Goat Yoga Class Shut Down By D.C. Government

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Goat Yoga Class Shut Down By D.C. Government

Washingtonian

Goats are considered to have "doglike" attitudes, making them sociable and affectionate animals to be around. Baby goats, well, they're just perfect then.

Studies show that more than 90% of people participate in yoga to help alleviate their stress. It's also been discovered that pets are excellent stress relievers, and just being in their presence can lower your blood pressure and mitigate the production of stress hormones.  

There are numerous yoga classes to entice all kinds of people to engage in the activity. You can participate in yoga in a cemetery, and even yoga while drinking beer. However, yoga classes collaborating with animals have become the new popular fitness trend.  

Kitten yoga is another popular animal yoga class.Bored Panda

When an Eventbrite Link offering a baby goat yoga class went live, people got really excited. The class session, which was supposed to take place at a Washington, D.C. brewery, sold out in a day.

The event organizers made sure the class did not violate any codes, but the D.C. Department of Health (DOH) shut them down anyway...

The D.C. Code states that "exotic animals" may be brought into the city for "special events and educational purposes." Also, the class would not be in the same room where the brewery makes its beer, so it wouldn't violate any health codes. Yet the event was turned down for those exact reasons.

Jasmine Gossett, a DOH spokesperson, told DC residents that the class would be "a violation of a "˜NO TOUCH' policy by spectators for animals participating in District events."

A goat yoga class in New Hampshire. YouTube

Lizzie Palumbo, the manager, said the DOH threatened to seize the animals if they continued with the event.

"We're pretty bummed," Palumbo told reporters. "we don't want to do anything that would potentially upset the health department."

Palumbo said she hopes to continue organizing animal yoga sessions, but this time with rescue dogs or cats.

Goat yoga classes have currently appeared in states like New Hampshire, Virginia, Ohio, Arizona, and California.

Here's a video showing a yoga group's experience with these cute, cuddly animals.

What are your thoughts? Would you ever go to a baby goat yoga class? Share this story and let us know in the comments!

Moojan has been a writer at Shared for a year. When she's not on the lookout for viral content, she's looking at cute animal photos. Reach her at moojan@shared.com.