‘Misunderstood breeds for misunderstood people’ – the non-profit training therapy dogs in India
By: Communications
A business management graduate from New Delhi has gone from selling luxury homes to transforming lives - through dog training.
Now, a decade after founding his company K9 School, Adnaan Khan is on a mission to bring the healing power of therapy dogs to northern India.
The 32-year-old graduated with a BSc in Business Management from the University of East Anglia’s (UEA) Norwich Business School, an experience to which he attributes “a lot of my professional life and success”.
Image: Adnaan Khan
After graduation, Adnaan returned to India in 2013 to work in luxury real estate with JLL, before switching his efforts to a pet startup and eventually launching his own company – K9 School.
While K9 School remains the successful commercial arm of the business, concentrating on core services such as training and obedience, Adnaan's passion is with the potential for dogs to improve the lives of his countrymen. This led him to introduce a non-profit arm called K9 Healers, that has spent the last decade introducing therapy and guide dogs to India.
Adnaan says:
“K9 Healers Foundation started as a passion project back in 2015, alongside my commercial dog training company, K9 School.
“Over the years, we have built the foundation towards a few core causes, in addition to our primary therapy dog project. We are also deeply involved in rural upliftment and grassroot development of increasing education and employability in our developing economy.”
Image L-R: Adnaan with a therapy dog and pupil at Mata Bhagwanti Chadha Niketan (MBCN) charitable school, A K9 Healers therapy dog and pupils at Mata Bhagwanti Chadha Niketan (MBCN) charitable school
Out of 1,200 graduates from the dog school, more than 800 were reportedly from below the poverty line, with the company offering free, sponsored or reduced prices to ensure applicants didn’t miss out on the opportunity.
Training has proven popular in remote, rural villages with Adnaan saying:
“Often unemployed youth from the remotest of villages come to our school to learn certified dog training and behaviour courses. Work in this industry has been a revolution for the country, both for improving pet care standards and impacting employability and education rates in India - introducing a new career for a large population who already have livestock management experience from their agriculture background.”
Introducing therapy dogs to North India
The mental health benefits of interacting with dogs are well-documented, with studies showing that even just petting a dog can release serotonin, prolactin and oxytocin – all hormones that can help to elevate mood. The benefits of therapy dogs to those suffering with severe anxiety, depression, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) have also been reported.
Image: Adnaan with a therapy dog and pupils at Mata Bhagwanti Chadha Niketan (MBCN) charitable school
It’s not just mental and physical health that can benefit though: research projects have reported that children’s abilities may be improved by reading to a therapy dog, as well as improvements to their confidence, attendance, and desire to read and write.
Adnaan was keen to bring the benefit of therapy dogs to his area of India, particularly in places such as orphanages and retirement homes, but he also saw an opportunity to rehabilitate the perceptions people had of certain breeds, saying:
“K9 Healers has trained the first official therapy dogs of north India, who also happened to be misunderstood breeds like rottweilers, bullmastiffs, and Indian stray dogs, and that became another mission for us: to train misunderstood breeds for misunderstood people.”
Image: A K9 Healers therapy dog and pupils at Mata Bhagwanti Chadha Niketan (MBCN) charitable school
K9 Healers has worked in places such as child and youth care organisation Udayan Ghar, homeless child charity Salaam Balak Trust, and the MBCN School for Children with Special Needs, amongst others.
Training juvenile inmates of Tihar Jail
Tihar Prisons (also known as Tihar Jail) is one of the largest prison complexes in the world, with nine prisons spread across a 400-acre site in Janakpuri, West Delhi.
It is here that K9 Healers, alongside the government department responsible for the housing and rehabilitation of juvenile inmates, has implemented one of its most ambitious projects: working with prisoners to offer training and support to become licensed animal workers and a chance for a different life upon release.
The project in Tihar Jail was developed and adapted for this new environment from the Foundation’s previous work in places such as orphanages and retirement homes.
Adnaan says:
“Although a first for India, possibly Asia, programmes like this have been prevalent in the West for many years. We were approached by the Delhi government, specifically the State Ministry of Women and Child Development, whose juvenile detention centre is one of the country's largest.
“Working with kids of age 10-18 who are waiting for a hearing or bail, it was our task to be able to dig up passion towards animal-related work. Of 150 kids there, we eventually selected a cohort of around 10-15 kids who would receive visits from our team weekly to offer practical and theoretical teaching around dog walking, training, handling, breeds – and most importantly, the economic potential and career scope in becoming a dog handler and trainer.”
Working with government
Adnaan’s work with major animal shelters in India, particularly as the Global Training and Behaviour Chief for Friendicoes SECA, saw him introduce crate training and modern behaviour techniques using his own training system, which combines global knowledge with local experience. These changes have led to fewer dog bites and better handling, rehabilitation, and adoption practices among shelter staff.
On a national level, Adnaan has been a key advisor to government bodies on how to manage street dogs and reduce dog bites, humanely and effectively. His expert input helped pause breed bans and shaped important decisions at the Supreme Court and local levels.
As one of the only dog behaviour specialists involved in these efforts, he continues to guide state authorities using his modern training system, designed specifically for India’s needs.
Adaan says:
“I am on the frontline as the media spokesperson on dog training and behaviour, along with working towards impacting governance and legislature by consulting various government panels on animal laws, and working towards new bills and laws for animal compassion.”
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