Furry-Paws
A Virtual Dog Website
What's so bad about that, you may ask. It's the advertisements on the site itself that really get under one's skin. Every other game seems to be based off of a product or recently released DVD. But one may be able to look past the advertising and merely enjoy the games offered. After all, one could spend hours playing Kiko Match and Bull's Eye.
But what about the adults, who crave variety? What do the "forums" have to offer? Unfortunately, not much. The majority of players visiting the forums are in their pre-teens, focused on role-playing and the Disney Channel versus forming meaningful relationships with other players. So what can an adult, or even an older teen, do in such a situation?
In 2003, a virtual dog website known as Furry-Paws (http://www.furry-paws.com) was created. Furry-Paws has accumulated over 600,000 members in the 4+ years that it has been running, admittedly nothing compared to the millions who have joined Neopets, but nevertheless an impressive number. Upon joining, players are given Furry-Paws dollars and instructed to read the Help sections, so that they can begin to learn the ropes on feeding, playing with, and grooming their dogs. Once these dogs reach a certain age, they can be entered into shows and receive titles based on their achievements.
At a glance, this website may seem much more boring than Neopets, with its 3 games and bland graphics; however, once one discovers the forums, live chat room, and private messaging system, Furry-Paws becomes every bit as addicting as Neopets, if not more so.
Upon entering the live chat, depending on the time of day, one is bombarded by the dozens of messages sent to other players. It can be a bit disorienting at first, but after a few minutes, a new player can jump straight into a conversation with a veteran player and begin to make friends. Of course, new players should read the rules (there are only a few) before chatting away. "Noobs", or annoying new players who break the rules by sending the same message repeatedly or are generally rude toward other players, can be punished by one of several moderators. In the event that there are no moderators available, players can submit complaints (with screenshots as evidence) to the "Mod Box".
In the event that one cannot keep up with the live chat's quick pace, there are many boards in the forum to choose from. The General forum is a great place for new players to introduce themselves and find friends with common interests. Other boards, such as the Art Sales forum, offer "tags", or avatars that can be used in substitute of a text-based display name. Some other boards include the Contests forum, Ideas forum, and of course, the Help forum in case one cannot find the answers to their problems in the FAQ or guide sections of Furry-Paws.
And, just like Neopets, there is a private messaging system. This is a great feature to use if one wishes to communicate privately with newly-made friends, or to purchase a puppy from another player.
Overall, Furry-Paws (in my opinion) is superior to Neopets, and all other virtual pet websites currently in existence, due to its friendly and active community, promptness of staff, and unlimited possibilities as far as dog showing and breeding is concerned.
Published by Silver
I am an active member of several virtual pet communities, including Furry-Paws (Silver #19), Subeta (Silverkinz), and Tygras (Silver #11). I am a sophomore college student, majoring in psychology. :3 View profile
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22 Comments
Post a CommentGrrr! I have to stop spamming now ;__; I wanted to give you these! :D
(I'm unsure whether it will show up) But it does on fp xD
YAY! ... Free Smudge art :P
Smudge xx Peace out xD
Just a short notification, xD It's friday teh 13th 0__0 ... Sorry about my randomness! I just ate some jellybeans .__. Haha Pm me like i said if you dare 0__0 LOL xD FP ROCKS :D
Smudge xx Peace out
This is simply the best! My name is Smudge > 457053! I've been on many accounts and the people more than anything, attract you to such satisfaction you cannot disagree? To disbelief the fun and amount of addiction you gain from this "Virtual Pet Game" Is so unbelieveable? I have been playing for about 3-4 years and can't pull myself away! There have been times where i have wished i did better things with my time, but looking back? I wouldn't change those latee nights and bizarre conversations for the world 0__o .. Believe it or not xD You DON'T know what you're missing xD .. If you guys ever want to chat or check out my art? Pm me xD You have my id :P
Smudge xx Peace out!!
Agree. I played Neopets for a short while.. only to exchange the NP [Neo Points] for FPD [Furry-paws Dollars], lol.
FP has captivated me for some reason. It has nothing to do with the dogs and games, but with the people. FP is home to me and the other members are my family.
I played Neopets for about 1 week.
FP about 4 years.
:3
My god, so much better than Neopets. I left Neopets after a year, it was so boring and annoying. Those neopets get so picky about their food. Millsberry wasn't much better, but FP rocks. I've been playing for well over a year.
I agree, Furry Paws is the only Virtual Game I stuck with for over a year. The people are much more mature than the ones on Neopets.
Amen!
I used to play Neopets a lot until I found out about furry-paws! I left that 'younger' world behind, and joined Fp! I found it a great place! =)
Way better than neopets (sorry Neopet lovers)!
I don't have much to say, most has already been said. ;D
AND
Same as sticky, my art has improved A LOT! I coudln't even draw a stick man when I joined, no I can draw animals ;D and semi people xD
lol
The Kins
xoxo
I agree. Neopets used to be a friendly game to play, but now it is awful! Older or richer players are rude, and bully the new members on the
site, calling them names and cheating them out of money. I much prefer Furry-paws, as it is friendly and more realistic than the childish Neopets. The Moderators actually do their job on FP, unlike on Neopets where horrible language and names are used. personally, I think whoever played Neopets will love this great game. I, too found this site by typing in "virtual pet simulation" on Google, after becoming bored with irritating games which are so easy! This game is a challenge, and gives you a good start. On my first day, an older player bought my items for triple what they were worth, to help me out. He also sent me some handy tips and help on training my dogs. This would never happen on Neopets, and shows just how better FP is.
FP is the best. I dont' like Neopets that much. in FP you can breed the dogs.