What sort of time period are you looking for? I’m considering something from the Dark Ages.
The Dark Ages are fine. The Dogs of War will feature a potpourri of settings from the prehistoric past to the interstellar far future, as long as the characters are anthropomorphic. Stories in which there is a reason for them to be anthropomorphic animals are preferred to stories in which the characters are just funny-animals, but there will be some of those also.
I’ve started to roll with the “prey species are an experiment in the army”.
it’s hard because it could go the way of the main character just doesn’t work out in basic training or a major world war and the main character gets injured and realizes it was because he was a prey species.
Before I go diving too deep into something, and produce something I couldn’t viably use for this anthology, would something like a revolution (thinking french revolution, or the American revolution) fit with the theme for this? Or more specifically, showing the beginning of a violent revolution?
A chance to put my new military history BA to work!
I will see if the brain can come up with something.
Yes, a violent revolution would be appropriate. The American Civil War could be considered a violent revolution against the federal government.
Hey Fred? May I send you all the virtual hugs in the world for this call for submissions? It’s thus far inspired two friends of mine who have always been too intimidated by rejection to actually try their hands at it for the first time :3 Even if they get rejected, that first story always seems to be the most difficult, so thank you very much!
Surely! Definitely send them my way.
Please emphasize that we want stories with original military scenarios with anthro animal characters, not just recognizable Middle Eastern or Vietnam or Civil War or World War I war fiction with funny-animal soldiers. I remember a comic-book story with funny-animal soldiers in World War II uniforms that looked great, but had me wondering, “How do they get their bushy tails through those uniforms? Is thick fur a problem with those uniforms?”
It’s re-re-re-re-re-writing time down in the burrow.
Yikes, this wasn’t in the original brief. What about alt-history?
‘asking for a friend’ 
Alt-history is okay. Just keep the setting from looking like an obvious real historical war story, set in the Korean War or current Syria or the U,S. Revolution, with funny animals instead of humans.
The s-f author Poul Anderson was adept at taking really obscure incidents from history and using them for interstellar adventures. One was from 8th-century Visigothic Spain, when the nobility got rid of an unpopular king by conspiring with his heir to have him declared legally dead, effectively exiling him while he was still kicking & screaming. Readers who knew 8th-century Spanish history may have recognized it, but how many people was that?
Thanks for the clarification, Fred!
Just saw this one on Dogpatch Press. I might be able to think of something.
My furry interstellar empire might have a few opportunities for plucky “young” dogs of war to make their fortunes.
Today is September 1st. There is one more month to contribute to The Dogs of War. Send those stories in!
sound of frantic typing
Okay, so not actually that frantic. But… must finish last scene.
I’m already behind on other writing. I will have to save my ideas for the sequel should there be one.
I’m a bit busy editing my novella and writing for Thurston Howl’s “Sins” Anthology. I think I’ll have to sit this one out too.
Had some decent ideas too.
Two more scenes to go. 6.1k at the moment. Hope to finish all in a week-ish, then edit and submit!
Just two weeks left until the deadline. If you are working on a story and you think that you need a week or two after the deadline to finish it, notify me before the October 1st deadline.
Submission is still underway, and should arrive before the deadline!