Dogpatch Press

Fluff Pieces Every Week

Category: Current events

August 17, 2021

The Zoosadism Channel: A look at a trend of animal abuse on social media (Part 2).

by Patch O'Furr

CONTENT WARNING – Part (1) A Killer – (2) A Trend – (3) A Watchdog

Huge platforms are letting it happen. It’s under their noses, according to this June 2021 report. National Geographic: How fake animal rescue videos have become a new frontier for animal abuse.

That’s disturbing at wide scale, because of how social media attention meets psychological escalation. Part (1) looked into the Omegle Cat Killer, where an investigator said: “Animal abusers have total power over that animal and, if someone is willing to be that cruel to an animal, evidence suggests they may target vulnerable humans as well,” said Special Agent in Charge Paul Keenan, FBI Indianapolis.” — Kokomo Tribune

Despite such a warning about the extremes, it seems like the odds are against justice. A standout example among furries was Kero the Wolf, a popular Youtuber exposed in a zoosadist crime ring. The evidence led to arrests, but child abuse was the focus and most members got away with it. Kero’s attempts to gaslight the public about his innocence made him The O.J. Simpson of furries. His presence highlights a gap in the laws.

This part covers the exploitation on social media, and Part (3) will feature someone working to bridge the gap.

A content pool with no lifeguard

In 1940, protest rose up about a horse tumbling over a cliff in a Western movie. It triggered regulation for the industry to stop using animals like disposable props. Now Hollywood movies get American Humane certification by following a 132-page guide. But tech platforms aren’t so regulated.

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August 16, 2021

The Omegle Cat Killer: A true crime tale of stopping online animal abuse (Part 1)

by Patch O'Furr

CONTENT WARNING for animal abuse – Part (1) A Killer – (2) A Trend – (3) A Watchdog

Someone was killing cats and posting the videos online. He had to be stopped, but how? Internet sleuths were hunting the killer who reveled in taunting them. As hard as they tried, identifying the killer wasn’t enough to get official action. The hunters felt helpless until he escalated to killing a human victim and mailing the body parts to terror targets.

Finally the authorities noticed, and Canadian man Luka Magnotta was caught and convicted. In December 2019, the story came out on Netflix as Don’t F*ck With Cats, one of the year’s most-watched documentaries. The story suggests that taking animal cruelty seriously could have saved a person, and it showed a trend: “Murderers have become online broadcasters. And their audience is us.”

Months after the show, the same trend emerged from inside furry fandom to terrorize the public. It made a new case for the FBI, and you’ll have a lot to think about when you see the updates at the end.

More than a copycat

In May 2020, the Covid-19 pandemic was turning the world upside down. Stuck in quarantine, furry fans lifted their spirits by mingling online. They joined a regular event on the Omegle video chat service, using hashtags to meet fellow fans by random connection.

They weren’t expecting to meet a woman in an animal-skin mask, gripping a bloody skull a little bigger than an egg. It almost looked fake, until she used a finger to pop out an eyeball like a grape. Something terrible was being done to real animals.

Whoever was doing it wasn’t just shocking random targets. She knew about their event, and targeted them with hashtags like #furries, #fursuit and #furryfandom. It made a trail with sightings of gory animal parts and links to Instagram and Tiktok. It was hard to document the live incidents as they spun past, but alarm spread and reached millions of viewers on Youtube. The creepy intruder got the attention she wanted, but where did she come from?

The shocking hype never told the full story. The Omegle Cat Killer was only a blip before Youtubers and blogs quickly forgot to track if justice was done. Dogpatch Press has the full extent of what happened and the legal outcome — but let’s also look at how she didn’t just emerge without warning in 2020. A path was laid much earlier.

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June 4, 2021

$50,000 FURSUIT: crypto-fueled bidding smashes auction record at The Dealers Den

by Patch O'Furr

The new all-time fursuit auction record is worth a nice car or some people’s yearly income. (Highest commission is a different number.) It’s been 3 years since the last record by MixedCandy: A look at furry business with a $17,017 record fursuit auction price, July 2018.

Shifting winds of tech and business helped make this possible; it has to do with porn, politics, and payment providers. We’ll get into that… but I’m sure that wasn’t on the mind of Zuri Studios, the maker based in the Czech Republic with a fluffalicious folio of “god tier fursuits“. (This auction is a contract to create one, not an existing fursuit.)

Zuri Studios just found out there’s no business like sew business.

$100K fursuit when?

Tripling the record since 2018 gets steaming hot takes on social media. How can any suit be worth so much? 

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May 24, 2021

Jimmy Kimmel’s Fursuit Fixation

by Joe Strike

Welcome to guest Joe Strike, journalist and author of Furry Nation, the furry fandom history book. (- Patch)

It’s not the first time Jimmy Kimmel has exploited Furry for a cheap laugh or two. (Furs with long memories or prone to Wikifur browsing might remember Kimmel/The Man Show’s 2003 ConFurence controversy.)

— but Kimmel (or his writers’) anti-furry bias has resurfaced with vengeance, judging from a couple of recent throwaway Jimmy Kimmel Show gags. On May 5th Kimmel referenced the ongoing NaziFur controversy in the most trivializing/assholey manner possible:

“Twitter has a feature now that will double-check with you before you post a mean or offensive comment… some people even want to get on the list [of comments or language that should be confirmed before posting].

He then posted a screen capture of a news story comment reading “Can we get “NaziFur” added to the toxicity list? It’s used by furrys [sic] who want to demonize other furrys who they can hate and it causes them irreparable reputational harm.”

Kimmel’s “clever” comeback (perhaps inspired by that memorable Entourage episode – ):

“That’s right, it causes ‘harm’ to the reputations of those of us who like to get a handy in a squirrel costume every once in a while.”

Yes, because nothing says “funny” like comparing fascism to masturbation.

Gag can be viewed here; comment author posted as a nazifur and was banned from Furaffinity.

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May 14, 2021

Mass shooting shows 6 reasons for furries to worry about the causes.

by Patch O'Furr

Last month, Equestria Daily warned about blowback to fans: The Indianapolis FedEx Mass Shooter Was Apparently A Brony, and Obsessed with Applejack. The 19 year old shooter carried it out after posting online that he hoped to see the cartoon character in the afterlife. “Brony” stands out by the Man Bites Dog rule, but there’s more details. Previously he had a gun seized, and got confined for threats after visiting white supremacist websites. Half of those killed were Sikhs. (I REALLY hate that, because of learning about this at the birthday of a Sikh friend. Every one I’ve met is a sweetheart.)

Rolling Stone asked: “Do Bronies have a Nazi problem?” They say fandom isn’t inherently problematic, but it faces infiltration by problems. Being a fan of cartoons isn’t a threat, but there’s threats coming out of fandom. Maybe giving a heads up about negativity should also say…

1: It’s not the only incident.

  • (2020): In Texas, Daniel Perry killed a protester after tweeting about how to kill protesters. His FurAffinity page got far-right gloating.
  • (2020): Furry in Ohio shot up a school, thankfully just hitting the building and nobody was hurt.
  • (2017): Randy Stair, a Brony who made animated fan videos, did a mass shooting at his workplace that was predicted by his creations.
  • (2016:) 3 killed in Fullerton CA by 3 furries, they all mingled at furry events and might not have met without them.

Maybe this isn’t more frequent than in general society, but do they share context? And isn’t one shooting too many?

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March 25, 2021

Peter Beagle recovers rights to The Last Unicorn and his body of work

by Patch O'Furr

VOTE HERE for the Ursa Major Awards! From March 1-31, support furry creators.

A long road

In 2014, Peter’s manager was accused of fraud. The criticism led to a public relations and legal battle including me (see comment below story); Peter supported my defense, and followed me in suing the manager in 2015. It was a triangle and we both prevailed.

In 2019 I took dismissal of the manager’s claims against me and a judgement of $32K.

Peter proved he was a victim of fraud, elder abuse, and defamation by the manager. He was awarded $332K in damages.

Peter’s creative rights were still tied up, until his team just sent the news he is entirely free with a message for Peter’s supporters.

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March 8, 2021

Lola Bunny fans are bustling about her design for Space Jam sequel — Q&A with a huge fan.

by Patch O'Furr

If you love bunnies, VOTE HERE for the Ursa Major Awards! From March 1-31, support furry creators.

I have to get something off my chest. I’ve never seen Space Jam. I’ll let others judge if it’s a “shoe commercial” and I’m not concerned about bunny bosoms. But this site honors all kinds of fans. If it stirs something in you, it’s worthy! Now the movie has an upcoming sequel and some talk about a redesigned Lola Bunny. It’s not just furries; there’s titters in the news from Entertainment Weekly to Newsweek.

Lola’s new design is “desexualized”, according to Space Jam: A New Legacy director Malcolm D. Lee.

“Lola was very sexualized” … “we reworked a lot of things, not only her look, like making sure she had an appropriate length on her shorts and was feminine without being objectified, but gave her a real voice. For us, it was, let’s ground her athletic prowess, her leadership skills, and make her as full a character as the others.”

For an interesting bit of story, Lola’s origin now includes Wonder Woman’s Amazonian homeland.

You might hear this is making debate or even complaints about PC culture run amok. I believe my friend’s comment that it’s “99% ironic” with people being nostalgic, or at most it’s making mountains out of molehills. But for your amusement, here’s one looney-tunes source.

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March 3, 2021

A cheesy soundtrack for a furry pizza party

by Patch O'Furr

If you love pizza and furries, VOTE HERE for the Ursa Major Awards! Support furry creators from March 1-31. Love is the best topping.

There is 1970’s country music about pizza. I was obsessed when I found it. I must have played it 7 times in a row. It’s so joyful, who hasn’t inhaled steam from a fresh pizza in the car and been full of longing? I’m pie-ning for some now.

Is there other country music like that? Most of what’s around these days is about trucks and things that don’t fit lyrics about spending $3.99 for a 16-incher because you’re not a penny pincher.

I have no idea when it will be safe to have furry meets again, but when it is, there’s definitely going to be a furry pizza party at my place. It would be picking up where we left off. That was the last thing that happened here before the covid lockdown, after Further Confusion 2020. We only got one started and it was supposed to be regular. Hosting 15 local furries was a nice turnout for a small private low-key night. Just add pupperoni.

Have any plans yourself?

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February 25, 2021

Furry Raiders “Foxler” sex crime case: Jacob Kovar pleads guilty in scheme to frame witness

by Patch O'Furr

Jacob Kovar, and his friend Lee “Foxler” Miller, founder of the Furry Raiders. Dogpatch Press has an exclusive copy of Kovar’s conviction documents, after being targeted by the crime, reporting it to police, and being cited as a source for Kovar’s arrest. This is a story of justice through journalism — with a strange twist.

The continuing story of nazi furries and their gang-like crimes. (Updated 2025)

In 2017, Dogpatch Press broke news that made national headlines. Fringe hate groups in the furry community were grabbing for control of groups and conventions. Nazi-furries are a mutation of mainstream culture war; neither accepted by their alt-right influences, or by regular furries. Nazifurs exist as a two-faced cult that overlaps both areas.

The news focused on the Colorado-based Furry Raiders, a nazifur group founded to infiltrate and troll the furry community, with origins in Griefer culture on Second Life. They peaked at around 200 online members in 2021, and still tread water at that level in 2025. (See timeline at bottom). 

In 2016 the Furry Raiders emerged under the real-life influence of Lee “Foxler” Miller, a troll with a history of sex predator and neo-nazi association. The first report by Dogpatch Press covered how they killed Denver’s Rocky Mountain Fur Con in 2017, using threats and hostile power grabs, while collaborating with a CEO who was a convicted sex offender. Followup stories covered associated groups and their crimes, and their victims who need vindication from hate and harassment.

In 2019, Denver police arrested Furry Raiders founder Lee “Foxler” Miller. He was charged for three felony sex offenses with a child that took place in 2015 at Rocky Mountain Fur Con. It was a pattern dating back to Miller’s posts about preying on children and dogs in the 2000’s on Livejournal. The 2015 offenses were uncovered by community members who helped police investigate in secret, until they informed Dogpatch Press after Miller’s arrest.

Exclusive court documents show how Miller’s inner circle reacted to undermine the case with a scheme to intimidate a witness. They planned to lure the witness into a trap, bait him for blackmail material, and use doxing, harassment and extortion to force him out of Miller’s case. The scheme had dual targets, with Dogpatch Press baited with false info about the witness, in hope of getting it repeated to hurt both targets.

The intimidation was led by Furry Raider Jacob Kovar while he played right-hand man to Miller. Kovar managed the group as admin, and at times operated out of Miller’s house. Kovar was shielding the group with retaliation at reporting, and had his own criminal history, known to Miller but not others until his arrest.

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January 26, 2021

You made it to 2021! — A look back at the Top 20 Furry News stories of last year. (Part 2)

by Patch O'Furr

The Ursa Major Awards are open for nominations! Check the Recommended Anthropomorphics list for stuff to consider.

(Part 1): You made it to 2021! — A look back at the Top 20 Furry News stories of last year.

Here’s more review of last year’s news from Dogpatch Press. These are highlights for this site, and they’re not listed by biggest or most-viewed, it’s a mixed bag of big stories plus inside stuff only a fandom knows.

(11) International animals — What’s life like for a teenage LGBT furry fan in Iran? and Meet Unid, the only known furry from Sri Lanka.

There’s so much going on outside North America. Furry scenes are coming up in Latin America and Southeast Asia. Art is common language for far-flung fans who’d never meet any other way. One in Iran thinks war should be about the best pizza. One in Sri Lanka dreams of coming to a furry con one day.

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