Why puppy yoga isn't as harmless as it seems
After strolling with alpacas and petting cats over a cup of coffee, a new trend is taking Europe by storm: puppy yoga. On Monday night, Dutch TV channel AVRO-TROS aired an in-depth undercover report on everything wrong with this new activity, which is also increasingly popular in Belgium.
Puppy yoga is a new wellness trend where litters of puppies take part in yoga classes to entertain people. These young dogs roam freely as the participants move through the poses. Puppy yoga is said to be beneficial. It relieves stress for humans and socialises the dogs.
While it's always a good idea to socialise puppies, they also need about twenty hours of sleep in the first few weeks of their lives to process all the external stimuli. Therefore, experts should supervise puppy yoga well, and animals should always be able to isolate themselves.
Forced to interact
However, the AVRO-TROS investigation paints a very different picture. Puppies are woken up when it's time to please humans, and they are forced to interact with them. In addition, the dogs are overwhelmed by people wanting to take pictures to share on social media. These situations significantly impact the welfare of these young animals. Some even vomit because they can't cope.
The Guardian already raised the issue of puppy yoga last summer. In the UK, puppies are subjected to the practice as young as six weeks old, which is banned by law. According to the British investigation, the young animals endure days of the same activity in a room that is too warm, often with inadequate food and water.
So, the question remains: who enjoys puppy yoga?
© ABACA PRESS PHOTO
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