to get the charges dropped. It would use a carrot and a stick. Jacob/Sneps would falsely befriend the witness and pretend to give advice for how to overcome problems they were making for him, while intimidating him with threats that he could be charged for false reporting.

They didn’t know:

• The witness can’t drop charges — the state brings the charges, so cases go forward even if witnesses don’t want to.
• Their scheme was being watched, documented and reported.

By the time Dodger contacted me, the witness was accused in public of crimes with children, and doxed with urging to call and harass his father. I worked to check claims about the witness, and reached someone named as a possible victim. He said it was lies from the Furry Raiders.

The witness suffered a lot of hard harassment and banning in the community. The arrest is exculpatory, and as far as I’ve been able to find from many sources, it happened because people were conned to smear him. I only found evidence that pointed to lying by the Furry Raiders, which needed police handling — and more. The police can’t stop the community from smearing someone. Reporting and FIXING falsehoods is needed, and it calls for remembering that Furry Raiders had an arrest for causing injustice.

Jacob Kovar was on probation for a previous charge, so I believe his new arrest led straight to jail.

Verifying ID for a con artist felon.

From the evidence folder and Facebook

Verifying ID was a bit complicated because Jacob/Flare/Sneps/Dodger had a habit of spreading lies wherever he went, even in casual chat. There was a wrong age. A wrong name on an old Facebook page. Fake jobs. But one thing that stood out between his many accounts was arrogant boasting about things like his cars.

• JACOB KOVAR is FLARE. The alias is deleted in many places, but archived. Telegram accounts @MynameisFlare, @Sneps and @tigersgomow in the Furry Raiders chat were tagged as the same. (Archived if Foxler deletes records). His Linkedin page has a company Kovartacus Limited, registered to him at 195 Xenon St, Lakewood, CO 80228. The Kovartacus site says Flare. (Linkedin also shows him employed by Foxler’s employer BioMatrix — think he pulled strings with the boss to hire a felon?)
• JACOB KOVAR is SNEPS. The Telegram userpic for Sneps is Flare’s art. Facebook.com/snepcity is Jake Kovar. Look at the header photo of a white Audi.
• JACOB KOVAR is DODGER. On Twitter, see the header photo of a white Audi? It’s ALMOST the same as Facebook, but these have two distinct photos taken inches apart. They aren’t just downloaded from the web. They’re from the same source.
• The mug shot photo helped two conventions confirm that it’s the same person.

Fake military claims, Milo’s troll school, and the Kiwifarms smear attempt. 

Jacob’s claims to be active duty in the navy were rejected by many watchers who have been in the military. These were posted to the Furry Raiders, and Milo’s group for a failed stunt to troll Midwest Furfest.

Jacob was also active in a hate group owned by a member of Milo’s MFF chat — Civil Furs. (It was a source of evidence tying the Proud Boys hate group to alt-right furries.) That’s where Jacob mentions “medical retirement” from the military.

Right when Jacob was trying to con me through Twitter as “Dodger”, he was promoted to admin of another group owned by Milo.

Telegram is the last refuge for Milo after he was deplatformed from other services; this article about his Twitter ban explains how he used to mobilize 300,000 followers as a troll army fed by the Gamergate harassment movement. Using them for racist attacks helped sell books and his brand as a professional troll.

With his former following dwindled down to dregs, and deprived of targets, Milo is trying to monetize them on Telegram. The scam is almost creative in a gross way: pitting them against each other. Rewards for the suckers include being able to silence a member for a day or buy admin roles. Telegram generally has no monetizing, but Milo has few options, making a sad comment on everyone involved. Especially when people running this MLM-like service are felons who can’t stop getting arrested.

On December 4, shortly after Jacob/Dodger’s last Twitter message to me, the subject we discussed turned up on harassment site Kiwifarms. Accusation of witness tampering in Colorado came from a sockpuppet account, making fake smears like the ones targeting the witness. Our private chat makes a single source.

I hope Jacob enjoys his article — next time they let him back on the net!

Imagine paying for troll school and failing so hard. Maybe his jail will have education for inmates so they stop putting themselves inside.

New charges for Foxler?

If there’s anything better than watching one loser dig his own grave and jump in, it’s watching two take each other down. What will this mean for Foxler’s case? I hope a jury gets to hear him defend framing a witness (when do innocent people do that?) Watch for his next court date coming up in January. But remember the main reason for this article is to support people harmed by this kind of crime, harassment, and sheer dipshittery.

[EDIT: A few editorial words edited because less is more and make up your own minds.]

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