Realizing I had an experience in November that not many con goers have, I really wanted to share my thoughts on bringing pets to conventions and what that was like for me. Before we go any further, let me give a small disclaimer: bringing your pets to conventions should only happen if they are explicitly allowed or are qualified service animals. There’s a huge issue with people claiming pets to be service animals for disabilities when they’re not, please don’t be one of those people. It’s by no means okay. While I’ve heard that bringing non-service animals into the public can also be problematic, I do think that if an area allows you to do so, it should be fine.
That being said, let me introduce you to my ferret, Briar.
Briar is an incredibly sweet ferret and the youngest of three non-related sisters. She’s a little over a year old and we’ve had her since she was about 8 weeks. Briar is one of the most confused creatures this world has to offer, but she’s pretty chilled out, as far as ferrets go. Her favorite things are eating, toys shaped like pink donuts and Hatsune Miku.
No, that’s not a typo, you definitely read that right. Briar absolutely adores Miku because she stole a plush keychain that I’ve had since high school. I’m not sure if it’s the ponytails or just the expression of confusion on this possibly fake Miku doll, but any time Briar is out she’s constantly looking for her friend.
In November, Black Moor got the great honor to host a panel on voice acting at Sabakon, a local convention here in Las Vegas. This was the same convention I’d grown up with, so you can only imagine how stoked I was for this opportunity. Since our panel was only one day, but our group decided to go for three, we had a lot of free time to cosplay, shop and walk around the resort that was hosting. It was around this time I noticed two things; a guy walking around with a cat in his sweater and another guy with a gigantic boa that wore a tiny Luffy hat. I can’t even make that up.
I’ve brought my ferrets to a lot of things here in Vegas, but most of them were pre-approved places that I could take my pets, like Petapalooza or a small family-run antique store that loved when I brought them in. Never would I have thought of a convention until that day, but this time I had a mission. I wanted to see if I could find a Miku cosplay that would be willing to make Briar’s day.
So off we were to a convention after checking with the venue to make sure it would be okay. Listen, if you can have a snake and a cat on the property, a snake cat should be fine! After bringing her for two hours at night, to see how she’d handled it, I figured she’d done well enough to take her for a full day.
The tricky thing about ferrets is that they’re not common animals, like dogs. They sleep a lot and require frequent feedings and water. Here’s exactly what I brought with me for preparations; a solid cat carrier to get her to the con, and also where she could go to be bathroom, a fabric carrier that she’d sleep in and that operated much like a backpack, water, treats, toys and and old shirt for her to sleep in. All of this with a nice harness and leash. While you don’t walk ferrets, you want to have that safety knowing they can’t jump and run away from you.
Mind you, I didn’t know what kind of response I was going to get from the Sabakon attendees. A lot of people had stopped us to talk about the voice acting panel or our cosplays, but a ferret is kind of a game changer. Unlike the cosplaying corgi that attends conventions, Briar was something people couldn’t spot easily. You had to be right in front of me to notice I was holding a small weasel.
There were several people who stopped me to talk about business and would suddenly notice I was in normal clothes with a second pair of eyes looking at them. Most of the time people were shocked and had no idea how to react so they’d just pet her. Briar loved this, just so you know.
Alas, this story does not have the happy ending you’d expect. While I searched high and low, I could not find a single Miku cosplayer. It’s strange, especially since it is definitely one of the most popular cosplays out there, but it was the last day of the convention so I can kind of understand. While she’d never understand why I was bummed out, I’m sure it would have been cool.
However, one of my closest friends, Adam Barba, was kind enough to buy her this giant, well made Miku plush. In the photo below, Briar was clearly passed out, but once we got home and she woke up with the most excited expression. This was clearly the greatest gift ever. Now she has two Miku dolls that she absolutely loves.
Even though there were a few hiccups bringing Briar to the convention, I would say it was an overall positive experience. However, there are a few things I’d recommend to anyone considering bringing an animal to something like this.
First: Don’t bring your animal FOR ANY REASON if non-service animals are not allowed. Like I said in my disclaimer, you really shouldn’t do that as it can cause problems for the public and even disabled/differently-abled people plus their service animals.
Second: Know your animal’s temperament and how they could potentially be in a crowd. Briar’s sister Bristol is an absolute demon and overly excited almost all the time. It makes her hard to handle, so we can’t take her to crowded places like a convention; parks or small stores are easier for her. Briar and her sister Basil, on the other hand, are very relaxed. If you want to test it out give them an hour to two max and let them go home; then you can decide what limits should be set.
Third: Don’t bring an animal you know shouldn’t leave the house. I would never take my geckos out of the house because they’re feral and don’t even live here naturally – it’s already way too dry for them here in Nevada. If you have special exotic animals that require certain things, don’t take them away from that environment.
Fourth: Please bring food and water. If your animal requires frequent feedings like mine does, it’s important to keep a little bit of food on you at all times. But water should always be a must-have as every living thing needs that to survive.
Fifth: Always make time for bathroom breaks. Sometimes, when your animal is acting really weird, that’s a sign.
Sixth: Check, as many times as possible, to make sure your animal will be welcomed by both the convention and the venue. You don’t want to break any rules that could get either party in trouble!
My hopes are to bring Briar to Sabakon next year, if the venue still allows it. After all, we didn’t really get to find her Miku cosplayer yet! This was really fun, but my hopes are that, by sharing my experience, those who want to bring an animal out to a convention will be a little more thoughtful about this decision. Be a responsible fur parent!
All photos in this post were by Adam Barba. Please follow them on Twitter as they’re exceptionally talented!
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