Luxembourg is tightening the rules on ‘puppy yoga’

Luxembourg’s Minister for Agriculture, Martine Hansen, and Tilly Metz, a Member of the European Parliament for the Green Party, have strongly criticised the practice of holding yoga classes involving puppies. In their view, animals have no place at such events, and the authorities intend to introduce stricter fines for breaches of animal welfare standards in the near future.

As Martine Hansen pointed out, in their current form, ‘puppy yoga’ sessions will not be able to obtain official authorisation from the veterinary inspectorate. The minister is particularly concerned about the future of the puppies once they have grown up, as they lose their commercial appeal to the organisers. Faced with inspections, Yoga Paws, the company running the classes without the necessary permits, has moved its activities to Metz in France, a fact of which the Luxembourg authorities have already notified the French authorities.

The issue of animal welfare is also the subject of lively debate at European level. Tilly Metz noted that new rules on the breeding of dogs and cats will come into force in the European Union in 2028. The legislation will tighten requirements for the transport of animals and make microchipping of puppies compulsory, which will help in the fight against large-scale illegal trade in pets. Furthermore, in some cases, so-called ‘torture breeding’ – aimed at fixing unnatural physical traits – will be completely banned. EU Member States will also be given the right to veto commercial activities such as ‘puppy yoga’.

Luxembourg is not alone in its efforts to restrict this practice. Italy has already introduced a total ban on ‘puppy yoga’ following complaints from animal welfare organisations about animal cruelty. The Netherlands is considering a similar ban, whilst in a number of German federal states, including Stuttgart, it is already in force. In Austria, the animal welfare ombudsman has classified these sessions as a breach of standards, whilst in Switzerland, the cantons have been advised not to grant permits for them to take place. Representatives of Luxembourg’s animal welfare organisations, such as Alpa, stand in solidarity with their European counterparts and are calling for a more consistent application of existing laws.