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- Catch the premiere of Pooches at Play Series 10 on Saturday, 2nd August 2025
- Encore episodes will air Sundays at 4pm on 10Drama
Pet ownership is booming and so is Pooches at Play, returning for its milestone tenth season on Channel 10! Created and hosted by dog trainer and behaviourist Lara Shannon, the much-loved series continues to inspire responsible pet care and help reduce pressure on overcrowded animal shelters.
Remarkably, it’s also the only Australian TV show that is 100% brand-funded to reach 10 full seasons*.
Shannon, who is also a pet food nutritionist and author of Eat, Play, Love (your dog) and World of Dogs, created Pooches at Play after recognising a gap in the market.
“Australian pet owners needed easy-to-understand, trustworthy advice on pet behaviour, health, grooming and lifestyle, and they needed it in an engaging, entertaining format they could access from the comfort of home,” she says.
The show’s mission also aligns closely with Shannon’s personal passion: preventing pets from ending up in shelters and reducing the needless euthanasia of adoptable pets by educating and empowering people to improve the lives of their companion animals.
“Right now, animal shelters are at breaking point with many being forced to close their doors to new surrenders as they struggle to rehome the pets already in their care,” says Shannon.“The rising cost of living, rental and housing shortages, surge in pet ownership during lockdowns and people taking the easy way out, rather than addressing behavioural issues through training, have pushed the animal welfare industry to crisis point.”
With an estimated 69% of households now owning a pet, and nearly half of these with at least one dog**, Shannon says there has never been a greater need for information and advice to help struggling dog and cat owners deal with the financial, health and behavioural challenges that come with owning a pet.
Lending a paw to pet owners, each weekly episode of Pooches at Play delivers expert tips and advice on dog training and behaviour, grooming, nutrition and general health. The show also profiles the important role dogs play in our community and celebrates the human animal bond.
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| Ita Buttrose and dog Cleo with host Gyton Grantley |
“The primary purpose of Pooches at Play is to provide trustworthy advice across all of our platforms that can genuinely help pets to live longer and better lives, and makes life easier for the people who love and care for them,” says Shannon.
Pooches at Play Series 10 premieres for eight weeks on Channel 10 on Saturday, 2 August at 3:30pm and encores on 10Drama on Sundays at 4pm.
Executive Producer: Lara Shannon. Producers: David Byrne and Alex Begetis – The Rusty Cage.
Major Partner: Petstock. Series Partners: Big Dog Pet Foods, NexGard SPECTRA, Knose Pet Insurance, Zylkene, EAC Animal Care, DGG, Rogz Pet Gear.
* To the best of public knowledge.
A certified dog trainer, behaviourist and pet food nutrition specialist, Lara has been a regular on Australian TV and radio stations for the past three decades, reaching millions of Australians each year through her education work, books and TV shows to help improve the lives of companion animals.
In 2016, Lara created, and is the Executive Producer and Host of Channel10’s Pooches at Play,(10 series), followed by Channel 7TWO’s Animal SOS Australia, (2 series) and most recently, she created and is the Executive Producer and Host of Channel 10’s The Dog Down Under (1 series).
Lara is the author of World of Dogs and Eat, Play, Love (Your Dog), published by Hardie Grant Books, and is a sought-after MC and speaker for pet events and keynote leadership and motivational talks at corporate events and seminars. She is also the editor of poochesatplay.com and runs her own dog training business in Melbourne.
As the Ambassador for Second Chance Animal Rescue, Companion Animal Network Australia, Pets of the Homeless and MacKillop Family Services Paw Pals program, Lara’s mission is to help reduce the needless euthanasia of adoptable shelter animals to zero. Her cheeky rescue dogs ‘Dynamite Darcy’ and Vindi are never far from her side.
MEDIA RELEASE Australia, 22nd July 2025
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