The Ministry of Health intervened on Monday with a note on the issue of the so-called Puppy yoga, a type of yoga lessons that are done in the company of puppy dogs, declaring them illegal and inviting the Regions to “monitor” so that these practices are not organized and sold. In recent months, Puppy yoga has become very popular, especially thanks to social networks: various companies and associations have started to offer it in Italy, after similar success in the United States, the United Kingdom and France.
It involves yoga lessons conducted in rooms or gyms where there are dog puppies, left free to interact with those present: an initial phase of exercises is followed by one of pure interaction, defined as “cuddles” or “pet therapy”, and which always includes the possibility of taking photos and selfies, which are then often published on social networks. For some time, Puppy yoga had been at the center of controversy and complaints from activists and animal rights associations, who claimed that it was a form of exploitation of animals, especially in a phase of their life in which they should be left in the care of their mother and kept away from stressful environments and excessive interactions with humans.
The national department that deals with animal health, which is part of the Ministry of Health, reiterated that this practice must be considered as an “animal assisted activity” (Aaa) and must therefore comply with all the regulations governing this type of activity . In particular, so-called “pet therapy” activities are legal only with adult animals: those with puppies cannot therefore be organised.
Puppy yoga is a variant of Dog yoga, also called “doga”, which has existed for years in the United States and which involves doing yoga exercises and positions in the company of a dog (often one’s own): “doga” has also been often contested, but above all by yoga masters, who discuss its usefulness and opportunity. Kitty yoga and Puppy yoga were derived from Dog yoga, which involve lessons in the company of puppy cats and dogs respectively: companies specializing in this type of service were born, initially in the United States, very active especially in marketing on Instagram, where the photos of the exercises carried out with puppies are very successful.
In Italy, lessons cost on average 40 euros and include half an hour of classic yoga and half an hour of interactions: they are almost always carried out with purebred puppies from breeders. Breeders “rent” puppies for lessons, obtaining in exchange a payment or simply the possibility of advertising the sale of the same puppies. According to what was reported by many activists and also by some of the participants, Puppy yoga sessions often turn into promotions for the sale of the puppies themselves.
The animal rights associations also report that, despite the reassurances, puppies that are less than 8 weeks old established by law are often used in the sessions for these practices, considered essential for the cognitive, emotional and social development of the animals, as well as to complete the vaccination cycle. .
In recent weeks, the animal rights association Lndc Animal Protection had filed a complaint with the Milan prosecutor’s office for possible mistreatment of animals. The lawyer Michele Pezone explained to the Everyday occurrence some problems of the practice: «Separating the puppies too early from their mothers for activities unsuitable for their nature, taking them to unsuitable environments, subjecting them to stressful trips and movements as well as entire days in which they were used in numerous sessions from morning to evening».
Similar questions have been raised by the media and animal rights groups in the United Kingdom and Ireland: a British television investigation ITV he also underlined how some of the puppies were temporarily deprived of water, to prevent them from peeing during the sessions, or sleep, woken up repeatedly to interact with those who had signed up for the lesson
Some of the associations that organize these practices and the breeders that supply the puppies have denied any type of mistreatment and any use of dogs before eight weeks: the puppies would also be left free to interact and never “forced”. The weekly Vanity Fairin an article on the topic, instead reported the anonymous testimony of a customer who spoke of overcrowded and smelly environments, of puppies “woken up with kibble” and who “seemed crazy: they ran away and people tried to catch them to take photos.”
