Dozens of Long Islanders rolled out yoga mats and stretched alongside playful puppies at South Shore Craft Brewery in Oceanside, where a lighthearted class served a deeper purpose: supporting rescue animals in need.
The April 12 puppy yoga session, hosted in partnership with Hope for Cleo Animal Rescue, blended gentle exercise with animal socialization and community outreach. The nonprofit, based in Smithtown, focuses on rescuing abandoned and high-risk animals — particularly pregnant dogs, nursing mothers and orphaned puppies — from overcrowded shelters.
“We do about 200 events a year,” Amanda Jo Guido, the organization’s founder and executive director, said, “everything from craft fairs to school visits to senior centers. It’s all about getting the dogs out into the community.”
The Oceanside event was one of many creative fundraisers the group organizes annually, but its impact extended beyond ticket sales. Participants paid to attend the class, with a portion of proceeds donated to the rescue, while others contributed supplies such as towels, treats and food — critical resources for a foster-based operation that relies heavily on community support.
Unlike traditional shelters, Hope for Cleo operates without a central facility, housing animals in foster homes, including Guido’s own home. That model allows for more individualized care while also increasing dependence on donations and volunteers.
“We’re a rescue, not a shelter, so we rely on the community to get us through,” Guido said.
The organization’s work has grown significantly since its founding in 2022, inspired by a deeply personal story. Guido created the rescue in honor of her family dog, Cleo, a French bulldog who served as a seizure-alert companion for her daughter, Logan, who has epilepsy. Cleo was later diagnosed with a rare neurological disease that left her paralyzed.
After caring for Cleo for several years, Guido and her family decided to honor her legacy by helping other animals in need.
“Cleo crossed our path for a reason,” Guido said. “She changed our lives, and now we’re trying to do that for as many animals as we can.”
That mission has translated into tangible results. In 2025 alone, the rescue reported 73 puppies born in its care, with all mothers and litters successfully placed in homes.
At the brewery, several of those rescue puppies — some just weeks old — wandered among yoga mats, drawing laughter and frequent pauses in the workout as participants stopped to pet and play with them.
The class was led by Long Island yoga instructor Lauren Goldfarb, who has partnered with the rescue on multiple puppy yoga sessions.
“These sessions help people feel good about helping rescue dogs get socialized and hopefully adopted while also taking care of themselves,” Goldfarb said. “You’re moving, you’re breathing and you’re present — but you’re also connecting with the puppies.”
Goldfarb said she structures the classes to encourage interaction, keeping poses low to the ground and incorporating familiar stretches like downward-facing dog — often mirrored by the puppies running across participants’ mats.
“It’s a gentle class suitable for all levels,” she said. “And honestly, seeing the joy the puppies have, you can’t help but smile.”
For Hope for Cleo, that joy plays a key role in the adoption process. Guido said bringing dogs into public spaces increases their visibility and helps potential adopters connect with them in a relaxed environment.
“If I take a puppy into a store or a public place, we get an adoption,” she said. “People connect with them right away.”
The rescue sources animals from a range of locations, including New York, Maryland and southern states, where overcrowding in shelters often leads to euthanasia. Dogs are transported north through regulated systems or retrieved directly by volunteers.
Many arrive in poor condition, Guido explained, including some rescued from neglectful or unsafe environments. The organization works to rehabilitate the animals before placing them in permanent homes.
Adoption is a careful, multi-step process. Prospective owners must submit an application, undergo interviews, and participate in a virtual home check. Foster families also play a role in the final decision.
“It’s like giving away a child,” Guido said. “We love them. We’re so thorough because we want to make sure it’s the right fit.”
Despite the challenges — including the high cost of veterinary care and a recent flood that damaged the organization’s kennel space — Guido said the work remains deeply rewarding.
One of the group’s priorities moving forward is expanding access to affordable spay and neuter services, which are limited and costly in the region.
“That’s what we really need,” Guido said. “We need to get these dogs medical care. There’s just not enough of it. That’s why we do all these fundraisers — to better their lives.”
For attendees at the Oceanside event, however, the focus remained on the present moment: stretching, laughing and bonding with the puppies.
Goldfarb said that combining mindfulness with animal interaction creates a unique experience that resonates with participants.
“It’s a non-intimidating way to try yoga,” she said. “And it helps people practice kindness, not just on the mat, but off it too.”
Although the puppies could not go home with families directly from the brewery, several adoption applications were submitted with the hope that many would soon find loving homes.
As the class wrapped up, many participants lingered, holding puppies and chatting with volunteers — a sign that the event had achieved its goal.
“Even if someone just leaves smiling, that’s a win,” Guido said. “But if they leave with a new best friend, that’s even better.”
