AFTAA

What AFTAA does

AFTAA (Association Française de Thérapie Assistée par l'Animal) is a French non-profit association (loi 1901) founded in 2006 (rebranded from AZP to its current name in 2013) that delivers animal-assisted therapy (TAA, or zootherapy) inside medicalized and social-care institutions across France. Its core service consists of weekly therapeutic sessions conducted on-site by qualified paramedical and medico-social interveners — psychomotricians, occupational therapists, psychologists, and specialized educators — each paired with a single, stable therapy dog selected from an in-house training program. The association's clientele includes EHPADs, hospitals, IME, MAS/FAM, prisons, and ASE/PJJ structures (281 partner facilities as of 2025), serving vulnerable populations such as the elderly, people with disabilities, detainees, and at-risk youth, with reported outcomes including stimulation of cognition, communication, motor function, and emotional expression.

Operationally, AFTAA runs a vertically integrated delivery model: a Pôle Famille d'accueil foster network raises puppies, which then go through a multi-month training curriculum culminating in quarterly competency controls and immersion in clinical environments, with health and welfare overseen by SEVETYS's network of 1,300+ veterinary professionals across 200 clinics in France. Each project is assigned a unique, stable intervenant-dog pair (binôme unique) that remains constant through the engagement, and projects begin with a personalized study with the facility and end with individualized therapeutic assessments and progress reports.

AFTAA monetizes through custom, project-based fees billed to facilities and supplemented by individual donations (via HelloAsso) and corporate/partnership funding from entities such as Fondation Virbac, Fondation Truffaut, and Innerwheel Strasbourg. Pricing is quote-based and not publicly disclosed, reflecting the bespoke nature of each facility engagement. Distribution is exclusively direct/field-based: traveling intervenant-dog pairs deliver sessions on client premises across major French regions including Paris, Lyon, Bordeaux, Strasbourg, Marseille, Brittany, Hauts-de-France, and Occitanie. Acquired customer references include Hôpitaux du pays du Mont Blanc, Hôpital Fondation Adolphe de Rothschild, APHP, CHU de Toulouse, Centre Hospitalier d'Orsay, Villa Lecourbe, Centre Pénitentiaire de Corbas, and UEHC Lille, alongside media coverage in Ouest France, Femme Actuelle, and France Bleu.

Name

AFTAA

Legal name

Association Française de Thérapie Assistée par l'Animal

Website

https://aftaa.fr

Company type

Private

Founded year

2006

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

AFTAA is a French non-profit (loi 1901) that delivers animal-assisted therapy through paramedical professionals paired with trained therapy dogs inside medicalized and social-care institutions. It serves EHPADs, hospitals, IME, MAS/FAM, prisons, and child-protection structures across France via 281 partner facilities.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Animal-Assisted Therapy Services

NAICS

Pet Care (except Veterinary) Services (81291)

SIC

Services-Misc Health & Allied Services, Nec (8090), Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYHLAMAAAI

Behavioral Medicine & Training-Integrated Veterinary Services

Healthcare & Life Sciences/Veterinary & Animal Health/Veterinary Clinical Services (Companion Animal)

Keywords

• Animal-assisted therapy
• Zootherapy services
• Therapeutic dog mediation
• Paramedical interventions
• Mediation animale

Headquarters

HQ city

Saint-point

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Fees for animal-assisted therapy sessions in healthcare and social care facilities: AFTAA operates as a non-profit association (loi 1901) and generates revenue through service fees charged to medicalized facilities (EHPADs, hospitals, IME, MAS/FAM, prisons, ASE/PJJ structures) for regular therapeutic animal-assisted intervention sessions. Pricing is custom-quoted per project and facility.
2. Donations and sponsorship funding: As a non-profit association, AFTAA receives donations from individuals (via HelloAsso) and corporate sponsorship/partnership funding from partners such as Fondation Virbac, Fondation Truffaut, and Innerwheel Strasbourg for dog training, puppy programs, and operational support.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

AFTAA provides animal-assisted therapy (zoothérapie/TAA) sessions delivered on-site at French healthcare and social-care facilities by qualified paramedical and medico-social professionals (psychologists, psychomotricians, occupational therapists, specialized educators) working in stable pairs with specially trained Golden Retriever dogs. Each engagement is structured around weekly sessions, pre-session team briefings, individualized therapeutic follow-ups, and end-of-project progress reports, serving elderly residents in EHPADs, hospital patients, individuals with disabilities (IME/MAS/FAM), incarcerated persons, and at-risk youth in PJJ/ASE structures. Supporting capabilities include a proprietary dog selection and training program, a foster-family puppy pipeline, and continuous veterinary follow-up through the SEVETYS network.

Product overview

AFTAA (Association Française de Thérapie Assistée par l'Animal) offers a unified therapeutic service portfolio centered on Animal-Assisted Therapy (Thérapie Assistée par l'Animal / TAA). The core offering consists of regular therapy sessions using trained Golden Retriever dogs conducted by qualified paramedical professionals in healthcare facilities. Supporting services include a dedicated dog training and certification program (Pôle Chien Médiateur), comprehensive institutional support and project development, and internal training for therapeutic professionals. The service portfolio is built around the unique intervenant-chien (therapist-dog) pairing model, delivering personalized therapeutic interventions for elderly, disabled, psychiatric, and at-risk populations across France.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Thérapie Assistée par l'Animal (TAA) — Animal-Assisted Therapy The primary therapeutic service offering animal-assisted therapy sessions using trained therapy dogs conducted by qualified paramedical professionals (psychomotricians, occupational therapists, psychologists, specialized educators) in healthcare facilities. Delivered on a weekly cadence with pre-session team briefings and individualized progress reports.
• Médiation Animale (Animal Mediation) Animal mediation service utilizing specially trained Golden Retriever dogs as therapeutic mediators to facilitate communication, emotional expression and well-being for vulnerable populations including elderly residents, people with disabilities, and at-risk youth.
• Interventions en Établissements Médicalisés (On-site Interventions in Medicalized Facilities) Regular therapeutic sessions provided directly in partner healthcare structures including EHPADs, hospitals, IME, MAS, FAM, psychiatric facilities, and correctional facilities throughout France, delivered by stable paramedical intervenant-dog pairs.
• Pôle Chien Médiateur (Therapy Dog Training and Certification) Internal program for selecting, training and certifying AFTAA therapy dogs through a rigorous process including puppy foster families, ethological training modules, structured observation periods, quarterly competency assessments, and immersion in clinical environments. Dogs may take 1 to 2 years to complete certification.
• Soutien et Accompagnement des Structures (Institutional Support and Project Development) Comprehensive support for healthcare institutions including needs analysis, care-team training, regular therapeutic assessments, and customized therapeutic project development, culminating in individualized end-of-project progress reports.
• Formation Continue des Intervenants (Continuous Training of Intervenors) Internal training program for new therapeutic professionals including theoretical and practical modules in animal mediation, dog ethology, supervised observations of experienced therapists, hands-on real-world scenarios, and ongoing mentorship by an assigned godparent.

Quantifiable outcome

• 2,800 hours of animal-assisted therapy sessions and 9,500 people accompanied in 2025
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers9 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Fondation VirbaccoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Fondation Virbac is a long-term strategic partner of AFTAA, providing funding for the training of therapy dogs (including Unik and Uska). Virbac also sponsored AFTAA's presence at the 'L'animal, moi et compagnie' salon in Mougins, where joint conferences were held. The partnership focuses on promoting animal-assisted therapy and animal welfare.
• Groupe SEVETYScoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSEVETYS is a veterinary group providing health monitoring for AFTAA therapy dogs through a network of over 1,300 veterinary professionals and 200 clinics across France. This partnership ensures the physical and emotional well-being of all AFTAA dogs.
• Fondation TruffautminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFondation Truffaut partnered with AFTAA to spotlight the organization's work and support therapy dog programs. A collaborative article and event coverage highlighted the partnership.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Green Chimneys: US non-profit operating a farm- and animal-based therapeutic program for children with social, emotional and behavioral challenges. Directly comparable in using credentialed handlers and trained animals to deliver therapy inside specialized institutions.
• Pet Partners: US-based non-profit that registers therapy animal teams and promotes animal-assisted interventions across healthcare, education and community settings. Closest functional peer in terms of delivering AAT through handler-animal teams to medicalized and community facilities.
• Handi'Chiens: French non-profit association that trains and provides free assistance dogs to people with motor, hearing and mental disabilities. Highly comparable in mission (using trained dogs to support vulnerable populations), non-profit structure (loi 1901), and dependency on volunteer foster families and veterinary partner networks across France.
• Fondation Frédéric Gaillanne: French foundation that trains and provides guide dogs to blind and visually impaired children and adults. Comparable French non-profit model combining rigorous multi-year dog training, foster family networks and institutional partnerships to deliver dog-mediated support.

Broad incumbents

• IAHAIO: International umbrella organization for human-animal interaction organizations, including AAT providers. Relevant as the broader industry body that defines the standards AFTAA operates within and as a coordinator of the global AAT ecosystem.
• Canine Companions for Independence: Large US non-profit that trains and places service dogs with people with disabilities. Comparable in scale of dog training infrastructure and non-profit delivery of dog-mediated human support, though the model centers on owner-placed service dogs rather than on-site facility therapy.

Emerging players

• EAGALA: International professional association establishing standards for equine-assisted psychotherapy and learning. Comparable in promoting credentialed handler-animal teams to deliver mental-health and behavioral interventions in clinical settings, though EAGALA centers on horses rather than dogs.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/assoaftaa
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCpUm9zy3U62zY_me71IVggg
• Facebookfacebook.com/aftaa1
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/association-aftaa
• Instagraminstagram.com/aftaa_asso

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about AFTAA