Lol, i'm the opposite! I've got animals down, but my people drawings need work! I would suggest going for shapes. I personally start with the head, than work my way down, making sure as i go the angles look right. Animals are very angular, especially in the face and joints, and once you have proportions down than you can curve it out a bit to give it life! :]
Also, for fur, just use quick sharp lines in the direction it should be going. Looking closely at references can show you what direction line strokes should be, and that will definitely bring 3-dimension to your drawing.