Norse Flora pairs puppy yoga and auction for adoption fundraiser

Puppy yoga at Norse Flora was never just a class. It opened the venue’s first Adoption Fundraiser with coffee, adoptable pups and an auction of baskets filled with local goods and services, turning a morning in Mora into a rescue-minded community event.

The gathering took place at Norse Flora, the restored 1920s farmhouse garden venue at 1610 Liberty St. in Mora, about one hour directly north of Minneapolis. That setting fit the format well: the property already sells event packages, lodging and floral services, so the fundraiser landed inside a space built for hosting people, not just staging a one-off activity.

The program began at 10:30 a.m. with puppy yoga and coffee led by @yogawithstefanie. From there, the schedule moved into playtime with adoptable pups, then into the auction portion, where baskets packed with local goods and services went up for bids. The combination widened the appeal beyond yoga regulars. Someone could arrive for the class, stay for the puppies, or join the auction and still help support the cause.

The listing also invited sponsors of actionable items and vendors to take part, a sign that Norse Flora wanted the fundraiser to become more than a single morning on the calendar. In a small town setting, that kind of open-ended ask matters. It gives local businesses, animal advocates and donors a way to plug into the event without needing to fit one narrow role, and it helps build a base for future adoption-centered gatherings.

That approach reflects a format already familiar in rescue circles. Safe Hands Rescue describes puppy yoga events as sessions for adoptable rescue puppies to play and snuggle with yoga participants, with all funds donated to the rescue. The appeal is obvious: the wellness class becomes a direct path to support. At the same time, animal-welfare groups have warned that “animal yoga” can create real concerns when the animals are treated as props rather than participants, and the ASPCA has continued to point to puppy mills as a serious welfare problem, including 680 animal welfare violations documented at USDA-licensed commercial dog breeding facilities in 2025.

Norse Flora’s fundraiser sat squarely on the rescue-support side of that divide. By pairing yoga and coffee with adoptable pups, then adding an auction and calls for sponsors and vendors, the Mora venue turned a cute novelty into a practical adoption push. What began on mats and mugs ended as a template for how small-town dog lovers can gather, give and put the spotlight on the pups who need homes.