Italy’s Ministry of Health has banned the use of puppies in yoga classes, amid growing concerns that the practice mistreats the little pooches.
Puppy yoga is a growing trend among wellness searchers. Up to three times more expensive than regular classes, puppy yoga involves puppies being around the room, sometimes freely or sometimes involved in certain poses. Puppy yoga classes are usually less structured than regular ones, as the pooches demand attention and play. Practices using puppies in classes argue that it is beneficial for both the people and the animals. Participants enjoy the session even more in the presence of puppies, while the dogs get to socialise and interact with people and other dogs.
Despite the seemingly only positive effects, recent investigations have found that, more often than not, the puppies are, in fact, being mistreated. Striscia la notizia (Spread the news), an Italian investigative news show, has found that dogs were often as young as only 42 days old. “Given their age, it is highly likely that these puppies had not even completed their vaccination prophylaxis”, animal rights charity LNDC (National League for the Defence of Dogs), pointed out.
Moreover, the animals used for the classes were taken from breeders on a need to basis, used for a few hours then returned. Filing a complaint with the Health Ministry, the LNDC said the dogs were often transported in small boxes or even plastic bags and were not given food or water for several hours before the classes to ensure they wouldn’t do their business in the room.
Besides the classes being a “physically and mentally stressful experience” for the dogs, Giusy D’Angelo, an expert of Italy’s National Board for Animal Protection, said that “people are overtaken by a wave of emotion after experiencing sensations of well-being from the close proximity to the puppies”, which can prompt them to want to adopt one of the pooches without careful consideration of what that entails. This can then lead to an increased abandonment rate once the post yoga high wears off and people realise the full responsibility of taking care of a dog.
To ban the practice, the ministry has placed the use of animals for yoga, as well as other exercise classes, under the Animal Assisted Interventions act, meaning they are considered “animal assisted therapy”, thus only adult dogs can be used. “It is the same as any service animal. You would never expect to see a puppy as a sight dog”, a ministry spokesperson told CNN, clarifying that the ban, which took effect on 29 April, is final and, despite outrage from practitioners, cannot be appealed.
