8 August 14 - 20, 2025 dallasobserver.com DALLAS OBSERVER Classified | MusiC | dish | Culture | unfair Park | Contents Dallas studio’s response to her puppies be- ing sick was inadequate. Only then did she realize that such a ladder doesn’t exist, at least not publicly. She did fill out a small blurb in the website’s contact box, explain- ing the situation in hopes that someone would see what was happening. Instead, the only response she received was from a recruiter at the Seattle location who asked Lange if she’d be interested in bringing a litter of puppies up to the Pacific Northwest. Frustrated by the yoga studio’s lack of communication, Lange’s friend decided to contact a number she’d seen associated with the yoga studio. The Observer called the number associated with the messages, and the phone was answered by a person who identified themselves as an employee of Puppies & Yoga. The individual said the line is shared between departments. Lange’s friend posed as a breeder inter- ested in bringing her litter of puppies to a class and asked what policies were in place for new breeders. “We require the first round of shots to be done and in our contract, we require you to attest to that, but don’t actually need to see the vaccine records,” the alleged employee responded, based on screenshots of the con- versation. “We just take your word for it.” Puppies & Yoga said that message was a clear “miscommunication,” and that the suggestion that the company does not check for medical records was “worded poorly.” “What [the employee] intended to con- vey is that we trust our partner breeders to attest that their puppies are vaccinated (as part of the signed service agreement), rather than physically checking paperwork at the door,” the company said. “We absolutely pri- oritize puppies’ health and safety, and we would never knowingly allow an unvacci- nated or unwell puppy into a class. The ref- erence in the text message to ‘not needing to see the records’ was merely about on-site documentation, not a waiver of the vaccina- tion requirement.” Guilt and Blame P ogue was “touch and go” for days, Ortega said, and medical records indi- cate the severity of the disease. “He may just need time to rebound, but if we don’t support his fluid loss, his hydration could cause more problems,” wrote one vet- erinarian. When Pogue had first been seen by an emergency veterinarian, Ortega was quoted between $6,000 and $8,000 in hospital bills for his care, which she knew she couldn’t swing. Because of her background as a vet- erinary technician, she opted to hospitalize him during the day and administer his care herself at night. Even still, by the time Pogue began to recover after four days of treat- ment, Ortega had spent $1,677 on his care. The costs were covered by the new credit card she had to open. “They’re still sending out marketing texts and emails,” she added. “‘Classes this Friday with American bulldog puppies,’ stuff like that.” Midway through each week, the Dallas studio’s Instagram account announces which breed of dog will attend that week- end’s classes. In the last month, classes have included litters of golden retrievers, dachs- hunds, English bulldogs, corgis and huskies. The Puppies & Yoga website states that the company works with “local breeders” who “recognize the importance of early so- cialization.” But that’s as specific as things get, one of the flags that should have tipped off Ortega, who prides herself on her expe- rience working in the pet industry. But that was easy to ignore when she thought of so- cial media videos showing sleeping pup- pies in shavasana. “I should have known better,” she said. “This was supposed to be a beautiful time. With my dog passing in October, this was the last thing that I needed.” As an advocate for local shelters and res- cues, Bobosky is already weary of the puppy yoga industry trend of working with breed- ers. The lack of specificity as to who, exactly, is providing these dogs to the classes is wor- risome. While the company website states that Puppies & Yoga conducts a home in- spection with potential breeders before con- tracting with them for classes, Lange said her home was never visited. In July, the independent news outlet Block Club Chicago found that the Chicago location of the company Puppy Yoga Club — which is not affiliated with Puppies & Yoga — received a citation for failing to operate with a business license and for unlawfully advertising the retail sale of dogs. Further investigations revealed that the yoga studio, which has branches in Austin and San Anto- nio, was sourcing puppies from two farms listed on the Humane Society’s “Horrible 100 Puppy Mill Report.” That would be a nightmare scenario for Bobosky. “Do [these breeders] have a [Texas De- partment of Licensing and Regulation] li- cense? Are they following state and federal laws and even the local Dallas code? All of these things raise welfare concerns from our perspective for the puppies involved,” Bob- osky said. “There doesn’t seem to be any clear traceability, which is very worrying. Basically, I see it as a marketing tool for irre- sponsible puppy sales.” Lange does not qualify for a TDLR li- cense because her operation is not large enough, although she is accredited with the American Kennel Club. A TDLR license is required for breeders who have five or more female pets being bred. Until June, Lange had only one. Jewels, the Dalmatian, whom she’d had since the pup was 8 weeks old. Still recovering from giving birth, the dog’s immune system was compromised when the parvo-positive puppies came home. The days of the disease were tragic. Three puppies died within the first 24 hours of exhibiting symp- toms, and three more died in the following days. Lange also had to agree to euthanize Jewels because the parvo had made the dog so anemic that blood transfusions couldn’t keep up with the disease. Pogue and one other littermate were the only two dogs to survive the parvo. Lange was “devastated” by the experi- ence, and she has bounced between feelings of self-blame, guilt and shame in the weeks since. Her 5-year-old daughter still cries over the loss of Jewels. “She still tells me all the time that she misses Jewels, and I just have to talk to her and explain to her that I miss Jewels too,” Lange said. “I feel like I didn’t do my job. I feel like, I don’t know, that I could have done more. … I’ve never had any dog that’s had parvo. It was just very shocking and alarming.” Bobosky said Lange and Ortega’s story is a cautionary one. It reminds veterinary ex- perts that they are increasingly struggling to keep up with infectious disease outbreaks. Just this month, Dallas Animal Services an- nounced that intake would be limited indefi- nitely because of an outbreak of canine distemper virus, which is, like parvo, a highly contagious viral infection that targets puppies and unvaccinated dogs. The outbreak has resulted in an “all hands on deck” situation at the shelter, she said, at a time when an overstuffed shelter, a stretched-thin city department and looming budget cuts have already strained the vital city service. That’s what Bobosky wants animal lovers to focus on — not Instagram opportunities. “I do not play an epidemiological expert on TV, but I can tell you, traveling through the state for my job, the shelters are talk- Katie Ortega Katie Ortega’s Pogue fights parvovirus. Unfair Park from p6 >> p10 “If [the puppy yoga industry] cares so much about these puppies, they will not continue to put them into these incredibly dangerous situations.” –Shelby Bobosky
