FurCon 2010-Paws for the Cause

I'm giddy with excitement about going to FurCon, the largest convention for Furries. In 2008 its attendance was 2,423 individuals from around the world. Quoting from Wikipedia, "Furry fandom (also known as furrydom, fur fandom or furdom) refers to the fandom for fictional anthropomorphic animal characters with human personalities and characteristics."

As we arrive at the San Jose Fairmont Hotel we see a large rat standing next to a man. The man barely glances at his anthropomorphic neighbor. We enter the hotel with our rock star, Stella, the super model of dogs (a cow print, black and white greyhound). Among these furries, Stella drew a bit of attention, as well she should. We were part of Therapy Pets, a group who brings pets (real) to people who benefit from being around animals. Therapy Pets was to be one of three organizations that would benefit from two auctions of artwork that were to be held.

Today, Sunday, was the last day of the convention and most people in attendance wore merely tails, feet and ears, though we did see some in full, head-to-tail costumes. Interestingly some spoke, some squeaked (squeaky toy), some nodded. Everyone I approached was willing to have a photo taken. Without putting too much judgment on this event, like any "enthusiast" group, many of the people seemed to be kind and pleasant, but perhaps a tad bit on the socially awkward side.

Life Changing: 1 (nope)

Fun: 4 (fun)

Easy to implement: 1 (easy)

Worthy of repetition:2 (this might be classified under, "been there/done that" )

Try This: 3 (if you like experiencing "different")

Cost: 1 (entry for me was free)