User:Lara Shannon/sandbox

Lara Shannon (born 28 June 1972) is an Australian dog trainer and animal welfare advocate, TV Presenter and Author. Lara is the Host and Executive Producer of Pooches at Play which airs on the CBS owned Australian TV Network Channel 10 (May 2017-present) and was the Executive Producer and Host of the 1-hour TV documentary Ecochick Adventures: The Trans Borneo Challenge which aired on the Nine Network in August 2015.

Background
Growing up in Adelaide South Australia, Shannon completed a Bachelor of Arts (Communication Studies) at the University of South Australia (1989-1992), working part-time as a model and actress before getting her first job in the media as a Producer at Adelaide Radio Station FIVEAA. In 1992 she was selected as a Media Marshall for the Royal Tour of South Australia by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II and His Royal Highness The Duke of Edinburgh.

Moving to Melbourne in her early 20’s, Lara worked for Fairfax Media and Leader Newspapers before moving to Sydney to work with Cumberland Press and in other media roles before joining the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) in corporate partnerships and becoming a media spokesperson for the organisation, before joining Australian environmental advocacy group Planet Ark.

Early in her career, Lara was a regular guest presenter on Australian Children’s TV shows Cheez TV, Saturday Disney and Totally Wild, teaching children about wildlife and the environment in a fun and engaging way. Moving to the UK in 2000, Lara was a regular in the media talking about consumer advocacy and environmental issues and spearheading the launch of Planet Ark UK before moving back to Australia and heading up media for Keep Australia Beautiful for 10 years while starting her dog minding and walking business in Melbourne and commencing her dog training studies.

In August 2015, Lara’s debut documentary Ecochick Adventures: The Trans Borneo Challenge aired on Channel 9, documenting her 2000+km journey across Indonesia Borneo to raise awareness of the plight of the Orangutan.

TV Programmes
Pooches at Play

Ecochick adventures

Charity
Lara has worked in fundraising roles and been the media spokesperson for organisations including the World Wide Fund for Nature, Planet Ark, Keep Australia Beautiful, The Orangutan Project and many others, and is currently the Ambassador for Second Chance Animal Rescue.

Lara has appeared on Channel 10’s Studio 10, The Project, Sunrise, Today Show, Sky News, and TV commercials for many household brands and is regularly interviewed in the media. Lara’s book EAT, PLAY, LOVE your dog will be released in Australia 1 June 2020 and 1 August in the US and UK by Hardie Grant Publishing.