Digging Up Positivity - July 2026

Welcome to an extra sunny episode of Digging Up Positivity! Brasil FurFest was amazing and as this video is premiering, I am at AnthroIrish! This month surely is busy but oh so much fun! Our guest is the raccoon behind con surf, a really handy convention site. We have some lovely animation news and other wholesome goodness.

Astra auctions off limited run plushy for the Trevor project

In Brazil I ran into a very special kittykat, Astra, and he is currently is auctioning off one of the last of a limited run of just 250 Astra Plushies on TheDealersDen. The proceedings of this auction will go to the Trevor Project, a suicide prevention and crisis intervention non-profit organisation for young members of the LGBTQ+ community.

So if you want one of the last of those very cute Astra plushies, now's your chance.

Unforgettable Taiwan Furry Gathering raised $35,856.67

We are starting this month with an Unforgettable Taiwan Furry Gathering where 2480 wholesome beans raised $35,856.67 for the Leopard Cat Association of Taiwan. And watchers, please, can we take a moment to appreciate the amazing animations from this convention by Nviek15?

Anthrocon raised $86,000.00

And in the US we had AnthroCon raising $86,000.00 for J and J farms animal sanctuary! But that is not all! This convention grew and grew and well now they even have their own day: AnthroCon Day on the 1st of July, just don’t take my word or it but the words of CBS Pittsburgh:
[CBS Pittsburgh snippet]
This just proves that a fur con not only supports charity, but the local businesses and people as well. Think about that next time you see us wonderful weird animal people in your town.

Guzma and friends raised $1,629.34

During a chaotic but fun livestream of Mecca Chameleon I played together with Guzma and friends to raise money for the Dutch Cancer Foundation and we managed to raise $1449.26!

Fur-Eh raised $14,186.29

2497 visitors of the Canadian Furcon Fur-Eh have raised $14,186.29 for the Greater Edmonton Animal Rescue Society also known as GEARS, they have been raising money for this wonderful organisation since 2022. They are gearing towards a future where all animals are treated with compassion and respect! And Fur-eh is playing a role in that fur sure!

Brazil FurFest raised $14,758.92

[Thabo speaking at Brazil FurFest charity announcement segment]
Well, what you currently see was not even the final number! During the closing ceremony there were some additional items being sold, and the final final FINAL number was 75.000 Brazillian real, which is $14,758.92 USD! For SOS Vita Pets.

Guest of Honour announcement Pawtral 2026

In August Pawstral will happen in Chile, and they just announced their guests of honour: Syd and Heru, the critters behind the comic "I think I like you", which follows a wolf and a rabbit in love with all their friends and they gathered quite some followers.

The theme is Furry Road, one of my favourite movies it is based upon Fury Road and their announcement animation came just blew me away. But I think if I go there, I will most likely get lost like they did in that animation!

Cat me if you can

Every year we have the Annecy International animation festival and traditionally they have an opener. This year we had "Cat me if you can", following a cat who is framed for murder, it really tickles my inner animator. The squashing and stretching, the beautiful hand drawn animation is a wonderful sight. That cat makes me want to art jam again.

And that is exactly what this festival is about, inspiring not just each other but hopefully a new generation of animators!

Why am I so hot?

I was oh soo lucky on my trip to Brazil, it being winter and all, the weather was amazing, but back in the Netherlands, we recently had a heatwave, the temperature nudging 40 degrees Celsius and the humidity was through the roof. This cute animation by Nuorio of a fox who has the same problems really did resonate with me. Especially before I had A/C at home.

However I miss one thing! I used my cooldown vest during that time. It’s not just handy for fursuits. Do check out their channel though, it’s cute!

Spectator

Stick animator TJB took their shot at a more ambitious project and oh boy did it pay off. While the content is not for everyone, it does depict self harm, which I am not showing here, the animation truly is something else. Turnarounds, puddle distortions, the playing with perspective really shows are elevating their animation game. If you have any other animations you want me to check out, feel free to use the feedback form, maybe we can watch them together on my art-stream. I always love to see creative work by our community!

[Featurette: Nuki]

Thank You

This month sure was busy! And thank you for staying 'til the very end. During the recording of this video I travelled over 23.000 km and picked up some con-crud along the way! From the Netherlands to Brazil and back, then to Cork in Ireland for
AnthroIrish, which I will cover next time! Including one of the biggest collaborations in the furry fandom for the fight against ALS: Papa barks. Which will premiere on September 5th.

Before we go, I would like to thank the following amazing people, they tossed in an extra coin, which really means so much to me, therefore an extra shoutout for:

• Youtube Channel Members: Baphnedia, Iorek Byrnison, Joe & Mavi, Longtooth, SimonTheHobo, Rex The Warhorse, and WitherDZN
• Twitch subscribers: lightnymfa, ladylyanne, tanidraws, swex_the_mischievous_fox, falconeio, longtooth67, and jake_r_g
• Patreon Paid tier: Cosmik, Els Deckers, Ishnula, Manick Knux, Tantroo McNally, Taross Blackburn
• Patreon Free tier: Aurapuffs, Kay Bijveld, Stardust Sphere, Vicky Dickeson, The creative Club, Lucas Batenhorst, and William Foxwolf

Stay awesome, and all of the hugs.