Hmm, well, I had the Narnia books and Wind in the Willows read to me as a kid, and I watched Disney movies, and had a lot of old fables read to me. Read several of the books with anthro characters when I got older.
Thing is, I've never really seen those as talking animals. They talked and behaved like people, so that's obviously what they were, they just happened to look like animals.
The narnia books and some others also have anthros and humans interacting as if anthros were a completely natural thing.
I've also always liked animals. Had a variety of them when I grew up and though I didn't see them as people I did see them as individuals with personalities.
Started to read a lot of fantasy in my teens. Tolkien got me hooked on elves.
I don't remember when I first saw adult art with anthros, though I think the first time I read it was in Lackey's Winds of Fate book, where Nyara takes Skif off to have some fun. The sex isn't described, but the intentions clearly stated.
Shortly after that I discovered anime and all the variety of different anthro people that has. I think Porco Rosso was the first anime I saw with an anthro character, which was actually years before I discovered anime as anime.
Although I like the anime catgirls, I see them more as humans and prefer the fuzzy all over to call someone a proper catgirl. Or wolfgirl, foxgirl, dragongirl etc.
(Btw, Dragon Half is hilarious XD)
My involvement in the fandom is mostly on an art/story level, both regular and sexual.
Although I use a suntiger as my avatar it's not my fursona.
'suntiger' just comes from when I changed my mail ages ago and made up a name on the spot that I thought sounded cool.
I also used that first part of the mail address as a forum name, which made people ask 'Cool name, what's a suntiger?' which had me explain that it was just the first part of my mail.
Then one day I was making up a worldsetting to write stories in. As I was making up races for it I got the idea to make a suntiger species.
I do have a character that would be the equivalent of a fursona, but he looks human.
I find the spiritual part of it fascinating as well; totems, shamanism, therianthropes and such, though it's not something that resonates with me.
Heh, though I'm surprised over the misconceptions some people have over certain animal-like traits. "I'm like a strong, lone wolf. I don't need anyone else to take care of me/I'm more comfortable on my own."
Do your homework. The lone wolves are the rejects that gets driven away from the pack for being weak, the pack can't support all the members, or for being insane.
Personally, I blame Rambo for that one, his code name being 'Lone Wolf'.
Although you could argue that he's insane I suppose.
Bottom line; I like people whether they're hairless apes* or anthros, and I like regular animals too, even if I don't see them in the same way as people. (The difference is mainly one of sexual attraction or not.)
Speaking of which, there's an absolutely hilarious sequence in Fantasia 2000 where Donald Duck builds an ark (to Elgar's Pomp and Circumstance).
When the animals start to board, two regular ducks pass him. His expression... Dear gods! XD
*Since humans technically are animals too, doesn't that make you, technically, a furry if you like humans?
