NZ Herald
  • Home
  • Latest news
  • Herald NOW
  • Video
  • New Zealand
  • Sport
  • World
  • Business
  • Entertainment
  • Podcasts
  • Quizzes
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
  • Viva
  • Weather

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • New Zealand
    • All New Zealand
    • Crime
    • Politics
    • Education
    • Open Justice
    • Scam Update
  • Herald NOW
  • On The Up
  • World
    • All World
    • Australia
    • Asia
    • UK
    • United States
    • Middle East
    • Europe
    • Pacific
  • Business
    • All Business
    • MarketsSharesCurrencyCommoditiesStock TakesCrypto
    • Markets with Madison
    • Media Insider
    • Business analysis
    • Personal financeKiwiSaverInterest ratesTaxInvestment
    • EconomyInflationGDPOfficial cash rateEmployment
    • Small business
    • Business reportsMood of the BoardroomProject AucklandSustainable business and financeCapital markets reportAgribusiness reportInfrastructure reportDynamic business
    • Deloitte Top 200 Awards
    • CompaniesAged CareAgribusinessAirlinesBanking and financeConstructionEnergyFreight and logisticsHealthcareManufacturingMedia and MarketingRetailTelecommunicationsTourism
  • Opinion
    • All Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Editorials
    • Business analysis
    • Premium opinion
    • Letters to the editor
  • Politics
  • Sport
    • All Sport
    • OlympicsParalympics
    • RugbySuper RugbyNPCAll BlacksBlack FernsRugby sevensSchool rugby
    • CricketBlack CapsWhite Ferns
    • Racing
    • NetballSilver Ferns
    • LeagueWarriorsNRL
    • FootballWellington PhoenixAuckland FCAll WhitesFootball FernsEnglish Premier League
    • GolfNZ Open
    • MotorsportFormula 1
    • Boxing
    • UFC
    • BasketballNBABreakersTall BlacksTall Ferns
    • Tennis
    • Cycling
    • Athletics
    • SailingAmerica's CupSailGP
    • Rowing
  • Lifestyle
    • All Lifestyle
    • Viva - Food, fashion & beauty
    • Society Insider
    • Royals
    • Sex & relationships
    • Food & drinkRecipesRecipe collectionsRestaurant reviewsRestaurant bookings
    • Health & wellbeing
    • Fashion & beauty
    • Pets & animals
    • The Selection - Shop the trendsShop fashionShop beautyShop entertainmentShop giftsShop home & living
    • Milford's Investing Place
  • Entertainment
    • All Entertainment
    • TV
    • MoviesMovie reviews
    • MusicMusic reviews
    • BooksBook reviews
    • Culture
    • ReviewsBook reviewsMovie reviewsMusic reviewsRestaurant reviews
  • Travel
    • All Travel
    • News
    • New ZealandNorthlandAucklandWellingtonCanterburyOtago / QueenstownNelson-TasmanBest NZ beaches
    • International travelAustraliaPacific IslandsEuropeUKUSAAfricaAsia
    • Rail holidays
    • Cruise holidays
    • Ski holidays
    • Luxury travel
    • Adventure travel
  • Kāhu Māori news
  • Environment
    • All Environment
    • Our Green Future
  • Talanoa Pacific news
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Property Insider
    • Interest rates tracker
    • Residential property listings
    • Commercial property listings
  • Health
  • Technology
    • All Technology
    • AI
    • Social media
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
    • Opinion
    • Audio & podcasts
  • Weather forecasts
    • All Weather forecasts
    • Kaitaia
    • Whangārei
    • Dargaville
    • Auckland
    • Thames
    • Tauranga
    • Hamilton
    • Whakatāne
    • Rotorua
    • Tokoroa
    • Te Kuiti
    • Taumaranui
    • Taupō
    • Gisborne
    • New Plymouth
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Dannevirke
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Levin
    • Paraparaumu
    • Masterton
    • Wellington
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Blenheim
    • Westport
    • Reefton
    • Kaikōura
    • Greymouth
    • Hokitika
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
    • Wānaka
    • Oamaru
    • Queenstown
    • Dunedin
    • Gore
    • Invercargill
  • Meet the journalists
  • Promotions & competitions
  • OneRoof property listings
  • Driven car news

Puzzles & Quizzes

  • Puzzles
    • All Puzzles
    • Sudoku
    • Code Cracker
    • Crosswords
    • Cryptic crossword
    • Wordsearch
  • Quizzes
    • All Quizzes
    • Morning quiz
    • Afternoon quiz
    • Sports quiz

Regions

  • Northland
    • All Northland
    • Far North
    • Kaitaia
    • Kerikeri
    • Kaikohe
    • Bay of Islands
    • Whangarei
    • Dargaville
    • Kaipara
    • Mangawhai
  • Auckland
  • Waikato
    • All Waikato
    • Hamilton
    • Coromandel & Hauraki
    • Matamata & Piako
    • Cambridge
    • Te Awamutu
    • Tokoroa & South Waikato
    • Taupō & Tūrangi
  • Bay of Plenty
    • All Bay of Plenty
    • Katikati
    • Tauranga
    • Mount Maunganui
    • Pāpāmoa
    • Te Puke
    • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua
  • Hawke's Bay
    • All Hawke's Bay
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Havelock North
    • Central Hawke's Bay
    • Wairoa
  • Taranaki
    • All Taranaki
    • Stratford
    • New Plymouth
    • Hāwera
  • Manawatū - Whanganui
    • All Manawatū - Whanganui
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Manawatū
    • Tararua
    • Horowhenua
  • Wellington
    • All Wellington
    • Kapiti
    • Wairarapa
    • Upper Hutt
    • Lower Hutt
  • Nelson & Tasman
    • All Nelson & Tasman
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Tasman
  • Marlborough
  • West Coast
  • Canterbury
    • All Canterbury
    • Kaikōura
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
  • Otago
    • All Otago
    • Oamaru
    • Dunedin
    • Balclutha
    • Alexandra
    • Queenstown
    • Wanaka
  • Southland
    • All Southland
    • Invercargill
    • Gore
    • Stewart Island
  • Gisborne

Media

  • Video
    • All Video
    • NZ news video
    • Herald NOW
    • Business news video
    • Politics news video
    • Sport video
    • World news video
    • Lifestyle video
    • Entertainment video
    • Travel video
    • Markets with Madison
    • Kea Kids news
  • Podcasts
    • All Podcasts
    • The Front Page
    • On the Tiles
    • Ask me Anything
    • The Little Things
  • Cartoons
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / Lifestyle

It's a dog's world: Kiwis sign up for dog yoga and My Food Bag-type pet food deliveries

Ben Leahy
By Ben Leahy
Reporter·Herald on Sunday·
8 Sep, 2018 05:00 PM3 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

Yoga for dogs at Barkley Manor Auckland. Merlot with owner Susie O'Rourke. Photo / Doug Sherring

Yoga for dogs at Barkley Manor Auckland. Merlot with owner Susie O'Rourke. Photo / Doug Sherring

When it comes to perfecting yoga's famous downward dog pose, it's time the experts stepped in to lend a paw, one Auckland yoga instructor says.

Professional dancer and yoga teacher Taane Mete brought "Doga" to the city yesterday as he let the dogs out and into three yoga classes at Grey Lynn's Barkley Manor "dog-care" centre.

The classes were organised to promote a new dog food delivery business Paw Paw, which aims to do for pet owners what Uber Eats and My Food Bag does for humans.

Mete was joined by about 180 Aucklanders at the classes, who rolled out their mats to relax tired muscles and minds alongside their furry friends.

Bobbi and owner Kelly Coll. Photo / Doug Sherring
Bobbi and owner Kelly Coll. Photo / Doug Sherring
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

But while most dogs were expected to concentrate less on their breathing and more on tail-wagging, there was one pose Mete thought they could help with.

"When it's time for downward dog, we should have plenty of examples to call on," he said.

The classes were more social than serious yoga, but Mete thought they had created such a buzz that there might be a bit of demand for regular Doga sessions.

And, given the NZ Companion Animal Council reports that Kiwis own more pets per household than any other country in the world, apart from the United States, Mete could be right.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

New Zealanders spent $1.8 billion last year insuring, feeding and caring for the country's 4.6 million pets.

It's a growing industry business partners Annika Bennett and Charlotte Marshall hope to capitalise on.

Their new Paw Paw service allows pet owners anywhere in the country to order deliveries of "premium", dog food packs, which arrive at their door every two weeks and can include dog biscuits, canned foods, fresh veggies and snacks.

Kelly Coll and Bobbi try out dog yoga. Photo / Doug Sherring
Kelly Coll and Bobbi try out dog yoga. Photo / Doug Sherring

There are 18 packs to choose from catering for puppies, senior dogs, gluten-free diets and those wanting gourmet or basic choices.

Discover more

World

Pythons in your BBQ? Call grandma for help

31 Aug 07:37 AM
New Zealand

Dog carting group keen to pull in new fans

04 Sep 01:00 AM
New Zealand

Community mourns loss of beloved cat

05 Sep 05:00 PM

Launched this week, Paw Paw had already sent orders across the country from Invercargill and Dunedin in the south to Northland, Bennett said.

She and Marshall started the company because people often told them they were "time-poor", yet wanted to feed their dogs healthy food.

"We thought, 'Why isn't someone doing a My Food Bag type model that turns up every fortnight and it's got all your dogs needs in it'," she said.

While busy promoting her company at yesterday's Barkley Manor event, Bennett, who left her two canine pals at home in Hawke's Bay, still planned to make time to "borrow a dog" and try out the Doga classes.

Having never been to one, she joked it had the potential to be a dog's breakfast. But in the end, she said, it was tonnes of fun.

Save

    Share this article

Latest from Lifestyle

Premium
Lifestyle

How the million-selling All the Colours of the Dark brought its author peace

11 Jul 08:00 PM
Lifestyle

Your ultimate guide to Auckland's arts and culture this weekend

11 Jul 05:00 PM
Lifestyle

Macca's confirms rumour of fan favourite's return after eagle-eyed Kiwis spot error

11 Jul 07:27 AM

Get your kids involved in your reno

sponsored
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from Lifestyle

Premium
How the million-selling All the Colours of the Dark brought its author peace

How the million-selling All the Colours of the Dark brought its author peace

11 Jul 08:00 PM

NYT: Childhood trauma led Chris Whitaker to write a novel. He should have done it sooner.

Your ultimate guide to Auckland's arts and culture this weekend

Your ultimate guide to Auckland's arts and culture this weekend

11 Jul 05:00 PM
Macca's confirms rumour of fan favourite's return after eagle-eyed Kiwis spot error

Macca's confirms rumour of fan favourite's return after eagle-eyed Kiwis spot error

11 Jul 07:27 AM
Premium
'It's not about being powerless': Experts explain submissive kink amid Sabrina Carpenter backlash

'It's not about being powerless': Experts explain submissive kink amid Sabrina Carpenter backlash

11 Jul 07:00 AM
Sponsored: Why heat pumps make winter cheaper
sponsored

Sponsored: Why heat pumps make winter cheaper

NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • NZ Herald e-editions
  • Daily puzzles & quizzes
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Subscribe to the NZ Herald newspaper
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP