Meet Pup Balty, World Pet 2024

Our introduction to the current reigning World Bear Weekend title family continues with Pup Balty, World Pet 2024. Find out more about them below!

BWM: Can you tell us a bit about your background?

Pup Balty: Bark! *Waves Paws*  I am Pup Balty from Cincinnati, Ohio! I am a pet player and an avid kinkster in the community here in Cincinnati and have been lucky enough to travel across the country learning and teaching kink for almost 15 years. My name of Balty comes from my original pup name. I was given the name Balto due to my day job of working in healthcare and over the years Balty has become a nickname and is now how I feel most comfortable being called! I am also lucky enough to be the best boy to the Haus Of Heathens! 

BWM: What drew you to the Bear/ Pet communities?

Pup Balty: I always was a fuzzy cub growing up. In high school I felt that I didn’t match the stereotypical “Gay image” because I wasn’t a hairless muscled guy, and so, I thought I wasn’t good enough, superficially, to be gay. One day, I was perusing the internet and found a lovely site we all might remember called Bear411 and I realized that I was normal and found others like me!  

The pet community was just as fun of a revelation–I had started to attend our local bar called “On Broadway” where I met the founder of Cincinnati Leather during one of the gear nights at the bar! I learned about pet play from one of the local pups, found some friends, tried my first hood, and the rest is history! 

BWM: Can you tell us a bit about how the Pet community socializes and how it differs from or is similar to bear gatherings? 

Pup Balty: Absolutely! I do want to throw it out there first that everyone’s “Pet/Critter” side is unique to them so how I socialize as Balty may be different from how others socialize! That said, I have enjoyed socializing at mosh nights, where a diverse group of critters gather and have different activities they can partake in as their critter identity. Our local leather organization also hosts critter events, which I helped organize while holding the title of Cincinnati Critter 2023!

Our Bear social gatherings can have a crossover with our leather scene as well as having their own bar night every Wednesday at Ms. World Bear 2024 Luna and I’s home bar of Tillies Lounge in Cincinnati, Ohio! 

But with that, Pet/Critter socials can often times look just like Bear or Leather socials. Moshes can happen at any of the mentioned events as well. As more inclusion occurs across the community, I’m sure that there will be more opportunities for Pets/Critters to be present as themselves. Moshes are the biggest difference, in that it can include Pet/Critter play which is going to look different than hanging out at your local bar. There are safety concerns to consider as well as ensuring that both the establishment and organizers’ needs are met. However, moshing and or gear is not needed in order to be a Pet/Critter.

BWM: What made you want to compete for the title?

Pup Balty: When I decided to compete for this title, I wanted to continue to do the work I was already doing for our community, like Pet/Critter socials, promoting sober socials, spreading awareness about the organizations I’m affiliated with, and being an advocate for the Bear/Leather/Kink/Queer community. I wanted to elevate that to a global scale. I can’t wait to travel the world and show the Bear community more of Balty! 

BWM: Tell us about your platform. What was the issue you campaigned on or addressed during the competition? 

Pup Balty: My platform is twofold, the first being that consent is not just sexy it is MANDATORY. One of the things I discussed in my speech during the contest was an instance where I, as an AMAB person, was sexually assaulted in a bar. Sexual assault is something that can happen to anyone and it needs addressed in our community so that we can have a better tomorrow.

The second part of my platform ties into the first with my passion for sex education, with more education available to our community hopefully consent will be a constant behavior.

BWM: Why is World Bear Weekend important to you? 

Pup Balty: World Bear Weekend is a space where I get to be myself and feel normal, I get to be around all my chosen family and friends, and while also raising money for our charities! 

By the way, our two charities this year are: The Lexington Pride Center in Lexington, KY which helps the local LGBTQIA+ population in Lexington by providing a center for them to gather and a place to provide community resources! To help them continue that mission you can donate here: https://www.lexpridecenter.org/donate

Our second charity is Rainbow Railroad! They are an organization that assists LGBTQIA+ people living in unsafe surroundings to get out of those situations and into a safe space! To assist them in continuing to keep our community safe here is their link to donate as well: https://www.rainbowrailroad.org/donate

Both organizations are 501c3s and donations are tax deductible! 

BWM: What are your goals for your title year? Where will you be appearing?  

Pup Balty: My goals for my title year are to make sure that we continue to raise money for our community–without our local and national LGBTQIA+ organizations, a lot of our community wouldn’t have access to important resources and education! So, making sure we raise funds wherever we go to help local orgs is very important to me.

I’ve already got a pretty heavy travel schedule but next up is Cannonball Bash! Next year’s itinerary includes North American Bear, Bear Jamboree at One Magical Weekend, hopefully Bears Bikers and Mayhem, and so much more! 

BWM: What are some important issues you feel that need to be addressed in the bear or Pet communities? 

Pup Balty: Consent. Flat out. I cannot count the number of times I have watched members of our community have their consent violated.

Another issue that is a big deal in our community is how Non-Cis Males are treated. I know plenty of amazing people who are not included or are not afforded the same opportunities that I am because of their gender identities and that is huge disservice to those individuals and the community at large.

BWM: Where can we find you? Websites? Social Media?

Pup Balty: I am found on Facebook, Instagram, X (NSFW), Telegram and most other socials as @PupBalty