Day 1 Recap: Therapy Dog at Philippine Startup Week 2025

While it was a very last-minute inclusion, we’re grateful to be part of Philippine Startup Week 2025 as the official wellness sponsor — and even more grateful for the warm reception.

Summary

While it was a very last-minute inclusion, we’re grateful to be part of Philippine Startup Week 2025 as the official wellness sponsor — and even more grateful for the warm reception.

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Day 1 Recap: Therapy Dog at Philippine Startup Week 2025

While it was a very last-minute inclusion, we’re grateful to be part of Philippine Startup Week 2025 as the official wellness sponsor — and even more grateful for the warm reception.

Across the day, people from government, startups, and the private sector stopped by — many curious, even surprised — to see a therapy dog in a tech-driven setting. But once they experienced it in person, the response was consistent: “Now we understand.”

Seeing Akiko in action answered questions that words couldn’t. What does a therapy dog do at a startup event? How does animal-assisted wellness fit into innovation and productivity? The answer became clear in the calm energy, genuine smiles, and unguarded conversations that followed.

Our first session naturally evolved from a talk for founders into an open dialogue among pet owners about the human–animal bond — how to nurture it mindfully, avoid over-anthropomorphizing, and apply consistency and positive reinforcement in shaping behavior. We also touched on how culture shapes our view of animals, and how every dog — regardless of breed — is an individual first.

It’s been an eye-opening start. Over the next few days, we’ll continue sharing reflections and lessons from bringing animal-assisted wellness into the heart of the startup ecosystem.

🐕‍🦺 Doghouse PH — Wellness with Animals, in action.

#PhilippineStartupWeek #DoghousePH #TherapyDogs #WellnessTech #AnimalAssistedInterventions #StartupLife

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Originally published on LinkedIn: View the original post