In love and in continuation
For Jane.
She sat with chimpanzees in the forests of Gombe and changed what it means to be human. She spent her whole life saying: the animals are not beneath us. They are beside us. That is the same thing we say on the mat. That is the whole practice.
A note from Suzi
I watched her last night. A recording — she must have filmed it during Covid, doing Zoom calls when the world had gone quiet. She poured herself a little whiskey because her throat hurt from talking so much. She had been giving everything, as always.
I knew about Jane GoodALL my whole life. But last night I fell in love with her. The way she talked about her relationships. The way she described sitting with the chimpanzees — not studying them, being with them. The patience. The presence. The complete absence of ego.
She is so much like what we try to do here. Not performing. Not teaching from above. Just arriving. Just being willing to sit still long enough for trust to grow.
She is gone now. And the most beautiful thing about people like Jane is that they never really leave. Their mission becomes yours. Their love becomes a thread you carry forward. This site — this practice — is one of the places where that thread continues.
— Suzi Teitelman, founder of Dogadog
“You cannot get through a single day without having an impact on the world around you. What you do makes a difference, and you have to decide what kind of difference you want to make.”
The Thread That Connects Us All
Long before Doga had a name, it was simply this: a human on a mat, a dog nearby, and the quiet understanding that we are not separate from the animals we love. That understanding — that the boundary between species is a story we invented — is the same truth Jane GoodALL spent her life proving in the forests of Gombe.
Suzi Teitelman founded Doga in New York City in 2001. But the roots go deeper than any city, any year, any label. They go back to the first time a human looked into an animal's eyes and recognized something familiar. Something ancient. Something that does not need a word.
Jane gave the world a new way of seeing. She sat with chimpanzees not as a scientist above her subjects, but as a fellow being — patient, present, humble. That is the same quality we bring to the mat. That is the same quality our dogs have been teaching us all along.
“Every individual matters. Every individual has a role to play. Every individual makes a difference.”
To the Animals of the World
This dedication belongs to every animal who has ever been a teacher, a healer, a companion, a mirror. To the dogs and cats who have pressed their noses into human grief and stayed. To the chimpanzees of Gombe who showed us that intelligence, emotion, and family are not human inventions. To every creature who has ever looked at a human and chosen, against all reason, to trust. You are the reason we practice.
And to Everyone Who Came to the Mat
To every student who ever unrolled a mat and let their dog climb on. To Heinz, the first Paw of Attraction guide. To every human who brought their cat, their rabbit, their old rescue dog with the grey muzzle. To every person who watched Jane last night and felt something shift. You are part of this. You always were.
5% of every workshop enrollment is donated to the Jane GoodALL Institute.
When you enroll in the Dogadog workshop, 5% of your enrollment goes directly to the Jane GoodALL Institute — the organization Dr. GoodALL founded in 1977 to protect chimpanzees, restore habitats, and inspire the next generation of conservationists. When you practice with us, you practice for something larger than yourself. The mat is not just for you and your dog. It is for all of them.
What your 5% supports
Chimpanzee habitat protection in Africa
Roots & Shoots youth conservation programs
Community-centered conservation worldwide
Roots & Shoots
Jane GoodALL's youth movement for a kinder world
Roots & Shoots is Jane GoodALL's global youth-led program — connecting young people in over 60 countries to take action for people, animals, and the environment. Every seed planted by a child is a root that holds the earth. Every act of kindness is a shoot that reaches toward the light.
When you practice Doga, you are part of this same movement. You are teaching your dog — and yourself — that compassion is not a feeling. It is a practice.
50,000+ humans and dogs. 40+ countries. One practice.
From New York City to Tokyo, from London to Buenos Aires — every mat unrolled is a vote for a kinder world. Jane showed us that one person, sitting still, paying attention, can change everything. This is how we carry it forward.
Jane GoodALL Institute
The Jane GoodALL Institute works to protect chimpanzees and their habitats, empower communities, and inspire hope through education and action. Jane founded it in 1977. It continues her work today.
“Only if we understand, will we care. Only if we care, will we help. Only if we help, shall all be saved.”
The practice continues.
Every mat unrolled is a vote for a kinder world. Every dog who rests their head in a human lap is proof that connection is possible. Jane showed us that one person, sitting still, paying attention, can change everything. We carry this forward — for her, for the animals, for each other.
Join the Practice