Chances are, if you are on social media, you’ve heard of puppy yoga. If you haven’t, picture a normal yoga class, except with the addition of adorable puppies. This new trend in mindfulness seems omnipresent on platforms such as Instagram, but is there more to it than just a fun photo op? Portland has a variety of opportunities to experience puppy yoga firsthand, but dog rescue organization One Tail at a Time PDX (OTAT PDX) offers events that benefit dogs as well as people.
Originally founded in Chicago in 2008, OTAT is a non-profit dog rescue organization. Juli Zagrans, who had volunteered for the organization prior to moving to Portland for Lewis and Clark’s Animal Law program, launched the Portland branch in May 2015 after getting the approval of Co-founder and Executive Director Heather Owens. In 2017, OTAT PDX became its own rescue, which aims to “improve the lives of companion animals by providing humane, individualized care and a chance to know the comforts of a loving home…” according to the website.
Zagrans explains that when puppy yoga took off nationally, the company decided to adopt the idea as a way to raise money and bring awareness to their foster puppies. “We have puppies all the time,” she adds. We have the space, and we have yoga instructors who would want to teach the class.”
This specific class was led by Nicole Greenberg, an instructor at The People’s Yoga, who reached out to OTAT after seeing their posts on Instagram. “I have always wanted to volunteer, but it’s tough when you want to adopt them all,” she says. Instructing this class was Greenberg’s first time practicing yoga with puppies. She reflects on the experience positively, saying, “Dogs are the best teachers for teaching you about being present because they’re always focused on what they’re focused on in the moment.”
Puppy yoga’s rise in popularity in recent years has raised concerns from some, including being completely banned in Italy, over concerns of the animals’ welfare when they’re especially young. Another concern is how some companies source dogs from breeders that value aesthetics over health and well-being. To this, Zagrans comments, “I think that if breeders really loved dogs, they would stop producing more for profit, while there are some who suffer in shelters and who have to be euthanized because they aren’t getting adopted and there isn’t enough space.”
On the other hand, when the welfare of dogs is prioritized, puppy yoga can be beneficial to their development. “It’s great socialization for the puppies, Zagrans explains. “They get to play with each other, and get to be around a bunch of people, getting treats, and having positive experiences with new things.” She adds, “In those critical stages of puppyhood when their brains are just little sponges and they’re soaking up everything, the more we can introduce them positively to all sorts of different environments and types of people and other dogs, especially their own age, the better it is for them.”
Portland Community College Veterinarian Ragan Borzcik agrees that puppy yoga has the potential to be beneficial, but advises that it is best for “some general puppy health safeguards and education for human participants” to be put in place. “From a medical standpoint, puppies should not be around other dogs until they have received their second set of vaccinations, they are at least 8 weeks old, and a veterinarian has seen the puppy and deemed it healthy enough to be exposed to other animals,” she advises.
Borzcik expands on the importance of socialization, emphasizing that participants must be careful when interacting with puppies. “Positive interactions mean: no crowding the puppy, no over-petting or over-handling, not allowing the puppy to bite, and ensuring they are interacting with humans politely and appropriately.” She continues, “This may require giving the human yoga participants some resources for what to do when a puppy, for example, starts to chew on your yoga mat while you are in child’s pose – ensuring they understand what is the right way to discourage this behavior.”
When done ethically, puppy yoga becomes a space where rescue dogs find early socialization and humans find mindfulness. Greenberg concludes that, “Taking care of something, whether it be your own body or another creature, is a really powerful thing. I think it builds empathy and love.”
