To kick off our Puppy Yoga Club story, we sat down with Co-Founder Ryan Rouche to talk about how Puppy Yoga Club began, why it matters, and the mission behind the fastest-growing puppy yoga organization in North America. This interview takes you behind the scenes of the nationwide movement bringing wellness, community, and adoptable puppies together.🐾

Puppy Yoga Club is a nationwide wellness experience that combines guided yoga with playful, adoptable puppies from local reputable partners. Yoga with puppies offers a unique form of stress relief and emotional wellness while helping puppies socialize, thrive, and find forever homes.

“It originally started with a love for puppies,” shares Ryan, whose family is from Paris, France. He has long been on a personal quest for wellness and how to thoughtfully integrate it into everyday life.

"We wanted to offer something different that people could add to their regular wellness activities, Ryan explains.

"We started with a small studio in France where we held our first classes. Straight away, we saw how much people loved it. And not only did people love it, but we realized how much we loved it. People were constantly thanking us for the experience, and we realized we wanted that feeling never to end. So we kept it going, and Puppy Yoga Club was born!"

"When it comes to Puppy Yoga Club, most people don't know what to expect," Ryan continues. "The first thing they ask is, 'What is yoga with puppies?' When they come to the classes, they aren’t sure at first, but within a few minutes, they’re smiling from ear to ear."

Ryan notes that when it comes to puppy yoga, interaction is key.

"[The participants are] interacting with people they've never met before and with some adorable puppies. I feel that since COVID, people have forgotten about this simple aspect of life. It’s the interactivity, not only with the puppies but also among themselves. It’s great to watch and experience."

"Number one: don’t bring your dog!" 

Ryan emphasizes that this is an important part of the puppy yoga experience. Participants do not bring their own dogs to class. Instead, the puppies are provided by partner organizations and are brought in for a short, supervised period to interact and play with the group.

Each puppy is carefully looked after by dedicated caretakers throughout the session, so participants don’t need to worry about feeding, handling, or cleaning up after them. The puppies also have their own designated space in the studio where they can rest, take breaks, and recharge whenever they need.

"Puppy Yoga Club works with certified rescue organizations, reputable breeders, and shelters to find healthy, happy puppies who are specially selected to attend the Puppy Yoga Club classes. The experience is for bonding with the puppies we provide. We ensure the puppies are fully cared for during the sessions, including having team members on hand for clean-ups and to handle any unexpected situations," stresses Ryan. 

The keen businessman adds, "Puppy Yoga Club people are families, friends, people who love puppies, those who want a puppy, yogis, and those interested in different kinds of wellness activities—anyone who really loves nature and animals or is looking for dog-friendly activities they can enjoy."

"That's another extraordinary part of Puppy Yoga Club. Not only do we get to play with puppies for work, but we get to do it as best friends." 

All three founders—Neil Azouz, Lano Morin, and Ryan—are from France. Neil’s mother and Ryan’s mother have been close friends since childhood, and years later, Neil and Lano met in college after Ryan had already relocated to the U.S.

"The three of us not only shared a deep friendship, but a mission", reflects Ryan.

Together, we created Puppy Yoga Club. Now we are all here in the States, managing over 26 locations here and in Canada. That aspect of our story continues to blow our minds."

"The best part of Puppy Yoga Club is seeing the photos and videos of our puppies getting adopted. Knowing that our Puppy Yoga Club puppies have found loving new homes — and that Puppy Yoga Club played a part in their journey — stays with me every single day."

“We knew from the beginning, back in France, that we wanted to bring this to the U.S.,” Ryan notes with quiet pride from the company’s Miami headquarters, located near the Design District and Wynwood—two of the city’s most creative, culture-driven neighborhoods.

"Once we established our Miami headquarters, we booked a flight from Florida to California to start our expansion. Things started happening before we had even stepped off the plane. We were just about to land, so phone service was available, and we saw order after order start coming in. That, for us, was like a scene out of a movie. I'm having goosebumps thinking about it. It was an incredible feeling."

Ryan, who is very close to his family, is open about the moments in his life that helped shape his deep connection to animals.

"My mom grew up on a farm, so I already had it in my blood to love animals, but it really took off when we got a dog of our own when I was about 12. That’s when my love for animals really began. I'd always had it, but forming that first real connection with a dog was what really got me on the path to bonding with animals."

At the time The PYC Story was first written, Ryan regularly brought his French Bulldog, Skyla, into the office. Since then, he has also become a Puppy Yoga Club adopter after meeting Benny, a Bernedoodle, during a class in California—and now brings both dogs to the office, where they’re part of the PYC team that knows and loves them.

"Our main mission at Puppy Yoga Club is to help puppies find homes. That is always what we're going to stay true to. We also want to offer people a unique form of therapy and stress relief exercises that benefit both the puppies and them. People can enjoy one of our classes after a long week or a stressful month. Someone who recently lost a pet can find comfort again with our puppies, while also getting a great yoga workout."

"A puppy!" Ryan laughs when asked what people gain from a Puppy Yoga Club class. 

"But also, the positivity that the Puppy Yoga Club classes bring. It's literally in your face when one of those adorable puppies comes up to you for a lick or a cuddle. Those are part of the puppy yoga benefits we want to share," continues Ryan. 

"At the end of a class, people always come up to thank us. They say, “Wow, I never expected to love it this much!” It's rare to have a business where people thank you nonstop. So, we mainly just want to spread positivity and encourage people to avoid puppy stores. We also offer a unique way for people considering getting a puppy to interact with one before they decide. We really love it when people who come to one of our Puppy Yoga Club classes find a puppy they want to take home."

Ryan acknowledges that many puppy yoga companies do good work, but emphasizes that Puppy Yoga Club is intentional about addressing every aspect of the experience—both on the business side and the personal, human side.

"We also like to promote our Puppy Yoga Club events. We have clients who ask us about making a Puppy Yoga Club session a part of their kids’ birthday party plans or bringing their child to a class."

A family-friendly experience, children ages five and older are welcome to attend Puppy Yoga Club classes when accompanied by a guardian.

"We also offer private events for teams, birthdays, bachelorette parties, or groups of friends who want to bond with puppies together. Our Puppy Yoga Club events provide an unforgettable experience that relieves stress, lets you and your group bond with each other and the puppies, and can really fit into any occasion. 

Early on, we realized that people treat our Puppy Yoga Club classes as therapy. That’s why we started offering our Puppy Yoga Club Memberships. We wanted to give them the chance to enjoy multiple puppy yoga classes a few times a month at a great price point. For us, it’s not just about filling up a class. We want the people and puppies who come to Puppy Yoga Club to get all the benefits they can from each other. I think we really set ourselves apart with that aspect."

There are currently 26 Puppy Yoga Club studios. Our goal is to have 50 to 60 studios nationwide by the summer of 2026. We want to spread the Puppy Yoga Club mission to as many cities as possible so people can enjoy yoga with puppies as part of their wellness activities.

"Right now, we have Puppy Yoga Club locations throughout North America, including Austin, Boca Raton, Boston, Chicago, Hoboken, Long Island City, Los Angeles, New York, Phoenix, San Antonio, and Seattle. In California, we are in Riverside, Sacramento, San Diego, and San Jose. We’re also in Canada with locations in Toronto, Vancouver, and Montreal."

"Given that our offices are in Miami, we would love to see a location in Coral Gables, says Ryan Rouche.

"We’re always looking into other cities where people may want to experience yoga with puppies, but we’re very excited about opening up in Washington, D.C. soon. We are also looking forward to offering puppy yoga classes in Tampa. Tampa is important to us because Florida is where we started, and it’s where we want to open up as many Puppy Yoga Club locations as we can."

"Opening more studios is one aspect, but there's also our Puppy Yoga Club memberships. Our Puppy Yoga Club membership program is an excellent way for people to experience puppy yoga classes with ease and convenience. Our Puppy Yoga Club membership packages are priced so they’re totally doable for anyone," Ryan details.

"We love seeing new faces, but the best are those who come back because they know the benefit. We are creating a real Puppy Yoga Club community, and that’s what it’s all about: people coming together to help puppies while giving themselves something in return. We also want to create a solid network of influencers to help us spread the message about puppy yoga classes at Puppy Yoga Club."

Our team is growing every day, and we need to fill certain roles in the coming months. We want to build Puppy Yoga Club community from the inside out, and that starts with a great team. We want the right kind of creative people who can have fun with the Puppy Yoga Club concept while bringing their own ideas to it. We believe in giving our team free rein on their roles, where they can expand on what they love to do. However, they must love puppies. That is a requirement at Puppy Yoga Club!

We have three Puppy Yoga Club locations in Canada: Toronto, Vancouver, and Montreal. That's all we're going to open outside the U.S. Our focus now is to open up more Puppy Yoga Club locations in major U.S. cities and continue expanding nationwide.

"I would say, come for the yoga, but stay for the puppies!" exclaims Ryan. In the end, the most important thing is for the puppies to interact and hopefully find their forever home. I encourage anyone with a love for pets and wellness to experience Puppy Yoga Club and learn more about how we work with local dog organizations in each city where we are located.