We are local members of the Furry Fandom, fans of animal characters as seen in cartoons, comics, artwork, sports mascots and more. We are a global community with many artists, writers, costume makers and performers, and their fans. Our fandom is unique because we create our own material and original characters. We hold conventions around the world all year long where we raise thousands of dollars for various local charities.

We will be participating in the ALS RI Walk in memory of someone who has made a huge impact in the last year. In March 2018, one of our members in California, Tony "Dogbomb" Barrett, was diagnosed with ALS. He was a veterinary technician for 23 years and an avid runner and outdoorsman. He had a positive outlook on life and was very friendly and welcoming to everyone, even complete strangers. After his diagnosis, he chose to take on the disease with the power of positivity and humor, saying that "ALS can kiss my fuzzy butt!" His inspirational story and fundraising efforts rallied the worldwide Furry community behind him, and we have raised thousands of dollars for the ALS Association. He passed away on April 5, 2019.

Tony in his own words:

http://weboc.alsa.org/site/DocServer/Tony_BarrettBio.pdf?docID=135136

We continue to honor him by having local groups around the country attend ALS walks and other fundraising events and our conventions are raising thousands of dollars in his name. His memory will not be forgotten as long as we continue to raise money to find a cure for this disease.

"Wag every day!" --Tony "Dogbomb" Barrett