Shakira Free

Veterinary professional


Speaker and panel host


(she/her)


@shakirafree

About: Shakira is a veterinary nurse with over 15 years of experience, a passionate campaigner, and a dedicated rescuer. She provides one-on-one rehabilitation care for a wide range of species and is an international speaker on animal rights issues. Shakira runs the pet shop campaign against wild animals as pets, is a Fear Free Certified handler, and is a member of the Progressive Veterinary Association. She is also a convicted animal rescuer who won her professional hearing and still works tirelessly to influence high standards of care for all animals through her social media and new consultancy company, Animal Rights Care Consultancy.

 

Presentation — The Unfinished Fight: Why Dogs Still Need Space in Animal Rights

I plan to discuss my work with dogs, starting from my qualification as a veterinary nurse in 2009, and my experiences across corporate, charity, rescue, and specialist referral hospitals—both locally and internationally. Across all these spaces, I've witnessed the same struggles. I've campaigned for dogs on death row due to breed-specific legislation and worked to reveal misleading rescue perceptions, extreme breed conformation abuse, and human failings that continue almost unchecked by the animal rights community. While dogs are seen as the most protected species in society, this perception masks their ongoing struggles. Dogs urgently need our expert help to create real, meaningful change.

Previous
Previous

Laura Broxson