At Pawsitively Pilates, a family-owned studio on Main Street in downtown New Port Richey, the spotters are puppies. A litter wanders the mats through 50 minutes of all-level Pilates and stays for 30 minutes of cuddles and photos once the last rep is done. The studio opened on November 7, 2025, and takes guests from age 8, so parents and kids can share a class.
It started with co-founder Abeer Aloisio's own experience. She lives with scoliosis, and she says Pilates "made a difference in my balance, strength, and confidence." She and her husband, Trinity residents for more than 23 years, also love puppies, and the family has a goldendoodle named Munchkin. They thought that "combining Pilates with puppies could create something truly special," Aloisio says, and in November they put both in one room.
How a class runs
A puppy class runs 80 minutes. The first 50 are an instructor-led mat Pilates class for every level, with a rotating litter loose in the room. The puppies circle the mats, climb onto a guest holding a plank and settle wherever they like. The last 30 minutes belong to them: guests sit on the mats, hold the puppies and take photos. The puppy class is $59 for those 80 minutes, against $25 for the studio's 60-minute mat class without puppies.
The puppies are vaccinated and come from trusted local breeders, according to the studio. Recent litters have included goldendoodles, aussiedoodles and a micro poodle, and because the litters rotate, a returning guest may meet a different set of puppies. Aloisio says the goal is for guests "to leave much happier and less stressed after each class."
Who it is for
Aloisio describes her audience as anyone looking for a fun and unique workout, along with families and friends. "We want to create a community where families and friends can spend time together, creating memories in a fun and healthy way," she says. Guests are welcome from age 8. Anyone 15 or younger comes with an adult, who has to stay for the class but does not have to take part. A youth class for ages 8 to 18 is also $59.
The studio is an approved Step Up for Students provider, and students can use their Step Up funds for the Tuesday youth class or any other class they want to attend. The room can also be booked for birthdays, bachelorette parties, private groups and team-building sessions, and the studio rents the space between classes.
Booking, and beyond the studio
Classes run by reservation on Saturdays, Sundays and Tuesdays, booked through the studio's website, and the Tuesday 6:30 p.m. class runs without puppies. Bookings are final, but a spot can be transferred to someone else at any time and rescheduled up to five days before class. Under its We Come to You program, the puppies also travel to schools, offices, parties, festivals, PTA nights and corporate wellness days.
The Suncoast News has covered the studio, under the headline "New pilates studio in New Port Richey gives downward dog a whole new meaning." A first-time guest at 5346 Main Street, Suite 102, will find a mirror wall, pink and green mats, and a class where the last rep is only halftime.
