Lara Shannon – Executive Producer & Host
As a certified dog trainer, pet behaviour and pet food nutrition specialist, Lara is one Australia’s most well-known animal welfare advocates and canine experts, reaching millions of Australians each year through her education work, books and TV shows to help improve the lives of companion animals.
Lara is the Executive Producer and Host of Channel 10’s Pooches at Play, Editor of Poochesatplay.com and Executive Producer and Host of Animal SOS Australia that airs on 7TWO & 7Plus.
Starting her career in radio and television in the early 90’s, Lara has been the media spokesperson for a number of high-profile animal welfare and conservation organisations in Australia and the UK including the World Wide Fund for Nature, Planet Ark, Keep Australia Beautiful, The Orangutan Project, Wildlife Asia and others.
Lara’s early television work included regular appearances on Saturday Disney, Totally Wild and Cheez TV, teaching children about wildlife and environmental conservation issues in a fun and engaging way, while her debut documentary Ecochick Adventures: The Trans Borneo Challenge aired on Channel 9 to raise awareness of the plight of the Orangutan in 2015.
Lara is the Author of World of Dogs released and Eat, Play, Love (Your Dog), available where all good books are sold across Australia, USA, Canada and the UK and is regularly featured in the media and is a sought-after MC and speaker for events, pet expos and seminars. Her cheeky rescue dogs ‘Dynamite Darcy’ and Vindi are never far from her side.
An Ambassador for Second Chance Animal Rescue, Companion Animal Network Australia and the Companion Animal Rescue Awards, Lara’s mission is to help reduce the needless euthanasia of adoptable shelter animals to zero.
Morgan Burrett
Joining the team for Series 4-6 travel stories, Morgan brings his passion and experience of being the TV Host of The Travel Bug.
As host of The Travel Bug he has hosted 63 x 1 hour episodes of the series that has aired on the 10 and 7 Networks and is still broadcasting in over 100 countries and 20 airlines.
Growing up, Morgan spent his early years on a horse farm on the North Island of New Zealand which inspired his love of animals and the outdoors. This passion has continued after moving to Sydney, where he spends his free time hiking, camping, playing rugby and basically doing anything he can to stay active and loves nothing better than to fish and sail in his spare time.
As an experienced cameraman as well as TV Presenter, Morgan travels around the world and loves meeting new people along the way and all the new experiences that travel offers.
Dr Melissa Meehan
Dr Melissa Meehan graduated from Melbourne University with a Bachelor of Veterinary Science with honours in 2002 and commenced her career in a mixed practice in the Yarra Valley. Melissa has presented on pet multimedia productions, co-hosted on radio and produced and hosted her own pet show Vanity Pets for which she received an Antenna award for Best Female Presenter. Soon after Melissa became resident vet reporter for the Nine Network’s Talk to the Animals and then Channel 7’s Guide to the Good Life.
In 2008 Melissa became a member of the Australian College of Veterinary Scientists through examination in Small Animal Medicine. Today Melissa owns a busy veterinary ophthalmology consulting business working closely with the RSPCA and many other Melbourne veterinary clinics. Melissa’s rescue dogs Mia and Monty can often be seen accompanying her at work – one of the perks of being a vet!.
We are always on the lookout for story ideas and feedback. Or, if you simply think the world needs to know about your special pooch, then get it touch!
Get your paws on Lara Shannon’s best selling books ‘Eat, Play, Love (your dog) and World of Dogs.
Available in Australia, USA, UK and Canada.