What do you mean when you say that you are a silver fox?” He took a deep breath and said, “I embody the spirit of a silver fox.” The class was silent and waiting for my reaction. “Herbert I think we are just a little confused. I tried to defuse the situation by asking a few clarifying questions. “I’m a silver fox.” She held back a laugh and said, “He’s a silver fox and is also… umm… He’s pansexual? That’s it.” At that point, most of the class was laughing. He says he’s a fox and-” Here Herbert interrupted with an irritated clarification. The girl turned bright red before she spoke. When it was time for the furry and his partner to present, they both stood up. They merely had to share the names, nicknames and hobbies of their partner. Next the students had to introduce their partners to the class. The poor girl who was partners with the furry had a hard time keeping a straight face during the interview. I paired the students up and asked them to interview each other as a typical first day of school activity. He offered that information for the class soon after. I wasn’t sure what his deal was, so I didn’t ask him about what he was wearing. It was so long that it dragged on the floor, picking up dust mites and other debris. My first furry came to school on the first day wearing white ears and a long white tail pinned to the seat of his pants. These conventions, such as Anthrocon or ConFurence, draw thousands of people who share similar interests. Each furry has a “fursona” or set of animal personality traits, which they use to role play in various forms, on the internet or at conventions, for example. Many wear parts of the animal such as the ears and tail, or fake paws and an animal head. They feel a deep kinship with a certain animal, and dress like that animal all the time, even at school. But I’m pretty sure I don’t want to be one.įurries take their furriness very seriously. Some might even say I’m obsessed with them. Furries see themselves as “other than human” and “desire to become more like the furry species that they identify with.” I mean, I really love dogs. According to Wikipedia, “Furry Lifestylers” refers to a group of people who have “important emotional/spiritual connections with an animal or animals, real, fictional or symbolic.” Being an animal lover myself, this seemed like something I could relate to. For those of you who don’t know what a furry is (I certainly didn’t before I had them as students), allow me to explain. I have had the interesting experience of teaching “furry” students.