Tri-Cities puppy yoga fundraiser to support pet overpopulation prevention

A one-hour outdoor puppy yoga session at CBRC Health & Fitness in Pasco turned a playful weekend class into direct support for Pet Overpopulation Prevention, the Tri-Cities nonprofit working to prevent unwanted litters and move more cats and dogs into homes. The fundraiser asked for a minimum $50 cash donation, and Visit Tri-Cities said 100% of the proceeds would go to POPP.

The event, held Saturday from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m., leaned hard into the kind of simple, shareable charm that makes puppy yoga spread fast: people stretching and flowing while playful puppies roamed freely around them. It was built as a warm-weather outdoor experience, with organizers telling attendees to dress for the outdoors. The listing also noted a practical backup plan, saying the class could be rescheduled if the weather turned bad or puppies were unavailable.

That mix of cute and concrete is what made the fundraiser more than a novelty. POPP is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that says it has served the Tri-Cities community since 1995, mostly as an all-volunteer organization with limited paid positions. Its work includes spay and neuter assistance and fostering cats and dogs until quality homes can be found, which means a single yoga class can help fund the less visible, more difficult side of rescue work.

The numbers show why the money matters. POPP’s foster page says the organization saw more than 600 cat and dog adoptions last year, underscoring that this is an established rescue network with real throughput, not a one-off pet event. Another listing says POPP serves the Tri-Cities area, along with Umatilla County and Morrow County, stretching its reach beyond Pasco, Kennewick and Richland.

POPP’s long footprint in the area gives the fundraiser extra weight. The organization says it has been in the Tri-Cities community since 1995, and a past POPP Facebook video described its work as focused on low-cost spay and neuter services. In that context, a roomful of yogis doing downward dog with actual dogs was more than a feel-good class. It was a small, tangible way to back a local group that has been trying to reduce pet overpopulation for decades.