Our Hen House: Vegan & Animal Rights Movement | Stories from the Frontlines of Animal Liberation - Episode 507: Pete Paxton on Undercover Investigations

Episode 507: Pete Paxton on Undercover Investigations

Explicit content warning

09/28/19 • 88 min

Our Hen House: Vegan & Animal Rights Movement | Stories from the Frontlines of Animal Liberation

This week Mariann talks to “Pete Paxton,” which is not his real name but the alias he goes by due to the undercover nature of his incredible investigative work. He talks about his new book Rescue Dogs, the heartbreaking story of Daisy the rescued dog, his history of undercover investigations, how adopting a dog in New York City can save a puppy mill dog’s life in Missouri, and the cultural, government, and legal connections between puppy mills and concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs).
Pete has done undercover investigations in the animal protection movement since 2001, investigating factory farms, slaughterhouses, puppy mills, pet stores, and commercial fishing. His work has been in the HBO documentaries Dealing Dogs, Death on a Factory Farm, and the Nat Geo documentary Animal Undercover. Throughout his life and over the course of his career he’s done organized and impromptu rescue of stray animals, abused animals, puppy mill dogs, animals abandoned at shelters, and animals in a disaster area. His work related to dog rescue and dog cruelty investigations, as well as information on how to rescue and advocate for dogs, are detailed in the book Rescue Dogs, written with authors Gene Stone and Nick Bromley.
In the intro to the show, Jasmin and Mariann talk about Jasmin’s recent NYC fundraiser, Jasmin’s vegan adventures in the British Isles, and Mariann and Jasmin at their area climate strikes. Later in the episode, Mariann brings us more Rising Anxieties.
As always, the award-winning weekly Our Hen House podcast is hosted by Mariann Sullivan and Jasmin Singer.
This week’s episode is brought to you in part through a generous donation from BetterHelp. Use the promo code “henhouse” for a listener discount on BetterHelp’s services.

This episode is brought to you in part through the generosity of A Well-Fed World. A Well-Fed World provides the means for change by empowering individuals, social justice organizations, and political decision makers to embrace the benefits of plant-based foods and farming. Learn more at awfw.org.
Our Hen House is now part of the iROAR podcast network.
You can listen to our podcast directly on our website, or subscribe on Apple Podcasts or your favorite podcatcher! Also, if you like what you hear, please rate it and leave us a comment on Apple Podcasts! Of course, we would be thrilled if you would also consider making a donation, or becoming a member of our flock (especially if you’re a regular listener). Any amount is hugely appreciated, and Our Hen House is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, so it’s tax-deductible! Thank you for helping us create quality content, and for helping us bring you a new podcast episode each week!
The Our Hen House theme song is written and sung by the incredible Michael Harren, who is also OHH’s Director of Communications! Don’t forget to tune into Our Hen House’s other two podcasts: The Teaching Jasmin How to Cook Vegan Podcast, and The Animal Law Podcast.

Previous Episode

Episode 506: Animal-Friendly Investing with Brenda Morris and Claire Smith

This week we are featuring two interviews about investing that we hope you’ll find informative.
First, Jasmin talks to Brenda Morris of Humane Investing about the differences between financial planning and asset management, how ethically-conscious investors can utilize their ethics when choosing where to invest, and the ways that people can use their money to impact the decisions of corporations.
Brenda A. Morris is the founder and CEO of Humane Investing, LLC (www.humaneinvesting.com ), a fee-only financial firm dedicated to helping activists make money while making a difference. She has volunteered with the Vegetarian Society of Richmond for two decades and has been a coordinator of the Richmond VegFest since 2003. One of her favorite hobbies is giving out samples of amazing vegan food at non-veg events and watching people who have never considered going vegan consider it for the first time. While she encourages anyone who cares about animals to invest in companies that do not support, cause, or contribute to animal exploitation and suffering, she hopes this “specialization” isn’t needed much longer as more and more companies move towards incorporating cruelty-free practices into their business models.
Then, Mariann talks to Claire Smith of Beyond Investing about the U.S. Vegan Climate Index and how it helps identify ethically-friendly investment opportunities, how this work impacts climate change, and the challenges around getting people to invest in vegan companies.
Claire is the founder of humane investment platform Beyond Investing. She is a vegan and environmentalist with 34 years’ experience in finance and investment at top-tier banks and investment houses, including UBS and Albourne Partners. Beyond Investing creates investment programs designed for animal advocates and climate-conscious investors in both public listed equity markets and venture capital. Beyond Investing is the architect of the US Vegan Climate Index, a stock index which screens out all animal exploitation and fossil fuel from a US market benchmark, and the sponsor of the US Vegan Climate Exchange Traded Fund (ETF). Beyond Investing focuses on early stage and growth companies that provide vegan, plant-based and cruelty-free products and services. Based in Switzerland, Claire is the founder of Beyond Cruelty Foundation, formed to campaign for zero animal exploitation and to fund safe havens for animals, which will also receive a portion of profits of companies under the Beyond Investing umbrella. Together with IT strategist Dhanesh Kothar, Claire co-founded the Beyond Animal integrated digital platform, which aims to accelerate the growth of the global vegan economy.
Later in the episode, Mariann brings us more Rising Anxieties.
As always, the award-winning weekly Our Hen House podcast is hosted by Mariann Sullivan and Jasmin Singer.
This week’s episode is brought to you in part through a generous donation from BetterHelp. Use the promo code “henhouse” for a listener discount on BetterHelp’s services.

This episode is brought to you in part through the generosity of A Well-Fed World. A Well-Fed World provides the means for change by empowering individuals, social justice organizations, and political decision makers to embrace the benefits of plant-based foods and farming. Learn more at awfw.org.
Our Hen House is now part of the iROAR podcast network.
You can listen to our podcast directly on our website, or subscribe on Apple Podcasts or your favorite podcatcher! Also, if you like what you hear, please rate it and leave us a comment on Apple Podcasts! Of course, we would be thrilled if you would also consider making a donation, or becoming a member of our flock (especially if you’re a regular listener). Any amount is hugely appreciated, and Our Hen House is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, so it’s tax-deductible! Thank you for helping us create quality content, and for helping us bring you a new podcast episode each week!
The Our Hen House theme song is written and sung...

Next Episode

Episode 508: Amy Jean Davis on Bearing Witness for Farmed Animals

This week Jasmin talks to Amy Jean Davis of L.A. Animal Save about the origins the Save Movement and how anyone can start a chapter of it in their community, how bearing witness can inspire people to become activists, and the difficult but necessary experience of participating in vigils for animals on the way to slaughter.
Amy Jean Davis is an animal rights advocate and the Founder of LA Animal Save, the Los Angeles chapter of the global Save Movement. Davis graduated Purdue University in 2004. After having become vegan in 2002, she started the Love Always Animal Sanctuary in the Los Angeles, California area. In 2015, she completed her certificate in Plant Based Nutrition from eCornell, and in 2016, Amy founded LA Animal Save, which is now the largest chapter of more than 600 Save groups worldwide.
Amy also works with her partner, filmmaker Shaun Monson (EARTHLINGS, UNITY), creating films and other media for the animal rights movement. Originally from a small town in Indiana, she came to Los Angeles in 2008 as a top 24 Finalist on season 7 of American Idol. Amy is vegan and raising her daughter vegan, as well.
In the intro to the show, Jasmin and Mariann talk about the urgency of animal activism in the face of climate crisis, and our dear friend Jo-Anne MacArthur‘s new Masterclass! Later in the episode, Mariann brings us Rising Anxieties about an Adopt-A-Cow program, and Taylor Swift!
As always, the award-winning weekly Our Hen House podcast is hosted by Mariann Sullivan and Jasmin Singer.
This week’s episode is brought to you in part through a generous donation from BetterHelp. Use the promo code “henhouse” for a listener discount on BetterHelp’s services.

This episode is brought to you in part through the generosity of A Well-Fed World. A Well-Fed World provides the means for change by empowering individuals, social justice organizations, and political decision makers to embrace the benefits of plant-based foods and farming. Learn more at awfw.org.
Our Hen House is now part of the iROAR podcast network.
You can listen to our podcast directly on our website, or subscribe on Apple Podcasts or your favorite podcatcher! Also, if you like what you hear, please rate it and leave us a comment on Apple Podcasts! Of course, we would be thrilled if you would also consider making a donation, or becoming a member of our flock (especially if you’re a regular listener). Any amount is hugely appreciated, and Our Hen House is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, so it’s tax-deductible! Thank you for helping us create quality content, and for helping us bring you a new podcast episode each week!
The Our Hen House theme song is written and sung by the incredible Michael Harren, who is also OHH’s Director of Communications! Don’t forget to tune into Our Hen House’s other two podcasts: The Teaching Jasmin How to Cook Vegan Podcast, and The Animal Law Podcast.