Petition launched to ban ‘cruel’ dog yoga events

By Ed Chatterton

A dog trainer has launched a petition to ban puppy cuddling and puppy yoga events in Britain - claiming they causes misery and long term suffering to young pooches.

Nicky Brunt is calling on the government to stop all events where members of the public can snuggle newborn pups and her campaign is now being backed by the Dogs' Trust charity.

Over 1,400 people have already signed the petition which calls on a ban of all puppy yoga, puppy pilates and other puppy cuddle therapy, after a similar ban came into place recently in Italy.

The sessions have seen an explosion in popularity in recent years with claims they help people deal with stress and anxiety, as well as assisting those to deal with their fear of dogs.

Some universities have organised them to help students combat exam stress while organizers say the seemingly cute meet-and-greet sessions also help with the dogs welfare.

But Nicky, of Coventry, West Mids., who runs dog training group Sound Hounds, disagrees and says the reality for the animals can is far from relaxing and leaves the pooches "overwhelmed and distressed."

Animal welfare organisations like the RSPCA and The Dogs' Trust have also said they are concerned there are no specific regulations around these events.

Nicky said: "It looks cute, but the reality is very different. These puppies are often only around eight weeks old

"That's the age they should be settling into stable home environments and beginning early development, not being passed around by groups of strangers in busy, overwhelming settings."

She believes excessive handling, noise and unfamiliar surroundings at such a young age could negatively affect a puppy's emotional development and behaviour later in life.

She told Nub News: "The problem is that these sessions are marketed as fun and harmless.

"But, people buying tickets don't realise the potential impact on the animals.

"When people see the advertising, it looks lovely, puppies sleeping on yoga mats.

"But when you explain what's actually happening, they're often quite shocked.

"These puppies are at a critical stage in their development.

"We need to be giving them the best possible start, not putting them in stressful environments for entertainment."

Nicky believes there may also be links to unlicensed breeding and pointed to the frequent use of popular "designer breeds" such as dachshunds, cockapoos and cocker spaniels.

Nicky said: "There's a risk of breeding to meet demand for these events.

"Licensed breeders I've spoken to are equally concerned.

"There is no therapy happening here, these are very young puppies being used for profit."

However, Bethan Lee, who has been organising puppy cuddle events for three years, says the interaction with members of the public is beneficial for a dog's socialisation.

Bethan, who runs Pooch Therapy, which has organised cuddle events across England, says they have a positive effects on dogs' welfare and that they operate within EU guidelines.

She said: "We have absolutely nothing to hide and I am a dog lover with six of my own.

"A dog needs socialising at three to 12 weeks old and it beneficial to both the dogs and the people are the events.

"We find it helps the dogs gain confidence into adulthood and they adore the sessions. They go all gooey and don't want to leave, they love it.

"We do everything in a spacious, controlled and clean environment and operate completely within EU guidelines.

"We have no more than 20 people and they are not allowed to handle the dogs over shoulder height.

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"We are very careful and the dog's welfare is at the front and centre of everything we do.

"The strict rules that are in place are that we only have so many participants, the ratio between dogs and puppies is right for the puppies and it's right for the participants.

"We have time for play and a time to rest, sleep and cuddle - to balance out the dogs needs.

"We use pilates studios, functions rooms and church halls, sometimes we go into care homes with our older dogs.

"There are absolutely no negatives, what we do is backed by our breeders, vets and the council.

"We get all sorts of people, from helping families with disabled children to those with allergies.

"Some people even come on dates or are just huge dog lovers and it helps the dogs too.

"I think all this has just come from jealousy and someone who wants attention and publicity."

Dog breeder Sophie Mortimer also says the events have proved to be great for boosting the confidence of puppies taking part

She told the BBC: "There's no better way really to socialise puppies because you can't take them out on walks if they haven't had the vaccinations.

"But as soon as they've had their vaccinations, you can take them to these events and they can play and have puppy cuddles.

"I've noticed that their confidence has just literally gone through the roof.

"I have to say it's definitely 100 per cent from these puppy events, they've really brought them on leaps and bounds."

The petition has collected more than 1,400 signatures - but it needs 100,000 signatures before it qualifies for parliamentary discussion.

The RSPCA said it would like to see strict regulations around puppy yoga while the Dogs Trust called for an outright ban.

RSPCA dog welfare expert Dr Samantha Gaines said: “Puppy yoga events - including those where litters of pups are used at events for the purposes of entertainment and often under the guise of 'socialisation’ - are something we are very concerned about, and they worryingly seem to have been gaining traction as a popular activity.

“At the moment there is no specific regulation around puppy yoga, and it is very concerning that anyone can set it up.

“However, in England, we strongly believe that this activity should fall under licensing of the keeping or training of animals for exhibition activities, which means that commercial businesses carrying out this activity should have a licence.

"Puppy yoga could be in breach of these current regulations given that the puppies used are often alleged to be below eight weeks of age and the licensing conditions state that unweaned or dependent offspring must not be removed from their mothers.

“Given that in England, many animal business activities seeking to make a profit e.g. the sale of puppies, require licensing by the local authority, we would urge people to report concerns about puppy yoga enterprises locally to their Council.

“The first few months of a puppy’s life are the most important as they are shaping their world view, and the experiences they have during this time can have lifelong consequences.

“The process of socialisation needs to be carried out gradually, where exposure to various experiences, people and other animals is controlled, calm and individualised and the puppy has access to their owner.

“If a young puppy is placed into situations where they feel overwhelmed and frightened they may start to view the things they are being introduced to as frightening, which can then lead to a negative reaction in the future and the potential development of behavioural problems.

“Young dogs and puppies require calm, predictable, consistent routines and environments with additional rest and sleep during their development phase.

"It is highly unlikely that these requirements can be met in a puppy ‘petting’, group yoga or ‘therapy’ event.”

Josh Heath, senior public affairs officer at Dogs Trust, said, “We have increasing concerns about the concept of puppy yoga and believe it should be banned.

"The activity has grown in prominence via social media since the early 2010s, with many puppies being used in yoga classes with a lack of proper supervision, no access to water, a lack of opportunities to rest or sleep, and no protected areas where they can choose to get away from people.

“We don’t believe that these classes benefit puppies, and they do not help with socialisation, which is about learning about normal everyday life, where they can be gradually and carefully introduced to a range of people, dogs, noises, objects and experiences to accept these as normal.

"Being repeatedly handled by large numbers of unknown groups of people, whilst being deprived of sleep, can have the potential to cause long-term behavioural issues, and we agree that the Government should take steps to ban the practice.”