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Dr. Frédérique
Hurly (called Fré by family and Freddie by friends!) was born in
Leiden, Netherland in 1969 and immigrated with her parents to South
Africa in 1974. She grew up in Benoni where she attended
Brentwoodpark Laerskool and Brandwag Hoërskool. After two years of
studies in Gent, Belgium, she obtained her BVSc at Onderstepoort in
1997. She started her veterinary career in Polokwane but moved back
to Benoni after meeting her (to be) husband. In her free time she
built and started a Clinic at the Boksburg SPCA, doing
sterilizations in her spare time. She opened her own practice in
2003. She obtained an MPhil in Wildlife Management in April 2009 and
was invited to the Golden Key Honours Society on academic merit.
From a young age Fré was always interested in animals and could
often be seen playing with all the dogs in the street where she
lived. She knew that she would become a veterinarian. She has a
special way with animals and animals seem to trust her. Her caring
nature makes her loved by the clients. She has a special interest in
animal behaviour, companion animals as well as wild animals. Shortly
after completing her veterinary degree, she completed the Behaviour
and Advanced Behaviour Courses presented by Professor Odendaal. Her
dissertation for the Master’s degree also included behaviour and
looked at the effect of environmental enrichment on the behaviour of
small cats at the Zoological Gardens of Pretoria. She completed the
Veterinary Behaviour Medicine Course offered by the University of
Pretoria, Faculty Veterinary Sciences cum laude in 2010. Apart from
behaviour, she also has an interest in surgery. She is the
veterinarian in the radio program Dieremaniere, broadcast on Radio
Sonder Grense (RSG). Recently she started the Companion Animal
Consultancy, through which she gives educational lectures to pet
owners, breeders and fellow behaviourists. She was invited to speak
at the World Veterinary Congress held in Cape Town in October 2010,
which was a great honour and incredible experience.
Fré loves reading, game and bird watching and wildlife photography.
Any travel is scheduled around what different birds or animals can
be spotted. She loves horse riding, especially eventing. Music plays
an important role in her life, singing as well as playing the guitar
and piano. Fré and her husband have led the worship ministry in
their church for ten years. She has completed the Midmar mile and
plans to swim it again in 2012.
In 1999 she married her husband, Charlie. Starting off in a
townhouse with a wirehaired Dachshund, she realized that she still
had a lot to learn about animal behaviour after the pup destroyed
just about the whole house when they were away. After a few years
they moved onto a small holding where they still live. They have
added a Terveuren Belgian Shepherd, a smooth haired Dachshund and
recently a Mallanois Belgian Shepherd to the household. They have
two children, Amy and Christopher.
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