The Playbook.

Save the Dogs UK is a grassroots movement working toward a future where no dog is bred, used or dies in laboratory testing. We believe scientific progress and animal welfare belong together — and that modern, human-relevant science can replace the use of dogs while advancing medicine for people and animals alike.

Here is the strategic truth that shapes everything we do: most MPs already accept that animal testing should be phased out, and most do not support beagle breeding in the UK. The blocker isn’t political will in principle — it’s that this is not yet in the wider public consciousness. Our job is to change that: to get eyes on this that wouldn’t normally see it, and to turn quiet agreement into public pressure.

• Raise awareness of our current main focus (right now: the open letter).
• Bring attention to the wider issue — beagles bred and tested on in the UK, and animal testing generally.
• Funnel everyone to the website, which signposts each person to how they can best help.

These aren’t bureaucracy — they are what keeps the campaign credible, lawful and impossible to dismiss. One bad actor or one exaggeration can be used to characterise all of us. Hold the line on every one of these.

• Lawful & peaceful, always

  Everything we do is legal and non-violent. No exceptions. This is the foundation everything else rests on.

• Institutions, never individuals

  Aim pressure at official channels — departments, corporate comms, public company pages. Never individuals, homes, families or employees.

• Accuracy is a weapon

  Every factual claim must be sourced and survivable. Use the site’s facts and law pages. One debunked exaggeration costs a whole news cycle.

• Firm, not abusive

  “We will not be ignored” reads as determined. Anything nastier reads as the thing our opponents want to paint us as.

• Proudly independent

  We credit and signpost allies but speak only for ourselves. We don’t merge with, or claim to speak for, other groups.

• We work in the open

  No secret rooms, no hidden plans. Organising happens in the open WhatsApp community. Transparency is a strength, not a risk.

Discipline here is what turns noise into a movement. We always lead with one main focus, backed by three always-on messages. Say them everywhere, in every format, until you’re sick of them — that’s roughly when the public is starting to hear them.

The three always-on messages

1. 1We breed beagles in the UK to test on them in the UK.
2. 2We test on other animals in the UK.
3. 3Visit the website to see how you can help — and, if you can, take the current main-focus action.

The narrative spine (behind every message)

• The scale and the cruelty. Beagles — the family dog — bred in their thousands to be experimented on and killed. Put a number on it wherever you can.
• The secrecy and the failure of accountability. The public is locked out, oversight is weak, and nobody is answering for it.
• The winnable ask. Always end with something specific and achievable so people feel progress is possible.

You don’t need a script memorised, but it helps to have a shape in your head. Warm, calm, factual. Start with people who already love dogs — you’re not there to win an argument, you’re there to plant a fact and hand over a next step.

Handling the common pushbacks

• “Isn’t animal testing necessary?”

  Modern, human-relevant science increasingly does the job better. We’re pro-science — we want the UK to invest in the methods that replace dogs.

• “Aren’t you extremists?”

  The opposite. We’re lawful and peaceful, and we want a conversation, not conflict. Point to the open letter — an offer, not a threat.

• “What difference can I make?”

  Public awareness is exactly the gap. Every share, signature and letter moves an issue MPs already quietly agree on.

• Someone gets aggressive

  Stay calm, stay kind, disengage. We never match hostility — our composure is part of the message.

The campaign runs on four channels. Most people fit one or two. Whatever you choose, the core job is the same: raise awareness of the main focus and the wider issue, and funnel people to the site.

This is the engine of the whole operation. We always have exactly one main focus running, plus the three always-on backups filling every gap. When a focus lapses, we rotate to the next — there should always be one ready to go.

1. 1

   Propose

   Ideas for the next focus come from the groups — a petition to back, an event to promote, an EDM to support, a disclosure to time. The Insights team feeds pressure points in too.

2. 2

   Agree & schedule

   We pick the next focus and line up a few behind it. Scheduling ahead lets design and social plan content instead of scrambling.

3. 3

   Run it everywhere

   The live focus leads on socials and on every piece of outreach material, backed by the three always-on messages. Consistency across channels is the point.

4. 4

   Rotate

   When the focus lapses (e.g. the open letter’s window closes), switch cleanly to the next queued focus. The backups keep us covered in between.

The live focus is always shared in the WhatsApp community first — join to know exactly what we’re pushing this week. Got a suggestion for the next one? Drop it in the group with a one-line why and a link. The best queue is a full one.

Most MPs are already sympathetic. The ask is to get that on the record and into the machinery of Parliament. Keep requests specific, constituency-based and easy to say yes to.

• Raise beagle breeding and testing in the House, or write to the responsible minister.
• Table a written parliamentary question — one tabled question is a media hook in itself.
• Support any relevant motion or EDM on ending dog testing.
• Press for transparency and an independent review of how animal science is regulated.

The public route is the Write to your MP tool — postcode to MP, a pre-written letter, sent in two minutes. For direct briefings, keep it to a tight one-page ask and route it through official channels. Short template in Message templates.

We’re stronger alongside the wider movement, and we actively signpost allies like Camp Beagle, MBR Suppliers, TOXICITY.inc, Animal Rising and Save the Dogs USA — plus community spaces like the Campaign to Ban Animal Testing & Research in the UK Facebook group. With partners we ask for mutual amplification — while everyone stays independent.

• Amplify the current main focus and share resources both ways.
• Co-signal where our goals overlap, without either side speaking for the other.
• Cross-promote events, petitions and disclosures to widen every audience.

The goal is simple: get a credible public voice to show support and expose this to their audience, then funnel that audience to the website. We’re building a multi-tier influence map — it’s less about who’s famous and more about who can move our message into a new audience without friction.

Who to look for

• Do they care about animals?

  They’ve spoken up for animals before, clearly love dogs or pets, and haven’t backed animal testing.

• Will their audience care?

  UK-based, engaged (they actually comment and share), and into animal, pet or ethical content.

• Will they be likely to help?

  They’ve shared causes before and post about issues they care about — not just paid brand deals.

• Have they already shown interest?

  They follow or engage with us, or with similar campaigns. Start with people who already care.

The ask: a post or story supporting the current focus and the core issue, pointing followers to the site. Suggested outreach and caption wording is in Message templates. Add candidates to the outreach database — but see the rule below before you message anyone.

Outreach falls into four groups — Talent, Social Influencers, Media, and Decision-makers (MPs, ASRU and relevant orgs). To avoid crossovers and mixed messages, we run it in two phases.

Add contacts to the outreach database in our shared Google Drive rather than messaging people yourself. If you’ve already built a relationship with someone, flag it in the WhatsApp community so we can coordinate before anyone reaches out.

There’s a real appetite for direct action, and we channel it into creative, lawful, non-violent awareness that gets eyes on the cause. Bold is good; illegal and aggressive are not.

• Reverse graffiti

  Clean a message into the grime on a wall or pavement — no paint, no damage, high impact.

• Adbusting & projections

  Reframe public space and online graphics with the message. Remote-friendly and shareable.

• Peaceful occupations & stunts

  Visible, lawful presence in public space that makes people look — always peaceful, always on-message.

• Always tie back

  Every creative act carries the message and the website, or it’s just art. Give people somewhere to go next.

If you’re unsure whether something crosses a line, it goes through the group first. When in doubt, leave it out.

Short versions below to get you moving. The full template bank (Home Office, corporate/customer, press release, social patterns) lives in the Google Drive. Always swap in the current headline ask before sending.

Working files

Design requests

The website — send people here

We make no commission on either store — they exist purely to spread the word.