Founders
Mrs. Minal Kavishwar
Founder, President
Mrs. Minal Kavishwar completed her Masters in Clinical Psychology from S.N.D.T University and uses animals as co-therapists in her practice. She is a certified Animal Assisted Therapist from theUniversity of North Texas and Delta society.
Minal and her therapy dog Kutty were the first registered Pet Partners with the Delta Society from India. Later in 2007 they won the prestigious “Beyond Limit Award” by the Delta Society. She was also elected as an Ashoka Fellow in 2008, (Ashoka is a global association of the world’s leading social entrepreneurs)
Minal has established the field of AAT in India and implemented it in various areas of mental health.She has practiced AAT in counseling and in setups like autism centers, special schools, rehabilitation centers etc. Her aim has been to promote the healing effects of animals and to mainstream AAT like other therapeutic modalities. She has conducted the first documented research on Animal Assisted Therapy in India. Her passion for animals, her compassionate and understanding nature and her vision to explore and popularize the health benefits of Animal Therapy has made her a pioneer in this field.
Mr. Vishal Kavishwar
Founder, Vice-president
Mr Vishal Kavishwar is ardent animal lover and with a keen interest in serving the society. A software engineer by profession, he is one of the key person in establishment and expansion of Animal Angels Foundation and giving it a professional approach. He looks after the legal and administrative work of Animal Angels Foundation.
Mr. Aakash Lonkar
Director
Mr. Aakash Lonkar is the young mind behind the expansion of Animal Angels. An engineer by profession and a past employee of Honeywell India. He is currently pursuing MBA in Social Entrepreneurship from NMIMS University. He has a strong sense of compassion and the inclination to serve people at such a young age. He is working as an independent entrepreneur who manages the operations of Animal Angels in Mumbai. He works as the chief trainer for Mumbai division where he trains volunteers and therapy dogs. He has been instrumental in designing and implementing many therapy dog training programs in Mumbai.
Mr. Kiran Inamdar
Founder, Director
Mr. Kiran Inamdar has been the inspirational force behind Animal Angels foundation. An entrepreneur by heart he is the India Head for Hemendra Kothari Foundation. Prior to that he was the state head of Corporate Social Responsibility for Suzlon Foundation. He has an MBA in marketing and is a motivational trainer accredited by EDII Ahmadabad. His vision for Animal Angels is to reach every person in need of this therapy.
Mrs. Kanchan Lonkar
Founder Member
Mrs. Kanchan Lonkar is a multi faceted personality. With a graduation in Science and double graduation in Marathi Literature and Naturopathy, she chose to work with Municipal School to improve the quality of education. Her creative and unique approach in teach science and cultural education to children has received many accolades. She is the recipient of the Mahapaur Puraaskar (Governor’s award) for best teacher. She has been one of the inspirational forces behind the formation of Animal Angels Foundation.
Mr. Bibhas Amonkar
Founder Member
Bibhas Amonkar completed his graduation from Sir JJ Institute of Applied Arts and then a one year specialization in photography. He then launched himself into the world of advertising after completing his Diploma in Advertising and Marketing from Xavier’s Institute of Mass Communication. But the pang to pursue his childhood passion for nature only clutched at Bibhas mid-way through his successful career as a creative director. He is one of Mumbai’s most accomplished naturalist and photographer, best known for his magnificent collection of breathtaking photographs of the Valley of flowers located in the Nandadevi Biosphere in the western Himalayas of Uttarakhand.
Aside from clicking great photos, Bibhas also designs courses for environmental education, and organizes awareness camps for environmental conservation. He plays a major role in campaigning and awareness generation for Animal Angels Foundation and its work. His experience and expertise is very valuable to us.
Mr. Satish Kelkar
Board Member
Mr. Kelkar has been working with the Union Bank of India for the past 38 years. With a keen interest in social development, he has been involved in many social projects, including setting up a unique activity group for normal and special children called Creative Cultural group. Mr. Kelkar has been associated with Animal Angels Foundation since 2006, but started working actively since 2010. His has been our chief financial advisory and our guide in structuring the organization.
Advisory Board
Shikha Aleya
Writer, consultant and communication professional with over two decades of work experience in the corporate and the development sector. Her current areas of work focus are health systems and family caregiving, women’s rights and child rights.
She is a founding partner of Caregivers Link, a social venture based across Pune, Mumbai and Delhi. (Website: www.caregiverslinkonline.com ). She has undertaken written and audio-visual documentation, presentations, reports and training kits, and ICT content, as well as due diligence processes for organisations such as the Ashoka Foundation, Breakthrough Trust, CHILDLINE India Foundation, and TARSHI among others. Work in the business and corporate sector has included projects for ad agencies, film and tv production companies and corporate clients.
She studied English Literature at Delhi University and is a management post-graduate from XLRI Jamshedpur.
Shikha feels strongly about equality, independence, inclusion and a fair world.
Mr. Amit Kelkar
Founder, Adviser
Amit S.Kelkar is a speech pathologist by profession and is currently pursuing his PhD in Communication Sciences and Disorders in the US. His area of research includes voice disorders, cognitive disorders and executive dysfunctions. He is currently working on research involving cultural differences between Eastern and Western cultures on executive functioning systems.
Amit has been a long-time friend and associate of Ms. Minal Lonkar-Kavishwar. Through their association over the years and with his background in speech-language pathology and cognitive science, he has provided initial insights into the founding blocks of AnimalAngels’ organizational structure.
He continues to be a strong supporter of Animal Angels and is an avid fan of the work that the organization has pursued over the years. His pet golden retriever puppy-Donut-continues to replenish his faith in the unconditional love of animals and the unbridled powers they possess to bring a smile on strangers’ faces. Amit is in the process of training Donut as a therapy dog who would work with him as a co-therapist in his field.
Pallavi Salunkhe
Pallavi Salunke is a CA at Pallavi Salunkhe and associates and has experience in working with various NGOs and helping them in the startup. She is one of the main advisors for Animal Angels Foundation and always provides valuable inputs.
"Orientation: Animal Assisted Interventions - training , certification and career options"
Are you a pet parent and wish to work with your pet as a therapy animal? Are you a mental health practitioner looking to incorporate therapy animals in your practice ? Are you looking for the right credentials to build a career in AAI?
Attend this orientation to know more about learning and certification opportunities in the field of Animal Assisted Interventions from the leading expert in this field, Minal Kavishwar of Animal Angels.
Open for all: pet parents, students, pet enthusiasts, mental / medical health professionals. Register soon, limited seats available!
"Animal Assisted Interventions workshop for parents and children with special needs"
Come and experience the benefits of Animal Assisted Intervention for children with special needs, an interactive session with therapy dogs at Linguaphile Skills Hub, Bangalore. The workshop will be presented by Animal Assisted Interventions specialist - Minal Kavishwar from Animal Angels. Ideal for neurodivergent children and their parents as well as mental health professionals.
Animal Angels is now an official IAHAIO member !
Even a small contribution can make a big difference. All donations are eligible for Tax benefit under section 80G. Help us heal . . . . . .
Details coming up soon . . .
News & Updates
- SAMMILIT – a holistic 3-day conference on “Autism: Diversity and integration.”January 10, 2020
Animal Angels team presented at the ISAZ Conference, AustraliaSeptember 29, 2018
Minal Kavishwar gets awarded by the Women Economic ForumSeptember 4, 2018
Our founder, Mrs. Minal Kavishwar is now Pet Partner International Evaluator
Animal Assisted Interventions for Caregivers
Therapy dogs assisting Dentist to reduce anxiety – Latest research by Animal Angels Foundation
Collaboration between Animal Angels Foundation and Dr. Cynthia Chandler, Center of Animal...May 28, 2017- Dr. Chandler’s Visit to India
- Animal Angels at HAI, Green Chimney, NY
- Animal Angels represented in International Conferences
"Animal Assisted Intervention for Palliative care patients at Karunashraya, Bangalore"
Animal Angels team in Bangalore conducted have been visiting Karunashraya, a palliative care center ( It is a center for Cancer patients who are at the last stage of their life). The objective of the visits from the therapy dog is to reduce their distress and to improve their quality of life. When the therapy dog visits them, for that period of time, they forget their worries, their distress is reduced. Playing with therapy dog helps them take their mind off the pain. Animal Angels presented a paper based on the findings of a study done at Karunashraya, where they measured the distress scores of the patients before and after the visit from a therapy dog. They also administered the Human Animal Interaction scale to determine the quality of interaction between the patients and the therapy dog. The results showed that patients who had higher scores on the HAIS also showed lower scores on the distress scale, indicating that meaningful interaction with the therapy dog helped in reducing the distress in palliative care patients. This study was presented by the Animal Angels team of Elizabeth Varghese, Samratha Madappa and our Founder Minal Kavishwar, at the Indian Palliative Care Association's national conference held at Guwahati in February 2020. This was the first time such a study on Animal Assisted Intervention for palliative care was presented at an Indian conference.
Animal Angels team presented at the ISAZ conference held at the University of Sydney in Australia. Our team presented a paper based on the research conducted at the DY Patil Dental Hospital, on Effect of Therapy dogs on Pediatric Dental Anxiety.
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Our founder, Mrs. Minal Kavishwar, was presented with the 'Exceptional Women of Excellence' award, at the Women’s Economic Forum held at Vivanta, Dwarka, Delhi, by the All Ladies League. She was also the keynote speaker for the forum and addressed the group on 'Disruptive Innovations in Health and Wellness'.
For the past three years, Mrs. Kavishwar has been conducting India’s only comprehensive course in Animal Assisted Therapy, through the Animal Angels Therapy Center, and for the past two years, thanks to a tie-up with Dr. Chandler, has made Dr. Chandler’s renowned book, “Animal Assisted Therapy in Counseling”, an official part of her course as well. Now, Mrs. Minal Kavishwar and her team at the Animal Angels Foundation have been selected by Dr. Chandler to be a part of a documentary film that she is making on five prominent people working in the field of Animal Assisted Therapy across the world. This is a great honor for the entire team and especially for Mrs. Kavishwar. With her visit to India, Dr. Candler and Minal Kavishwar would be collaborating further on creating training opportunities and providing global platform for people in India to learn Animal Assisted Therapy.
Currently Dr. Chandler offers a home study program under the University of North Texas in AAT in Counseling and Mrs. Kavishwar conducts her own course in basic and advanced training in Animal Assisted Therapy in India. Mrs. Kavishwar, as a part of her collaboration with Dr. Chandler also trains students in the practical implementation of AAT in the Indian setting and provides them internship opportunities with Animal Angels Foundation.
Dr. Cynthia Kay Chandler, a renowned Counselor and AAT (Animal Assisted Therapy) practitioner from University of North Texas, US visited India last week. Animal Angels Foundation was the official host while she was visiting India. Dr. Chandler was visiting India to film an interview with the founder of Animal Angels Foundation, Mrs. Minal Kavishwar, a pioneer in the field of Human Animal Interaction and instrumental in introducing the field of Animal Assisted Therapy in India. Dr. Chandler was visiting India to shoot an interview as a part of her ongoing documentary on AAT practitioners around the world applying AAT in various settings.
While in India, Animal Angels Foundation had organized two workshops by Dr. Chandler for mental health professionals and students along with the heads of the institutes who have implemented AAT in India. It was an open idea sharing platform with the vision of creating an opportunity for AAT practitioners from India to share their experiences with AAT practitioners from abroad. The workshop was held at on the 14th of March 2015 at Balkalyan Sanstha, Pune (India’s one and only recreational center for children with disabilities) and on 18th of March 2015 at Academy of Learning and Development in Andheri, Mumbai (which is a school for children with
developmental disabilities and brain related injuries, run by Arti Deo and Ajinkya Deo). The workshop was attended by heads of various special schools and institutes, students of Minal Kavishwar and Dr. Chandler from Mumbi, Pune and Bangalore and various patrons of Animal Angels Foundation including India representative of Waltham Research Center UK, Mr.Umesh Kallahalli.
Dr. Chandler and Mrs. Minal Kavishwar have been associated with one another for the past twelve years. Dr. Chandler has been a mentor to Mrs. Kavishwar and has been instrumental in the growth of the Animal Angels Foundation.
Green Chimney, a residential center for children with emotional instability, set up on a farm housing various farm animals. The Green Chimney hosts a Human-Animal-Interaction(HAI) conference every year to facilitate the well-being of humans and animals in a programmatic context.
Our team from Animal Angels was the only representative from India, along with 30 other representatives from all over the world. Attending such conferences and learning about new experiences is what makes us good and efficient with Animal Assisted Therapy(AAT).
Minal Kavishwar, Founder of Animal Angels was invited to speak at the HAI workshop conducted by National Institute of Health (NIH), USA and Waltham on ‘Settings where AAT takes place – considerations and challenges.’
Mrs. Kavishwar was the first speaker from India to speak at the NIH and present about the work Animal Angels has been doing in India.
She said, “With so many great minds sharing and discussing the future of research and practice in AAT, it was an honour to present at the NIH and privilege to be amongst the best in the field.”
Our team of therapy dogs and volunteers ran the Pune Pinkathon in aid of breast cancer awareness on 16th of November, 2014. It feels great to be associated with such an important cause and it was overwhelming to see the positive response we got. We are grateful for the love and support we got from Milind Soman, Sonali Ogale and team Pinkathon for the opportunity to spread awareness about Animal Assisted Therapy in rehabilitative set-ups.
Pinkathon is a 10 kms International Run only for women. The objective of the event is to encourage
women’s health and fitness. Pinkathon also aims to raise awareness about breast cancer, its causes and prevention. Breast cancer is the leading cause of cancer deaths amongst women worldwide, in spite of it being one of the curable cancers if detected early.
Second great year of participating in the 'Running Beyond Myself' Marathon, sponsored by Royal Canin and Union Bank of India.Our Therapy Dogs - Chiquita, Steffy, Oscar, Scotty and Hulk, along with the team, did the 3k walk and encouraged marathoners finishing their run, cheering them encouraging them and promoting the health benefits of walking with a pet. We were also the NGO partner for Pune Running.
Pune Running is a non-profit organization dedicated to health and fitness, we encourage, motivate and train people to take on running and in that, long distance – Marathon running. All this is done on a voluntary basis with no financial profit motive at all. All the programs are open to public.
'Tails of Joy'! An Animal Assisted Reading program was held for kids and adults. Participants could read out their favourite stories to our four-legged friends. Starting from 22nd August, this event was conducted every friday evening at Pagdandi - Books Chai Cafe. The event was exceptionally well received with all the participants responding ecstatically. “Tails of Joy” is our Animal Assisted Reading program to enhance literacy skills and to encourage the joys of reading through interaction with trained animals. This program intends to enrich the literacy skills of children in an effective and interesting manner.
Animals are ideal reading companions because unlike peers, animals are attentive listeners; they don’t judge or criticize, so children are more comfortable and inclined to forget about their own fears. Children with low self esteem are often more willing to interact with an animal than other people. Further during such interactions, they forget their limitations. It is seen that children find reading to an animal less intimidating and transforms formerly dreaded reading events into a positive experience.
The children with special needs at the Vasant Vihar Special School in Thane had Therapy dogs Goldie and Therapy dog Sunshine, visit them every week to provide them Animal Assisted Therapy. Our therapy dogs along with our therapists worked closely with the special educator in addressing issues like hyperactivity, shyness, lack of stimulation, mobility and motor issues and need for expression in these children.
Therapy dogs Goldie and Sunshine were instrumental in bringing about remarkable changes in these children in just a matter of weeks.
Therapy dog Sunshine, a one year old Golden Retriever and our youngest in-training therapy dog, conducted her first ever session with a special child at BalKalyan Sanstha,Pune. The child with cerebral palsy quickly bonded with Sunshine and learned to grasp a grooming brush, despite his motor issues.
Therapy dog Sunshine is a second generation therapy dog, trained and raised by team Animal Angels. She will not be working as a co-therapist with our Mumbai team.
We at Animal Angels are happy announce our latest project with you. In a first-of-its-kind in Asia, GVK CSIA (Chatrapati Shivaji International Airport, Mumbai) has initiated a pilot program called “Comforting Angels”, a pet therapy program in partnership with the Pune-based Animal Angels Therapy Centre at the iconic Terminal 2 in Mumbai. These wagging “Comforting Angels” are employed to soothe, comfort and de-stress passengers inside the departure terminal.
To mark the World Cancer day which comes on the 4th of February, Animal Angels Foundation conducted an animal assisted visiting session at Ruby Hall Cancer center for children undergoing various treatments for cancer, on 9th February, 2013.
Therapy dogs Kiara and Houdini interacted with the cancer patients at Ruby Hall along with the team of therapist.
We got a tremendous response from the children who, for the first time had a great reason to visit the hospital with a smile.