Hulphond

What Hulphond does

Hulphond Nederland (legal name: Stichting Hulphond Nederland) is a Dutch charitable foundation established in 1984/1985 and headquartered in Herpen, Netherlands, that trains and places six categories of assistance dogs for people with physical disabilities, epilepsy, PTSD (including veterans and police), and psychosocial needs, while also delivering animal-assisted therapy to children and adults. The organization maintains approximately 200 dogs in training at any time, delivered through a workforce of 100 paid employees and a network of more than 600 volunteers, including 35 certified Social-hulphond teams and approximately 45 institutional cooperation agreements with hospitals, courts, and care facilities.

The foundation's core technology is a proprietary training and socialization methodology that produces task-specific dogs for ADL support, seizure alerting (with EPISODE research showing a 30-34% reduction in seizures for drug-resistant epilepsy patients via Erasmus Universiteit), PTSD symptom mitigation (V-PWR study with Universiteit Utrecht and the Ministry of Defence), and therapy applications (Kwispellezen reading program with Radboud Universiteit). The organization is the first institution worldwide accredited for Dierondersteunde Therapie, holds ISO 9001 certification, and is accredited by Assistance Dogs International (ADI) and a member of Animal Assisted Intervention International (AAII).

As a non-profit stichting, Hulphond Nederland generates no commercial revenue; it is funded through individual donations (one-time, monthly, semi-annual, annual), corporate sponsorships (Royal Canin as principal sponsor, Athlon/Daimler AG mobility partnership, Gio Coffee), structural lottery contributions (VriendenLoterij — €248,304 in 2020 — and PostcodeLoterij), merchandise sales through an in-house e-commerce shop, and events such as The Big Walk annual dog festival. Services are delivered free of charge to end clients and the organization helps 1,000+ people per year. Distribution is via direct home placement of dogs after a screening process, six therapy locations across the Netherlands, and the Social-hulphond deployment program in hospitals, IC units, courts, and care homes.

Name

Hulphond

Legal name

Stichting Hulphond Nederland

Website

https://hulphond.nl

Company type

Private

Founded year

1985

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Hulphond Nederland is a Dutch charitable foundation founded in 1984 that trains and places six categories of assistance dogs — for physical disability, epilepsy, PTSD, and therapy — serving more than 1,000 clients per year across the Netherlands through 100 paid staff, 600+ volunteers, and six therapy locations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Assistance Dog Services and Animal-Assisted Therapy

NAICS

Other Individual and Family Services (624190), Individual and Family Services (6241), Voluntary Health Organizations (813212)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Home Health Care Services (8082)

akta.pro primary industry

Disability Services & Independent Living Support (BPAGACAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

Rare Disease & Special Needs Support Organizations (BPAGACAM), Youth Mental Health, Counseling & Wellbeing (Education-Linked) Nonprofits (BPAGADAK), Neurological Rehabilitation Therapy In-Home (e.g., Stroke, Parkinson’s) (HSABADAE)

Keywords

• Assistance dog training
• Animal-assisted therapy
• Service dog placement
• Disability support services
• Charitable foundation

Headquarters

HQ city

Herpen

HQ country

Netherlands

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Donaties: Particuliere donaties via eenmalige, maandelijkse, halfjaarlijkse of jaarlijkse bijdragen. Donateurswerving in eigen beheer door eigen medewerkers.
2. Merchandise Verkoop: Verkoop van Hulphond merchandise waaronder knuffels, kleding, accessoires. Opbrengst gaat naar opleiding hulphonden.
3. Sponsoring en Loterijen: Structurele sponsoring door bedrijven en deelname aan VriendenLoterij en PostcodeLoterij. VriendenLoterij schonk €248.304 in 2020.
4. Evenementen: The Big Walk hondenfestival met kaartverkoop. Opbrengst gaat naar opleiding hulphonden.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels12 records

Core offering

Hulphond Nederland is a charitable foundation that breeds, trains, and places six types of assistance dogs (ADL, Epilepsy, PTSD, Social, Therapy for youth, Therapy for adults) with people who have physical or mental care needs. The organization also delivers animal-assisted therapy at six locations across the Netherlands and runs the Kwispellezen reading promotion program for children with reading difficulties.

Product overview

Hulphond Nederland operates as a comprehensive assistance dog organization offering a portfolio of specialized services organized around six types of assistance dogs: ADL-Hulphonden for physical disability support, Epilepsie-Hulphonden for seizure detection, PTSS-Hulphonden for military/police veterans with PTSD, and Sociale-Hulphonden deployed in hospitals and care facilities. The organization also provides Dierondersteunde Therapie (animal-assisted therapy) for both youth and adults across six locations, complemented by the Kwispellezen reading promotion program. All services are delivered through a network of over 100 employees and 600+ volunteers, with an in-house breeding and training program that maintains approximately 200 dogs in training at any given time. The organization also operates a merchandise shop supporting the mission.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Kwispellezen: A reading promotion program where social assistance dogs are used to help children with reading difficulties gain motivation, confidence, and reading enjoyment.

Products and services

• ADL-Hulphond (Activities of Daily Living Assistance Dog) Assistance dog trained to help people with physical disabilities perform daily activities such as retrieving objects, opening doors, and walking alongside wheelchairs.
• Epilepsie-Hulphond (Epilepsy Assistance Dog) Specially trained assistance dog that can sense incoming seizures and alert owners or summon help during epileptic episodes. Research with Erasmus University shows 30-34% reduction in seizures within one year for adults with medication-resistant epilepsy.
• PTSS-Hulphond (PTSD Assistance Dog) Assistance dog for veterans and police personnel with PTSD, providing support for nightmares, anxiety, hypervigilance, and daily functioning. Validated through V-PWR research with Utrecht University.
• Sociale-Hulphond (Social Assistance Dog) Social assistance dog deployed in hospitals, IC units, care homes, courts, and schools to reduce stress, anxiety, and promote relaxation and social interaction among vulnerable individuals. 35 active certified teams with 45 collaboration agreements.
• Dierondersteunde Therapie (Animal-Assisted Therapy) Animal-assisted therapy and coaching services for children and adults with psychological or traumatic issues, utilizing specially trained therapy assistance dogs at six locations across the Netherlands.
• Kwispellezen Reading Promotion Program

Quantifiable outcome

• 30-34% afname epileptische aanvallen binnen één jaar bij volwassenen met medicatieresistente epilepsie
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments7 records

Ideal customer profiles6 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered major, core and minor.

• Ronald McDonald Huis NijmegenmajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Pilot met sociale hulphond Roest voor ondersteuning van families van zieke kinderen.
• Athlon (onderdeel van Daimler AG)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 30 January 2020Mobility provider partner sinds 9 jaar. 3-jarige verlengde samenwerking. Naast financiële bijdrage ook mobiliteitsoplossingen voor de stichting.
• Erasmus Universiteit RotterdammajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEPISODE-onderzoek in opdracht van VWS toont 30-34% afname epileptische aanvallen bij medicatieresistente epilepsie.
• Universiteit UtrechtmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerV-PWR onderzoeksproject i.s.m. Ministerie van Defensie naar PTSS-hulphonden bij veteranen. Faculteit Diergeneeskunde voor fokbegeleiding via Fit2Breed programma.
• Radboud Universiteit NijmegenmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerOnderzoek naar Kwispellezen leesbevorderingsprogramma. Verkennende studie naar hulphonden als ijsbreker in kinderterapie. Amalia Kinderziekenhuis samenwerking.
• Radboudumc Amalia KinderziekenhuismajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSamenwerking voor inzet Sociale-hulphonden in kinderziekenhuis. Ook voor IC-afdeling.
• Wilhelmina Kinderziekenhuis (UMC Utrecht)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSamenwerking voor bezoeken Sociale-hulphonden aan kinderen in ziekenhuis. RTL4 'Het Kinderziekenhuis' opnames.
• Beatrix Kinderziekenhuis (UMCG Groningen)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSamenwerking voor inzet Sociale-hulphonden in kinderziekenhuis.
• Slachtofferhulp NederlandmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSociale-hulphonden begeleiden slachtoffers van ernstige misdrijven of ongelukken tijdens verhoren en rechtszittingen.
• LeisurelandsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Big Walk evenement vindt plaats op recreatiegebied Bussloo van Leisurelands. Parkeeropbrengst gaat naar Hulphond.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Guide Dogs UK: UK-based large-scale assistance dog charity with significant fundraising, training, and advocacy infrastructure. Broader scope (mainly guide work) and significantly larger scale, but operates on a comparable donation-and-volunteer model with institutional partnerships.

Direct peers

• Pet Partners: US non-profit operating the largest therapy animal registry in the country, focused on animal-assisted interventions in hospitals, schools, and communities. Closest peer to Hulphond's Sociale-hulphond and Dierondersteunde Therapie service lines.
• Dogs for Good: UK charity training assistance dogs and community dog partnerships, including autism and disability support programs. Direct overlap in assistance dog training, family/community engagement, and ADI-aligned quality standards.
• Support Dogs: UK charity training disability, epilepsy, and autism assistance dogs. Strongly comparable specialty programs (notably epilepsy alert), ADI accreditation, and university research collaborations.
• Fondation MIRA: Canadian non-profit training guide dogs and service dogs, including for PTSD and seizure response. Comparable multi-program offering (mobility, medical alert, autism) and donation-driven operating model.
• KNGF Geleidehonden: Dutch guide dog foundation, also established in the Netherlands as a charitable non-profit training and placing assistance dogs (focused on guide work). Highly comparable mission, accreditation profile, and Dutch donor base; closest domestic peer.
• Canine Companions for Independence: Largest US non-profit provider of assistance dogs (service, hearing, skilled companion, facility). Comparable multi-program model, ADI accreditation, donor-funded structure, and university research partnerships make it a benchmark peer for service breadth and scale.

Others

• Assistance Dogs International: The global accreditation body Hulphond is accredited by. Not a competitor but a directly relevant ecosystem organization whose standards shape Hulphond's positioning and which can be considered a peer in the animal-assisted intervention sector.

Regional players

• Assistance Dogs Australia: Australian non-profit training and placing assistance dogs across multiple disability categories. Comparable multi-program service model and accreditation profile, with a regional footprint outside Europe.
• Stichting Bultersmekke: Smaller Dutch non-profit deploying dogs in therapeutic and educational settings. Less mature and narrower scope, but a regional peer in the Dutch animal-assisted intervention ecosystem.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/Stichtinghulphond
• Facebookfacebook.com/HulphondNL
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/stichting-hulphond
• Instagraminstagram.com/hulphondnl
• TikToktiktok.com/@hulphondnederland
• Xx.com/HulphondNL

Compliance4 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 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 Hulphond