How booming Puppy Yoga trend beloved by influencers puts dogs at ‘serious risk’ of harm: Calls to ban wellness craze after investigation found animals are being denied access to water, sleep and worked for hours at a time
Animal welfare organisations are demanding a ban on the fast growing Puppy Yoga wellness trend beloved by social media influencers after finding that the dogs are being put at ‘serious risk’ of harm.
The RSPCA (Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty) and The Kennel Club have called the treatment of puppies at the yoga classes ‘shocking’ and ‘dangerous’ as they argued it could be in breach of the Animal Welfare Act.
It comes after an ITV News investigation into Puppy Yoga uncovered the dark side to the Instagram-friendly trend, with puppies as young as six weeks old being denied access to water, sleep and worked for hours at a time.
The Puppy Yoga industry has boomed in recent years after being featured on TOWIE and Made In Chelsea. There are now more than 25 companies advertising classes across the UK for up to £43 a pop and many influencers publicising the sessions.
The classes, which advertise their stress-busting benefits, feature puppies roaming from one mat to the next and sometimes being incorporated into yoga poses. Dogs are obtained through local breeders or animal shelters.
ITV filmed footage inside puppy yoga sessions as part of an investigation that has raised animal welfare concerns
At one class hosted in Essex, puppies were placed in a small, warm room for an hour-long class without any water. They were seen trying to leave the room but prevented from doing so
Footage shows dogs trying to sleep in the corner of a room before being repeatedly picked up and moved towards the customers
ITV News went undercover to film classes held in Essex, Liverpool, and Nottingham and witnessed incidents that both the RSPCA and The Kennel Club have said breach basic welfare and safety standards.
At one £43 class hosted by The Bully Barn Essex in Wickford, puppies were placed in a small, warm room for an hour-long class without any water.
READ MORE – Monkeys to be banned as pets after RSPCA reports widespread abuse
When an undercover reporter asked whether the puppies had access to water, the teacher said: ‘No, no, it might make them pee more.’
Puppies were seen attempting to leave the room on several occasions but not permitted to.
The investigation, which aired last night, also found that puppies as young as six and a half weeks old were used in the classes – contrary to statutory guidance which states that dogs should not leave their mother until at least eight weeks old.
An advert for the class on The Bully Barn reads: ‘Puppy yoga Essex feels like the right next step in our doggy journey and sharing the love with as many dog lovers as possible.
‘As we have been doing this for many years, we have made friends with many others in the breeding community and will be able to bring a variety of breeds to our yoga classes, from Miniature Dachshunds to XL bulldogs and many more.
‘We offer classes to complete beginners and don’t forget all Yoga activities are completely original so if you want to roll around on the floor for an hour with puppies rather than take part in activities that’s ok with us too!’
Megan Barton Hanson from Love Island at a puppy yoga class. Organiser Paws for Thought – which did not feature on the ITV documentary – shares photos of celebs attending their classes
The reality TV star is seen stretching alongside the dogs and sometimes incorporating them into her poses
Esme Wheeler, Science and Policy Officer for Dog Welfare and Behaviour at the RSPCA, said: ‘Not putting water out is a significant risk to dogs.
‘Dogs don’t have the capacity to store water in the same way that we do so they need constant access, otherwise health and potentially fatality can occur quite quickly.
‘These puppies are far too young to be in an environment away from the mother.’
Meanwhile, at a class in Liverpool, footage showed tired puppies trying to sleep in a corner but being woken up and forced to stay awake to take part in the class.
The same was found at a ‘Puppy Yoga Nottingham’ class, with sleeping dogs constantly being woken up and carried back to the paying customers.
Demi Sims – one of the Sims sisters from TOWIE – petting a puppy at one of the yoga classes
Amber Turner and Dan Edgar from TOWIE attending a puppy yoga class organised by Paws For Thought
Social media influencer Tasha Ghouri – who appeared on Love Island 2022 – attending a puppy yoga session
Wheeler said: ‘Sleep deprivation is a form of torture, and there’s no reason to assume that this won’t be as damaging to these dogs.’
The Kennel Club’s Health, Welfare and Breeder Services Executive Bill Lambert said: ‘I think possibly there is behaviour that’s taking place that already could be challenged under the Animal Welfare Act.’
There are also questions over whether the businesses have the right licenses to even host such events.
Liverpool City Council told ITV News that Puppy Yoga Liverpool does not have the ‘appropriate license’ to run the classes.
Nottingham City Council said Puppy Yoga Nottingham is not licensed with them but ‘more investigation would be required to see if the group holds a licence with another authority’.
Geordie Shore star Vicky Pattison taking part in a puppy yoga session
Paws for Thought runs puppy yoga classes in London and Essex and shares videos of them on TikTok
Basildon Council are investigating whether Puppy Yoga Essex, operated by The Bully Barn Essex, has the appropriate license.
Puppy Yoga Essex in Wickford declined to comment on the findings and Puppy Yoga Nottingham, Puppy Yoga Liverpool, and Puppy Yoga UK did not respond to ITV’s requests for comment.
Some class organisers claim that the classes benefit the puppies taking part as well as the ‘mental health’ of the participants because interacting with lots of humans aids their ‘socialisation’.
But the RSPCA’s Esme Wheeler, said: ‘There is nothing in that environment which I would consider to be beneficial to the health, the welfare or the behavioural lifelong development of these animals.’
‘Socialisation is about introducing a young animal to something in a way which is gradual calm, and they have the freedom to move away.’
TikTok influencer Chlo Edwards, who has more than 260,000 followers, posing with a puppy at a yoga class
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