Puppy Sphere is Channeling Puppy Love Into a Yoga and Wellness Movement
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Puppy Sphere was created around a simple idea with wide appeal: that time spent with dogs can make people feel better. Founded by friends and entrepreneurs Lea Burbidge Izquierdo and Francesca Albo, the wellness concept blends puppies, movement, and social connection into a shared experience designed to lower stress and invite a sense of ease.
What began as a small experiment in Toronto has since expanded across North America, with studios and pop-ups in cities including New York, Chicago, and Washington, D.C., and plans to reopen in Los Angeles in early 2026. Along the way, Puppy Sphere has grown beyond studios alone, bringing its puppy-centered programming into corporate offices and large-scale events.
In this interview, Gervasi and Andrighetto reflect on the personal experiences that led them to build Puppy Sphere, from burnout and mental health challenges to a shared desire to create something more human-centered than their previous corporate paths allowed. They talk about the early leap of faith it took to get the business off the ground, the responsibility that comes with working with live animals, and how the company has evolved while staying grounded in the principles of care, accessibility, and connection.
LATS: Before we jump in, I have to ask — I assume you are animal people? Dog people?
Francesca: I am. Very much so. And honestly, that’s where so much of this came from. I went through a really difficult period working in corporate. I was dealing with clinical depression and it was a really dark time. I ended up getting a dog during that period and he brought so much love into my life. It really pulled me out of that place.
Lea had a similar experience with her dog and we actually met at a dog park. Her Samoyed was basically the dog of my dreams and I was on the floor spooning her dog when I realized, oh wait, there’s a human attached to this dog. And that human ended up becoming my best friend and eventually my business partner.
We were both entrepreneurs. We’d both tried building startups before and failed. We were both trying to leave corporate and do something more meaningful. And that’s really where Puppy Sphere started.
LATS: For someone who’s never heard of Puppy Sphere before, how do you usually explain what it is — and how it first came together?
Francesca: It started very organically. We began running small classes in Toronto for people who didn’t have dogs in their lives but wanted that puppy love. I’m a huge yogi and my puppy used to climb all over me whenever I tried to do yoga at home. We thought, what if we built an experience around that?
At the time, we had no idea it was going to become what it is now. We didn’t think it would scale across North America. But people just kept showing up. Dogs are incredibly mood boosting and there’s science to back that up. It started small and then suddenly we were adding more days and more classes.
Then we looked at the U.S. and realized puppy yoga basically didn’t exist there. So we quit our jobs, got in my car and drove across the border, using our own retained earnings to open in New York. It was scrappy. It was risky. But it made sense.
LATS: What did those very first classes actually look like? Before there were studios and systems in place.
Lea: They were very scrappy. We cold-called probably 20 yoga studios trying to convince them to bring puppies inside. We didn’t even have puppy contacts yet. Eventually one studio owner took a chance on us.
Then we cold-called breeders we admired and explained what we were trying to do. When we finally launched, the classes went viral almost immediately. Local press picked it up in Toronto — BlogTO, Narcity, the Toronto Star. That really helped everything take off.
Francesca: Lea and I were doing everything ourselves. Calling studios, calling breeders, showing up, running the classes, welcoming people, cleaning up accidents. We were all-in. And honestly, we were also just using it as an excuse to cuddle puppies.
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LATS: Any time animals are involved, people naturally have questions about welfare. How do you address concerns about the puppies themselves?
Lea: That’s incredibly important to us. We have very strict protocols. Every class has two to three staff members on site who are pet first-aid certified. Their entire job is to watch the puppies and make sure they’re safe and comfortable.
We don’t guarantee puppy interaction because sometimes puppies need quiet time, especially rescues. Puppies get rest between classes, constant access to water and feeding that follows breeder or rescue guidelines. And we have an animal welfare department that vets every partner we work with.
Our priority is that the puppies are having a positive experience. If they’re not, we stop.
LATS: For someone walking into Puppy Sphere for the first time, what does that experience actually feel like?
Lea: People walk into a very calm, wellness-focused space. It’s about an hour and fifteen minutes total — forty-five minutes of guided yoga followed by about thirty minutes of social time.
The puppies are roaming the entire time. Belly rubs are really the only requirement. It’s very low pressure.
Francesca: And most people who come have never done yoga before. This isn’t about perfect poses. If a puppy lies on you and you stay in shavasana the entire time, that absolutely counts as wellness. We’re really focused on accessibility and making wellness feel less intimidating.
Lea: There’s a therapeutic aspect to it that surprises people. You come in expecting chaos and cuteness — which is there — but there’s also this grounding presence that puppies bring. People leave feeling calmer, lighter, more present.
LATS: Working with puppies means inviting a bit of unpredictability into the room. What have been some of the more memorable moments?
Francesca: Oh my god — so many. I’ve picked up poop on national television. That was my big moment.
We once had Great Dane puppies and didn’t fully grasp just how massive they were going to be. They were knocking into mirrors. We had to do extra puppy-proofing on the fly.
Leah: I’ll never forget this one woman who came in expecting Pomeranians because she was trying to ease herself into being around dogs. Instead, there were Great Dane puppies running around like horses. She was terrified at first — but by the end she was sitting on the floor cuddling them.
Sometimes it’s exposure therapy in the best way.
LATS: When you look ahead, what’s next for Puppy Sphere?
Francesca: We’re reopening our LA studio in early 2026, which we’re incredibly excited about. We’ve also been doing more corporate experiences, celebrity events and partnerships. Some of that happens quietly behind the scenes.
We’re expanding across North America, launching class packs and subscriptions next year. It’s about making Puppy Sphere part of people’s regular wellness routines.
Lea: And continuing to do it responsibly. Growth matters, but doing it right matters more.
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