When I think of furries, the first thing the word conjures up are the fetishists, which I just can't fathom why anyone would go to the extremes that they do. A long, long time ago I used to roleplay an equine on Furcadia. I loved it. She was an arabian mare who ran away from home to find her place in this medieval anthropomorphic world. Sex was never involved. We were "furres" (that's furres not furries) and it was a great online community.
Sometime later, my friends and I were driving in my car and they suddenly started talking about this guy we knew. "He's a furry." one of them said.
I suddenly burst out, "Oh, I'm a furry, too!" Because I'm thinking of my equine roleplaying.
Then my friends burst into laughter. One of them says, "No, no you're not."
"Well, I roleplay a little equine girl on Furcadia."
Then she decided to correct me. "Furries are people who wear animal costumes and have sex with each other while wearing them."
I was speechless. And pretty clueless, apparently. I shut up at that point, but my friends seemed determined to fill me in on "Furries" and all the quirks, fetishes, and personal behaviors associated with them. Low and behold, the furry internet was conjured at my house later by my friends.... Okay. I honestly had no idea any of that existed.
I do think most furries get a bad rap and I certainly don't hate them! Furry roleplaying is just another means of release from the pressures of the real world, just like D&D, playing ponies, fanfiction/fanart, gaming, etc... But I can't help what I've heard and seen, and now "fetish" is the first thing my brain conjures up when the word furry is mentioned.
Doesn't mean I don't like anthro stuff, though; just so long as it's tasteful.
Enjoy some select pieces of anthro art.