Pet auction

A pet auction is an event held at some furry conventions, where dedicated time with a volunteering individual is "sold" to the highest bidder.

History
The pet auctions of early furry conventions mirrored the slave auctions of general sci-fi conventions in many ways. They may also have been directly influenced by auctions that take place on several MUCKs such as FurryMUCK and Tapestries. The earliest known live versions of such auctions in furry fandom date back to the now-defunct ConFurence and has been continued at Califur, its Southern California successor.

Sometimes, the proceeds are donated to a charity. A pet auction at Confurence 7 once raised $1000 for the families of MetalHead and Rrroofus, victims of a drive-by shooting.

Some conventions have rejected the idea of holding a pet auction, out of concerns that a buyer might expect (or a seller might offer) services that are sexual in nature, or that any observers (such as anti-furries or law enforcement officials) might perceive it as such.