‘Puppy Yoga’ with BARCC

The Brownsville Animal Regulation & Care Center (BARCC) hosted a “Puppy Yoga” event for the Brownsville community held on Sept. 12 at the Brownsville Southern Pacific Linear Park.

BARCC is the municipal animal shelter for the City of Brownsville. They focus on “enhancing the quality of life for animals and the community by promoting responsible pet ownership, providing compassionate care for homeless animals and ensuring public safety through effective animal control services,” according to their website.

Puppy Yoga, an event hosted every second Saturday of every month by BARCC, started as an “incentive that [BARCC] created in order to bring the community along with [BARCC] homeless animals,” said Jordan Wally, adoption specialist at BARCC.

For advertising good health, getting the community involved and giving the dogs love and touch, this event is open for everyone to participate. 

“Maybe not everyone is able to adopt, but everybody is able to give love and these animals do need love,” she said. 

This event has helped BARCC get exposure to people who may not know that the animal shelter is located in Brownsville and get dogs adopted. According to Wally, BARCC had “about 6 puppies” get adopted at their past events.

Kelly de la Colina, participant at the last “Puppy Yoga,” said this is a good way of promoting adoption as she decided to foster a puppy thanks to the event.

As her first time fostering, de la Colina shared the process consisted of giving the puppy a home for some weeks or a month and after deciding if they want to keep the puppy. 

Aside from “Puppy Yoga,” BARCC also hosts other events such as “Reading Buddies,” an event where the community can go to the BARCC organization and read to the sheltered animals.

“If you’re not able to adopt, you’re able to read to the dog, you’re able to play with a cat or kitten as you’re reading to them, this way they get used to human interaction,” said Wally. 

Alexia Garcia and Ivanna Torteya, Brownsville residents and attendees to the last “Puppy Yoga” event, said they found the event wholesome and that “it unites [the community] all together.”

To support BARCC there are volunteering opportunities on the UTRGV’s Engagement Zone and on the Brownsville website.

As a final thought, Jordan Wally said, “Every pet deserves a home…Even if [the pets] have never understood love, they are much more grateful when they get adopted. So just adopt and don’t shop.”