Puppy Yoga in Toronto is exploding in popularity and a local business is cashing in big-time.
A Toronto startup, Puppyshere, is waitlisting puppy yoga classes weeks in advance and its CEO and Co-Founder has shared how her love for dogs has since turned into a million-dollar idea.
Francesca McFadden owns and operates Puppyshere alongside her business partner, Lea Burbidge, but the company that has become so successful in the years since the pandemic has taken quite a journey to get here.
For starters, you may know the business under a different name — Doggos.
The Toronto-based company put on tons of different dog-friendly events in 2022, from a holiday market to singles events for dog owners, but despite the love and popularity of those events, there was one big problem.
"Even though that company is exciting, and we got so much notoriety, it didn't make us money," McFadden told Narcity.
Having already quit her job to pursue her new company on a full-time basis, she was left with no choice but to pivot something that had already been working, which in their case was the emerging part of their business that was hosting puppy yoga classes.
"I noticed puppy yoga companies in Toronto were running and operating but they're kind of the very bare minimum," she explained. "So I looked at that and I was like, why don't we offer something that is a higher-end wellness experience?"
How Toronto Puppy Yoga began
A Toronto Puppy Yoga class. Francesca McFadden
Under a new name — Puppyshere — the elevated puppy yoga classes were formed. The higher-end experience brought together the aspects of a beginner-level yoga class, a room full of puppies from "ethical, local breeders," and capped it off with bottomless mimosas after the yoga class was finished.
"It really blew up for us," McFadden shared, while on its website, Puppyshere refers to itself as the fastest-growing puppy-centric events company in North America.
In its first month of hosting puppy yoga classes in Toronto, the company made $20,000. In 2022, Puppyshere expanded into the U.S. and started offering classes in New York City, and the company made $200,000.
"This year we're gonna make over $2 million," said McFadden.
As of today, Puppyshere is hosting 700 people each and every weekend across its four puppy yoga studios in Toronto and New York and has quickly found the U.S. to be a much more lucrative environment for the business.
"In Toronto, we're charging $60 a class," McFadden explained, while, "In New York, we're charging up to $80 a class. And that's USD."
So, in the months and years to come, the business has plans to expand further into the U.S. market and potentially even make the move over to Australia.
Adding to the hundreds of customers who are signing up often weeks in advance to experience puppy yoga for themselves, Puppyshere is also hosting corporate events described as "unforgettable experiences that promote relaxation, stress reduction, and bonding," which McFadden said account for roughly a third of the company's overall revenue.
Puppyshere offers everything from the more simple Puppy Social to a private Puppy Yoga class, Pastries & Puppies (which is exactly how it sounds), and even a Cocktail Masterclass that takes place in a room full of puppies.
"We're going into the New York Times to host a puppy yoga coming up very soon. We're scheduling an event with Vogue," McFadden added "And then we also do commercials."
The impressive trajectory for Puppyshere over the last two years is one that McFadded and her co-founder attribute to years of hard work but also a company that was created from a deep love and passion for animals.
"Honestly, I'm a cat girl," McFadden joked. "No, I'm kidding. I fu****g love dogs. I am so passionate about the experience and therapeutic effects of spending time with animals," she told Narcity.
Her passion that has since morphed into a successful business means McFadden no longer has to live with her mom to save money and can finally start paying herself a salary.
"I'm only paying myself as of this month," she said, and when reflecting on her accomplishments thus far, added, "10-year-old me would be so proud. She would probably be like, 'You're only making $2 million?'"
The future for Doggos & Puppyshere
Alongside the vision to expand Puppyshere's popular puppy yoga classes in Toronto and New York across more North American cities, Doggos is still in the back of McFadden's mind and continues to operate, albeit in a slightly smaller capacity.
"I would love to come back to the roots of Doggos," she shared. "Being able to change laws, make cities more pet accessible, allowing pets first in cafes and hopefully more areas so that dog owners can live more freely."
For now, Doggos continued to be based solely in the Toronto area with the aim of becoming the leader in dog-friendly spaces and activities across the city. McFadden's hope is one day the business can find its own growth path and eventually extend to other cities in Canada.
Advice for aspiring entrepreneurs
Puppysphere CEO and Co-Founder, Francesca McFadden.Francesca McFadden
With her success with Puppyshere, we asked McFadden to share any advice she might have for business leaders or aspiring entrepreneurs that she has learned along the way to becoming the CEO and Co-Founder of a multi-million dollar company.
"One thing that I think is so important is being able to stay flexible," she told Narcity, and described the excitement that can be generated around new ideas or products. "Your market will show you what the perfect fit is."
On top of that, as someone who committed all of her time to her brand-new business long before it generated much in return, McFadden said, "Keep your day job as long as you can."
"When you go full throttle, you're kind of operating from a place of worry because you're not able to fund your project the same way," she explained. "But, if you keep your day job and you have your side hustle going, you're able to keep that flexibility."
But here she is now, the owner and operator of a business that's set to make $2 million this year.
Who knew puppy yoga classes could be such a big success?
This interview has been condensed and edited for clarity.
Toronto Puppy Yoga Is Exploding & A CEO Shared How Her Company Is Making Millions
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