A one-of-a-kind wellness experience

While Puppy Sphere quickly found an audience for its puppy yoga classes, the idea was originally born from something Albo and Burbidge Izquierdo had discovered for themselves. Inspired by the mental health support their own dogs provided, they sought to create a space where people could spend time with puppies without the stress of a long-term commitment. Albo and Burbidge Izquierdo were their own first customers.

“We created the concept of puppy yoga selfishly at first because we wanted to spend time with puppies,” Albo says. “We wanted an excuse to combine something we loved—yoga—with animals.” It wasn’t until their business was booming and demand soared that the two entrepreneurs realized there was real science behind the benefits of animal-assisted therapy.

“There’s a lot of research that supports why being around dogs is so uplifting and good for your mental health,” Burbidge Izquierdo says. “Interacting with puppies releases serotonin, prolactin, and oxytocin, all of which reduce stress and improve wellbeing.”

These scientific benefits range from mental and emotional (lower anxiety and reduced feelings of loneliness) to physical (lower blood pressure and pain reduction).

“When we realized the impact puppy yoga had on people’s mental health,” Albo says, “that really drove our commitment to expanding the business and making this experience more accessible across North America, and hopefully, more countries from there.”

The business currently serves 16,000 people every month across its 16 locations in 10 cities, with more on the way. Albo and Burbidge Izquierdo have plans to open 30 additional studios by the end of 2026.

Practice makes perfect

As Albo and Burbidge Izquerido built their business from the ground up, they attended many of their own classes and made some profound discoveries along the way. The first was that a traditional class length wasn’t going to cut it.
“When our classes were 45 minutes, people weren’t doing a lot of yoga,” Albo says. “They wanted to take pictures with puppies.”

This prompted Albo and Burbidge Izquerido to create Puppy Sphere’s 75-minute signature experience, which included an added 30 minutes of pure “puppy chill time” following 45 minutes of yoga. With half an hour dedicated to getting the perfect puppy pictures, Puppy Sphere’s customers spread the word.

They also discovered that puppy yoga makes for a welcoming introduction to mindful movement—without the pressure of a traditional yoga class.

“Wellness can be a little intimidating,” says Burbidge Izquerido, who remembers feeling similarly when she first started yoga. “At Puppy Sphere, you can stop your pose whenever and just play with a puppy. It’s super welcoming.”

Come one, come all

The yoga studios offer spaces for families to come together and celebrate birthday parties or host events like Mother’s Day. Teens 14 and older are also welcome in the studio, enabling parents to give their kids a positive dose of puppy therapy without becoming pet owners in the process.

For the younger crowd, the benefits of yoga and animal-assisted wellness include improved social skills, a greater ability to cope with stress and anxiety, and enhanced cognitive function Albo and Burbidge Izquerido have witnessed their customers talking about the positive effects these classes have had on their mental health firsthand. Beyond the uplifting community Puppy Sphere has built at each studio, these emotional benefits are one of the main reasons classes remain popular.

“People come to our classes for many reasons,” Burbidge Izquerido says. “What we have in common is we all want to feel better.”

Both she and Albo take pride in offering customers relief from stress, burnout, and the chaos of daily life—the same type of relief they needed when they first met in the dog park.

“Pups are naturally so loving and present, and they provide such comfort,” Albo says. “People need an escape where they can find that sense of connection. Puppy Sphere is the new dog park.”

This article was originally published in the September 2025 issue of alive magazine.