Activist,a Multi-Award-Winning Filmmaker & president and founder of Beagle Freedom Project and ARME (Animal Rescue, Media & Education)
Shannon Keith is an activist attorney, a multi-award-winning filmmaker and the founder and president of the non-profit organization, ARME (Animal Rescue, Media & Education) and it’s mission, Beagle Freedom Project (BFP). Shannon formed ARME in 2004, a non-profit rescue and advocacy group, in order to advocate for social change for animals, create new policies for the betterment of their welfare, and rescue animals in need.
As a filmmaker, she focuses on stopping the problem at its roots through educational documentaries and has won several awards for her groundbreaking films exposing animal cruelty. Her first documentary, “Behind the Mask,” explores the underground world of those activists who break the law to save animals. “Skin Trade,” her second documentary, exposes the cruelty, fraud and deception in the fur industry. Her third documentary, “Sanctuary,” which she just completed, delves into the world of primates exploited for the pet trade, entertainment and testing, and ultimately ending in sanctuaries. Her first two films garnered several awards including best documentary feature at festivals nationally and internationally.
As an activist and rescuer, Shannon saves dogs, cats and other animals from abuse, neglect and imprisonment, and organizes campaigns against animal exploiting industries, such as the Beagle Freedom Project, rescuing animals from laboratories.
Since 2010, Beagle Freedom Project has rescued over 700 animals from laboratories, where they were experimented on for cosmetics, products and drugs. These animals would have been otherwise killed after the experiments ended, but BFP, with its inventive campaign, secures the release of these animals, finds them loving homes and educates the public about the fraudulent practices of animals testing via these incredible ambassadors.
BFP also focuses on changing laws. Since 2014, BFP has passed its signature legislation, “The Beagle Freedom Bill” in five states, making it mandatory to release dogs and cats after testing instead of killing them. This is the first step of many towards ending testing and is the only law that recognizes the value of animals beyond being used as subjects.
BFP also has an innovative app for the smart phone called “Cruelty Cutter.” This app has since revolutionized shopping, allowing the user to simply scan a barcode to learn if a product is tested on animals. It works world-wide and also serves as a form of activism, as the user can tweet, Facebook and even email a company from the app that they refused to purchase their products because they are tested on animals.
Shannon lives in Los Angeles, California, with her three dogs (Gracie, a Pitbull, Samantha, a Corgi mix, and Cha Cha, a Chihuahua, all rescued from shelters, as well as two cats and one rabbit (rescued from animal testing).
