Top Ten Greatest Things About Dogbomb (1963-2019)
Tony Barrett, better known as Dogbomb or dogbomb1, was a furry and amateur marathon runner who was born on September 27nd, 1963 and died on April 5th, 2019.Dogbomb was diagnosed with ALS in 2018, an incurable disease that caused his bodily functions to steadily decrease. He fought against it for as long as he could and finally left the stage in April 2019. His death united the furry community and received attention beyond.
Dogbomb was a friendly, good hearted and humorous person who always cared for others and was very much down to earth, and was strong and uplifting until his final moments. Let’s always remember him.
Dogbomb fought the disease until it caused severe physical damage and beyond. Even a few days before his death, he still participated in an ALS awareness marathon in a wheelchair. He never gave in to ALS, and refused to slacken off, always giving his best until the very end.
Dogbomb spent his last months doing what he wanted only, had a good time and did his best to make people smile. He made us remember that, no matter how hard times may be, you should always enjoy your life like it’s your last day, whether its threatened or in perfect health.
Dogbomb knew he was inevitably going to die. His efforts to make ALS more public and raise donations wasn’t to prevent his own death, but because he had hope that, if more was done to find a cure, other people in the future might not have to share his fate. And we know from the past that many diseases that were thought of as absolutely lethal can now be cured. But it can’t be done without scientific research.
Other people who died of ALS are Stephen Hawking and Stephen Hillenburg.
Another action that was done to raise awareness of ALS is the Ice Bucket Challenge.
Dogbomb first caught attention when he wrote an emotional essay about Sarah, a woman with cerebral palsy. Emotional not because of how sad it was, but because of how uplifting it was. He gave her story an audience, and wrote about her personality. That was back in 2010.
Dogbomb was never one that tried to make people feel sad for him. The opposite is the case: he said that they shouldn’t cry over his death, but think of the great life he had. He spent his last months sharing all kinds of positive experiences, and that’s a strength few people have.
Dogbomb stood for everyone that’s good about furries. He uses his fursona to make people - like Sarah for example - happy, he had great values and always saw the bright side of the community, even if they themselves, let alone the world, couldn’t see it. Whether as a German shepherd or as a human, Dogbomb was all about inclusion and unity.
We also shouldn’t forget how badass this guy was. I mean: he was a gshep and a marathon runner, cared for others no one appeared to care for, and always had an in-your-face joke prepared.
Tens of thousands of furries, many of who never talked to each other, spent months following this man, feeling honest empathy and comforting each other. Dogbomb’s story deeply touched all of us, and whether we knew him for years or only a few moments, this guy had such a great personality, we all grew attached to him. There may be drama and differences between some parts of the furry community, but these days everyone put them aside.
In his final days, there were new comments, drawings, videos and more in honor of him. There were thousands. And he read and watched them all, and commented on several. He was so down to earth and in touch with people, it was and still is amazing.
His amazing personality, his philosophy of not giving in to hard circumstances, his dedication to ALS awareness, the love he spread for those who needed it, his positivity and so much more will always be remembered. We will never forget him, and his name will always be synonymous with great furries, and great people in general.