St. Pete gym partners with Suncoast Animal league to host rescue dog yoga
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - There's a yoga class that happens every few months in St. Pete, and it gives a whole-new meaning to the "downward dog" position.
About a dozen pups were brought into Standard Procedure's Rescue Dog Yoga Class on Sunday morning.
"It's $30 a ticket, and they sell out within two hours," said Tiffany Walling, owner of Standard Procedure Fitness. "We raised $5,500 last year out of the three that we did, this is our fourth, and we're looking to do five this year."
As puppies weaved their way through rows of yoga mats, stopping for the occasional pet or lick, they certainly brought on the cuteness, but they were also in search of potential foster parents or forever homes.
"This class helps us by getting the exposure for Suncoast Animal League, getting the word out about rescue, bringing in potential fosters or volunteers that can help, and helps to socialize the puppies so that they can move on to their forever home," said Karey Burek, Community Outreach Coordinator for Suncoast Animal League.
READ: SPCA Florida in critical need of foster homes for dogs and their nursing puppies
Suncoast Animal League is a nonprofit, no kill, no time-limit animal shelter. But, with a small space in Palm Harbor, most of their rescues are foster based.
"We try and help shelters locally and outside of our area that are overcrowded so that they can bring in more animals," Karey explained. "So, having access to partnerships like this one, we can get the puppies out in the public, get exposure and get them adopted, then we can save more, we can help more shelters."
Since the class started a year and a half ago, several participants have adopted, signed up to foster or now actively volunteer with Suncoast.
"I feel like it's not just about getting the animals adopted, It's also about bringing them into the rescue fold, into the rescue world and getting them inspired to help out in the community, too," Karey added.
READ: Animal rescues are finding solutions for 'dog dumping' in Tampa Bay Area
"Even if I'm not here to bring a dog home, I put it out there on social media for everyone to see and invite more people to come," said class participant, Sarah Smith.
The relationship between Standard Procedure and Suncoast Animal League blossomed through PupActive, a local apparel brand built on community & rescue dog advocacy.
They help schedule rescue dog classes, and their website is where you can eventually buy tickets to the next one in May. For more information, click here.
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