The Hen Report: “Moments of Respair” | Beagle Rescue, Animal Activism & Do We Need Hope?

In this episode of The Hen Report, Jasmin Singer and Mariann Sullivan are joined by poet, activist, and friend Gretchen Primack for a raw and deeply personal conversation about how animal advocates sustain themselves emotionally in a world that can feel overwhelmingly bleak. From the ground-level account of the Ridglan Farms beagle rescue to the growing momentum around Marshall BioResources in upstate New York, the episode weaves together urgent activism news with a candid discussion of despair, “respair,” and what it actually takes to keep going.

• Ridglan Farms & Marshall BioResources – Gretchen shares a firsthand account of the Ridglan beagle rescue that freed 1,500 dogs, and the hosts discuss why Marshall BioResources—home to an estimated 20,000–23,000 animals near Rochester, NY—is a next major target, with a public vigil planned for May 28–30.
• Hope vs. “Respair” – The conversation challenges the idea that activists need hope to keep going, introducing the 16th-century term “respair”—the joy that can emerge from despair—as a more honest and sustainable framework for long-term advocacy.
• Three pillars for surviving – Gretchen outlines the personal strategies that keep her going: prioritizing deep relationships (with humans and animals), staying immersed in activism, and actively seizing joy—without requiring happiness.
• Culture, not ethics, is the real battleground – Drawing on a Washington Post piece, the trio argues that plant-based food and animal advocacy won’t go mainstream until they feel culturally cool and cross-political, pointing to the bipartisan appeal of the Ridglan rescue as a model.
• Poetry as activism – Gretchen highlights her book Kind and the new anthology The New Sentience: Reimagining Animal Poetry, making the case that art and literature are powerful, underutilized tools for shifting how people relate to animals.

RESOURCES

• • • • • Gretchen Primack’s website
        • 3 day vigil at Marshall Bioresources
        • The New Sentience
  •  We are thrilled to expand the accessibility of our podcast by offering written transcripts of the interviews! Click here to read this episode’s interview.

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Join hostesses Jasmin Singer and Mariann Sullivan on this unique and fun award-winning podcast that focuses on changing the world for animals.

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