Pet wellness became all the rage during the pandemic as pet parents began investing heavily in their dogs’ health. Professional athletes jumped into pet wellness campaigns, dogs became front row attendees at New York Fashion Week and beauty industry veterans created brands with higher standards for their pets.
According to reports from Grand View Research Inc., the pet care market is expected to reach nearly $236.2 billion by 2030 — a trend that has been reflected in holiday budgets, as reported by WWD.
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The uptick in spending on pets is primarily cited as a symptom of consumers spending more time at home during the pandemic, which shifted the way they were engaging with their furry friends. For many, the interactions served as an infusion of serotonin.
To share the benefits of time with puppies with the world, Francesca Albo and Lea Burbidge Izquierdo created Puppy Sphere in 2021. The puppy yoga class invites guests to a 45-minute yoga flow led by a certified instructor while a litter of adoptable puppies roam the studio. Their mission is to help people de-stress and reconnect with joy.
“We are a wellness company focused on enhancing well-being worldwide,” said Albo. “We believe in bringing the gentle power of puppy therapy to more people. Not everyone gets the opportunity to have a pet, and there is a special moment when it really brings joy. The dogs are supposed to be socialized, and it’s a beautiful experience for both people and the dogs.”
As the company’s mission continues to connect with consumers, Puppy Sphere has moved from a single studio in Toronto and now counts 14 studios, including three in New York and studios in Los Angeles, with more opening soon. The sessions are consistently sold out and celebrities from Sabrina Carpenter to Justin Bieber have frequented the classes.
“The expansion has been really fast and really amazing,” said Izquierdo. “But it’s also been super strategic. We want to make sure that everyone who experiences the Puppy Sphere has the same experience from city to city, day to day.”
Albo, who comes from a biotech science background, said that Puppy Sphere came from the founders’ own mental health needs.
“I worked in a biotech lab for four years before we started Puppy Sphere, so I love going into the science, but that isn’t the reason we started it,” said Albo. “We figured that later that there are all of these incredible mental health benefits. Looking into the science, we saw that it boosts oxytocin, serotonin and all these feel-good hormones that lead to a healthy mind.”
She cited one study from UCLA that found similar results when someone eats chocolate and pets puppies.
“There really is this significant amount of research that’s been done that proves the benefits of animal therapy, and it goes either way spending time with puppies for people,” said Albo.
As the team celebrates two years in New York City, they shared that looking across all of their studios, New York is the strongest market for puppy yoga. The studio has many people who frequent the studios in New York weekly.
As the company looks ahead to more growth and expansion, the team has plans of opening studios beyond North America, with Asia being a key goal for the future.
“We want people to know that puppy yoga, Puppy Sphere, is for everyone,” said Albo. “Whether you’re you do yoga, or you’re not. If you need that mood boosting, you need Puppy Sphere.”