Dogbomb: praise for a furry hero – from the ALS Association, Orange County Chapter.
by Patch O'Furr
ALS (Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis) is a fatal disease that needs a cure. In a call with the Executive Director of the ALS Association of Orange County (California), I asked if they would like to join furries in the San Francisco Pride parade in June to represent their cause. Plans are in progress, but so far the answer was an enthusiastic “count us in!” This is the ongoing legacy of one inspiring man.
Dogbomb (Tony Barrett) was the reason for our call. He was a furry fan who some called “Mister Rogers with a beer,” and an ALS patient represented by the ALSAOCC. Thousands of fandom members united for his cause, bringing six figures in charity donations — (another story for another article this week.)
After Dogbomb passed away, Furry Twitter was filled with profile pics gone black with a rainbow lei to represent him. Hashtags, toasts, memories and plans were shared in his honor. There was hardly anywhere in the fandom where his presence wasn’t felt. But because his work directed this positive energy far outside of the group, here’s a story about effects that may not have been seen, as told by ALS patient advocates.
You know.. With all the outpouring of love and grief, I have to wonder… Is @dogbomb1 the fandom's first saint? I mean, he'll need to perform some miracles, but I think we have a pretty good contender…
— Robin Bobcat (@BobcatRobin) April 7, 2019
I've been kicking around the furry community for 15 years and have never seen any kind of energy in the fandom even close to this. That man's inspiration reaches far.
— Kürz (@KurzAD) April 6, 2019
Here at Dogpatch, if there wasn’t a Furry Film Festival to report about, we’d start one. Not even kidding. It’s been discussed. I’ve organized furry screenings and shaken my fuzzy tail as a performer in them. So seeing this long-overdue idea come to life means news about it will get shared with great fan love.