Animal Angels Therapy Center / Animal Angels Foundation

What Animal Angels Therapy Center / Animal Angels Foundation does

Animal Angels Therapy Center and Animal Angels Foundation together operate as India's pioneering Animal-Assisted Interventions (AAI) organization, founded in approximately 2004 by clinical psychologist Minal Kavishwar after she trained Kutty, India's first internationally certified therapy dog. The organization runs on a hybrid nonprofit-commercial model: the Animal Angels Foundation is a registered NGO delivering AAI to underserved communities across education, disabilities, mental health, and palliative care using 45 therapy dogs and reaching 160,000+ beneficiaries; the Animal Angels Therapy Center operates paid clinical therapy centers in Mumbai, Pune, and Bangalore offering individual and group sessions for adults and children. Revenue derives from four streams: (1) fee-based therapy center sessions in three cities, (2) the Comforting Angels corporate comfort dog program serving enterprise clients including HSBC, Deutsche Bank, Standard Chartered, Axis Bank, Tech Mahindra, WeWork, DHL, and Bharat Petroleum, (3) professional training and certification courses aligned with Pet Partners and AAAIP international standards, and (4) donations and CSR funding through tiered programs (₹1,000 to ₹50,000+). The go-to-market combines direct session booking (Google Forms, WhatsApp), corporate sales, institutional partnerships with schools/hospitals/airports (Mumbai CSIA, Delhi, Hyderabad airports), and credentialed training delivery across six Indian cities.

The core product portfolio includes six branded programs: Comforting Angels (corporate wellness), Tails of Joy (animal-assisted reading and literacy for school children), Healing Paws (weekly goal-oriented therapy visits to special schools), Paws to Play (play therapy and summer camps), Airport Comfort Dog Program, and consultancy services for institutions wanting to establish AAI programs. Underlying technology is operational rather than platform-based: therapy delivery depends on physical therapy dogs, certified handlers, licensed therapists (clinical psychologists, special educators, speech therapists), and protocols aligned with IAHAIO international standards. Distribution runs through three direct therapy centers, on-site visiting programs at partner institutions (corporate offices, schools, hospitals, airports, senior living facilities), training courses for professionals and therapy dog handler teams, and seasonal summer camps. Customer segments are vertically split across children with developmental disabilities (autism, ADHD, sensory processing differences), corporate employees (stress relief and engagement), underserved communities (foundation arm), school children (reading programs), mental health patients, and professional training candidates.

The organization holds a quasi-monopolistic position in India for credentialed AAI: founder Minal Kavishwar is the only licensed Pet Partner Evaluator in the country, serves as IAHAIO Regional Representative for India-Asia, and is an Ashoka Fellow. Strategic positioning emphasizes international-standard adherence, evidence-based practice, and research collaboration with institutions like KEM Hospital Pune. Recent strategic activity has been concentrated in 2025 geographic and channel expansion — opening Bangalore (April 2025) and Pune (September 2025) therapy centers and launching comfort dog programs at Delhi and Hyderabad airports in partnership with the Airport Authority of India and GMR Group.

Name

Animal Angels Therapy Center / Animal Angels Foundation

Legal name

Animal Angels Therapy Center and Animal Angels Foundation

Website

https://animalangels.org.in

Company type

Private

Founded year

2004

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Animal-Assisted Therapy Services

NAICS

Outpatient Mental Health and Substance Abuse Centers (621420), Offices of Physical, Occupational and Speech Therapists, and Audiologists (62134)

SIC

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

akta.pro primary industry

Autism Communication Support (AAC, Pragmatics & Language) (EDAKAKAG)

akta.pro secondary industry

Service & Emotional Support Animal (ESA) Accommodations Management (EDALAGAK)

Keywords

• Animal assisted therapy
• Therapy dog certification
• Corporate wellness programs
• Animal assisted interventions
• Mental health therapy services

Headquarters

HQ city

Mumbai

HQ country

India

HQ region

Asia

Offices6 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Therapy Center Services: Revenue from individual and group Animal Assisted Therapy sessions offered at therapy centers in Mumbai, Pune, and Bangalore. Sessions address clinical needs from stress/anxiety in adults to developmental disabilities in children and adults.
2. Corporate Comfort Dogs Program (Comforting Angels): Corporate wellness programs bringing therapy dogs to offices for employee engagement, stress relief, and morale improvement. Clients include major corporations like HSBC, Deutsche Bank, Standard Chartered Bank, Axis Bank, Tech Mahindra, WeWork, and others.
3. Training & Certification Courses: Revenue from specialized courses for mental/medical health professionals, pet parents, students, and therapy dog handlers. Includes AAI Specialist courses and Therapy Dog Handler Team certification programs.
4. Donations & CSR Funding: Donations through the Animal Angels Foundation (registered NGO) including corporate giving/CSR funding. Donation tiers include ₹1,000 for one wellness session, ₹5,000 for awareness program, ₹10,000 to train a therapy team, and ₹50,000+ to sustain a comfort dog program.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Animal Angels operates Animal-Assisted Intervention (AAI) therapy centers in Mumbai, Pune, and Bangalore offering individual and group therapy sessions for stress, anxiety, and developmental disabilities. The Foundation arm extends therapy to underserved communities through education, palliative care, and disability programs using a network of 45 therapy dogs. They also offer training and certification courses for mental health professionals and pet parents, corporate wellness programs (Comforting Angels), school programs (Tails of Joy, Healing Paws, Paws to Play), airport comfort dog programs, and consultancy services for institutions establishing AAI programs.

Product overview

Animal Angels Therapy Center and Animal Angels Foundation offer a comprehensive suite of Animal Assisted Interventions (AAI) services in India. The core offering consists of the Animal Angels Therapy Centre providing clinical therapy services at centers in Mumbai, Pune, and Bangalore, supported by the Animal Angels Foundation NGO which extends services to underserved communities. The product portfolio includes training and certification programs for professionals and therapy dog handler teams, corporate wellness programs (Comforting Angels), educational programs (Tails of Joy for reading, Healing Paws for special schools, Paws to Play for play therapy), airport comfort dog programs, and consultancy services for institutions wanting to establish AAI programs. With 45 therapy dogs across three cities, the organization reaches over 160,000 beneficiaries.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Comforting Angels: Corporate Comfort Dog Program bringing therapy dogs to workplaces for employee wellness, stress relief, and engagement activities.
• Tails of Joy
• Healing Paws
• Paws to Play
• Airport Comfort Dog Program
• Comforting Angels - Corporate Comfort Dogs

Products and services

• Animal Angels Therapy Centre

Quantifiable outcome

• 45 therapy dogs across 3 cities serving underserved communities
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers18 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

Feature3 records

Partnerships

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

• IAHAIO (International Association of Human-Animal Interaction Organizations)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAnimal Angels Foundation is a member of IAHAIO, adhering to international best practices in animal-assisted interventions. Founder Minal Kavishwar serves as IAHAIO Regional Representative for India-Asia region, representing India at international conferences including Amsterdam.
• Pet PartnerscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAnimal Angels provides Pet Partners therapy dog certification in India. Founder Minal Kavishwar is a licensed Pet Partner Evaluator. The organization offers handler certification aligned with Pet Partners international standards.
• AAAIP (Association for Animal-Assisted Intervention Professionals)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerProfessional association providing certification for AAI specialists. Animal Angels offers AAAIP-certified training courses for mental health professionals wishing to incorporate therapy animals into their practice.
• India Autism CentermajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration with India Autism Center for animal therapy programs specifically designed for children with autism. Minal Kavishwar has conducted presentations on animal therapy for autism intervention at the center.
• Airport Authority of India / GMR GroupmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership to deploy comfort dog teams at Delhi and Hyderabad international airports. A wellness initiative for passengers aimed at de-stressing before flights.
• Aatman AcademymajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with special education institution for Healing Paws program. Board member Manjushree Patil is Founder of Aatman Academy, facilitating therapy dog visits for students.
• Bal Kalyan SansthamajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegular weekly therapy dog visits to this recreational center for children with special needs in Pune. Schools from across Pune bring students to the center for animal-assisted therapy sessions.
• KEM Hospital PunemajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch collaboration with KEM Hospital Pune on animal-assisted therapy. Founder Minal Kavishwar has collaborated with the hospital on groundbreaking research in the field.
• AshokacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMinal Kavishwar is an Ashoka Fellow. Ashoka affiliation provides recognition and support for social entrepreneurs pioneering innovative solutions to social problems.
• Pune International Literary FestivalminorGTM or Marketing PartnerTails of Joy Animal Assisted Reading program conducted at the Lit Fest for children, promoting literacy through therapy dog interactions.
• HNM Dental CentreminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerIndia's first Dental Assistance Therapy Dog Wrigley placed at this pediatric dental practice in Delhi. The Dentistry with a Dif-fur-rence program supports anxious young dental patients.
• SAA (Schizophrenia Society of India)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerFounder Minal Kavishwar invited as panel speaker at World Schizophrenia Day event organized by SAA, spreading awareness about animal-assisted therapy.
• 500xminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPartner for digital services. Board member Sheell Desae is Founder of 500x, providing technical support for the organization.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights7 records

Direct peers

• Good Dog Foundation: US nonprofit that trains and provides therapy dogs for hospital, school, and crisis-response visits. Directly comparable to Animal Angels' hospital (KEM Hospital Pune, Karunashraya) and school programs.
• Pets as Therapy (UK): UK charity providing therapy animal visits (primarily dogs) to hospitals, hospices, schools, and care homes. Directly comparable in operating model — community-based therapy animal visits facilitated by trained volunteers — to Animal Angels' Healing Paws and palliative care programs.
• Therapy Dogs International: One of the oldest US therapy dog organizations providing testing, certification, and visitation programs in hospitals, schools, and nursing homes. Comparable in mission (therapy dog evaluation, handler certification, institutional visits) to Animal Angels' Therapy Dog Handler Team certification programs and visiting programs.
• Dogs for Good: UK charity training dogs to help children with autism and other disabilities, including school-visiting community programs. Directly comparable to Animal Angels' Healing Paws special school and India Autism Center collaborations.
• Alliance of Therapy Dogs: US-based therapy dog certification and visitation network with thousands of registered teams visiting hospitals, schools, and libraries. Closely comparable to Animal Angels' certification programs, school reading (Tails of Joy), and visiting programs at hospitals and senior care.
• paws4people: US nonprofit training and placing assistance dogs for children with disabilities and veterans, with a strong AAI/clinical intervention focus. Comparable in focus on autism/developmental disability interventions and certified therapy team programs.
• Pet Partners: The largest therapy animal organization in the US and the source of the international therapy dog certification standards that Animal Angels uses. Animal Angels Founder Minal Kavishwar is a licensed Pet Partners evaluator, and the two share the Pet Partners therapy dog certification framework.

Broad incumbents

• Assistance Dogs International: Global coalition governing standards for assistance dog organizations. Comparable to Animal Angels' role as IAHAIO Regional Representative establishing therapy animal standards in India, though ADI covers a broader service-dog scope.
• St. John Ambulance Therapy Dog Program (Canada): Canadian therapy dog visitation program under St. John Ambulance. Comparable to Animal Angels' Comforting Angels corporate and airport wellness programs in scale of institutional partnerships and certified volunteer teams.
• Canine Companions for Independence: US-based large service dog organization providing highly trained assistance dogs (mobility, hearing, veteran, facility dogs). Broader in scope than Animal Angels but overlaps in professional training, volunteer handler networks, and corporate partnerships.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/animal-angels-foundation

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles17 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Animal Angels Therapy Center / Animal Angels Foundation