CHICAGO — A Chicago rescue organization is sounding the alarm after a puppy yoga studio was recently cited by the city.
Puppy Yoga Club, located in the 3000 block of North Milwaukee, was recently cited by the city following visits in late April, according to documents reviewed by WGN News and confirmed by CACC (Chicago Animal Care and Control) and BACP (Business Affairs and Consumer Protection).
The club, which advertises 30 minutes of yoga and 30 minutes of “puppy love,” charges $69 for a one-hour class at a studio in Logan Square.
The club faces four citations in total. BACP cited the business with operating without the required business license and failure to display required license.
Additionally, the business faces a 30-day notice to correct the issue or will face more punishment.
CACC cited the club with also not allegedly having a license and for prohibition on the retail sale of dogs, cats and rabbits. The retail ordinance was passed by City Council in 2015.
“Owner engaged in advertisement promoting the sale of puppies used during yoga classes,” the citation reads.
According to BACP, the owner of the club said that puppies are not for sale there and rather at an off-site kennel in rural Illinois.
Chicago rescue organization One Tail at a Time took to social media to blast Puppy Yoga Club and another similar studio, Puppy Sphere.
One Tail at a Time alleges that these types of businesses “stole” the idea farm sanctuaries and pet rescues.
“They took it to monetize it for their personal gain. They charge double what we do, have a consistent access to puppies (questionable to say the least) to become bigger better money making machines than us, much thanks to the CONSTANT ads they are shoving down all our throats,” part of the post reads.
Executive director Heather Owen told WGN News said the biggest issue to her is animals consistently getting euthanized at Chicago Animal Care and Control.
The shelter, located at 26th and Western, recently said they are in “crisis mode” due to more pet drop offs coming in than ever before.
Their current euthanasia rate is around 11% and the reason why pets surrendered are more likely to get euthanized is because they lack protections versus strays.
“The highlight here is that Chicago continues to euthanize animals every single day,” Owen said. “The ordinance to prohibit the sale of commercial puppies in Chicago was meant to protect the animals, but also the public.”
She also warns the public that dogs that are being bred may not be living in the best conditions.
“While your puppy may look cute, the mom that’s creating these puppies is not having a good life and people deserve to know that,” Owen said.
Puppy Yoga Club and Puppy Sphere did not return a request for a statement by the deadline for this story.
