WELCOME TO THE OTHER SIDE OF ELWOOD'S ORGANIC DOG MEAT
Think "dog meat" could drive real change? Us, too.
The response to Elwood’s Organic Dog Meat has been overwhelmingly positive. One reason is that it starts vegan conversations in a non-confrontational way; this also keeps the focus on the animals.
Below, you'll find various dog meat tools for your activism. Just click the button to be taken to that section on this page. And no—you don't have to take super bold, intimidating actions. Find the activism that speaks to you!
Note: We're still building this part of the site! If you have any additional ideas for us to add, please reach out.​
For all the animals,
Elwood
6 QUICK THOUGHT STARTERS; CLICK FOR MORE INFO:
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SPONSOR AN AD
If you can get us the ad space, we can deliver the creativity. Billboards, newspaper ads, school sponsorships, etc. Contact us below or donate to a future ad!
DIG INTO THE ACTIVISM
TIPS FOR SHARING ELWOOD DOG MEAT
With social media messages, try not to immediately anger or turn off people. This may mean not "showing your hand" right off the bat. Err on being subtle, ambiguous, and gentle to get people curious and interested in reading more.
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Here are some recommendations to get people thinking:
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Share the website. Respond to social media accounts or posts that promote meat or animal agriculture with messages about Elwood Dog Meat, with a link to our main page or breeds page.
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Keep posts/replies gentle and non-confrontational. The goal is to make people curious and want to read more. For example:
"If you can't go vegan, be sure to choose an ethical and local option, like Elwood's."
"Did you hear there's a farm doing the same thing but with dogs? elwooddogmeat.com."
"Is this real?"
"This makes me so mad."
"Have you seen this? It's wild!"
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Keep it kind. It's easy to score cheap points and mock people, but we don't believe that helps the cause. Avoid being cruel. For example, avoid writing replies like, "How'd you like it if they killed your dogs like this?"
If someone thinks this is real, remember: Despite their actions, these folks are animal lovers and you're showing them something extremely upsetting. They are going through a vegan experience.
Similarly, gotcha moments feel good, but it's hard to come back from them and have an open dialog about veganism.
Being gentle with them creates room for meaningful conversations.
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(DON'T FORGET TO TAG US)
Whatever you're doing—getting swole at the gym in your Elwood shirt, leaving dog meat cards on the train, hosting a dog meat tasting, plastering your campus with homemade posters—we want to know about it! Tag us on social media, send us an email, etc.
GET CREATIVE
& DIY YOUR OWN STUFF
It feels good to DIY stuff (it's cheaper, too!). Please use what you want from this site in your own activism—stickers, leave-behind cards, brochures, posters, etc.
What should I make?
Activists have:
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Designed posters to leave around their college campus
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Painted an Elwood message on a rock and left it at the top of a snowy peak
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Written songs
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Made their own fake businesses that collab Elwood
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Did pro-dog meat outreach
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Faked dog meat tastings
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Gone into butcher shops to try to sell them on Elwood's
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See some fun examples of homemade Elwoods' content.
We just ask you to please:
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Be kind: Our mission includes kindness to all beings. Just as the truth of animal ag is horrific, Elwood's is traumatic for those imagining dogs being slaughtered. This includes avoiding gross photos.
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Don't show actual dog meat: This may seem counterintuitive, but dog meat just looks different from the meat of a cow or pig or chicken. We want people to see the flesh they consume every day and not feel this is separate from their actions.
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Make it real: People should go huh? and feel compelled to go to the website to solve it.
To make our content look like it came from a real, local family farm, we copy animal ag social posts, websites, and ads. Once you look for them, you'll see them everywhere. Check those bulletin boards at the co-op. Look at billboards. Watch farm ag influencer videos. Read the literature created to support animal farmers. You'll see lines that just beg to be parodied, like, “doing it an old-fashioned way."
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Tell the truth: You do not need to exaggerate any facts—the truth of the industry is bad enough as it is. (We often only change the species.
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HOST A DOG MEAT BOOTH
Ready to do a dog meat tasting in your neck of the woods? We've got some stuff for you!
Here are a few successful Elwood Dog Meat tables so far:
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Animal Friends Croatia - Dog Meat Tasting in Zagreb?
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Texas Animal Freedom Fighters - Legalize Dog Meat
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BlogTo - Toronto park-goers shocked to be offered dog meat samples
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Elwood's Organic Dog Meat - Vegandale booth
Free materials
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Zip files: Free sample signs, booth banner, event posters, menu, Elwood images & logo
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Check out all the free downloads: Brochures, posters, business cards
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Guidance
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Goal: Steer the conversation to veganism and get a brochure or card or something else into their hand. (They just had a unique experience and will likely share it with others.)
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Make up Elwood facts: We tell folks that the farm is family-owned and local. We make up which breeds we have and how many, etc. If they ask about taste, just improvise.
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Memorize actual farm facts: Stick to the facts of animal ag, especially regarding how animals are raised, how they live, and how they're slaughtered. Remember: There's no need to exaggerate what happens on family farms to win the argument.
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Answer the "How is this legal?" question: We say we were grandfathered in—in fact, we've been around since 1981. But you can say what you'd like. :)
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When to stop pretending: It's up to you how far to go. Perhaps it's the moment they're catching on, or when you're smiling, or they're getting reasonably angry.
But at some point, you'll want to move from pretending to be the farmer to asking the leading questions and turning the conversation to veganism. We like to ask questions like:-
Why does this bother you?
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This is how farm animals are treated—what's the issue?
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They're raised for this. They're livestock. So it's ok, right?
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What's the difference between a dog and a pig, who is actually smarter than a dog?
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Do you know why you're upset?
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Be kind: The people who believe this is real will be very upset. Do not be cruel to them. They're likely to be receptive to this message and may eventually go vegan because of this experience. Do not turn this moment into something that makes them hate vegans. This will not help the animals.
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Be safe: Do not do dog tastings in places that do not feel safe. Be particularly aware of folks who are inebriated, as they will be less likely to understand the complexity of your activism.
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Give tasty vegan samples: Vegan jerky works well as a sample (no cooking!). Just be aware of the ingredients and always ask people if they have allergies.
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Capture the moment: Photos and videos of your event have the potential to start conversations after the fact—be sure to document and share the event on social media.
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Chat with us
Have more questions about doing a dog meat table? Reach out!
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CREATE AN ELWOOD WEBSITE IN YOUR COUNTRY
We get many requests to make Elwoods in different languages, from fans who want to share it to volunteers who want to make it. We can't wait for Elwood's to be everywhere!
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Where we are right now
The American version of the homepage and breeds page have been translated into German, French, and Portuguese; Italian, Dutch, Spanish, and Croatian are complete and will be added in the first few months of 2023. You can see these in the drop-down menu of these pages.
As we know the cowboy logo is very American, immersive pages for specific countries are in the works. These "local" pages will have their own name, cuisines, and cultural touchstones to make the content seem believable for those regions. Norway, Spain, and The Netherlands are complete, with more coming soon.
Where we want to beWe're seeking activists with web/social/content creation skills—and the time needed!—to create these immersive pages in their own countries. It's up to you how in-depth you make this—whether you want to create and manage social pages, email responders, etc., or if you simply want to make the homepage as a standalone experience. (If you simply want to create it and hand management off to another activist, we should be able to work that out!)
If we do work together, we'll ask you to post a line at the bottom of the page in your language; something like "We are an authorized international member of Elwood's Organic Dog Meat; however, all dogs are produced locally near you."
If you are interested in this, please contact us to work together!
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Can I just copy the site and do this on my own?
No, and that's for a few reasons:
We'd like to retain creative ownership of this massive project.
We're already working with volunteers to create authentic versions in their countries, so we don't want to have duplicate pages.
We want to ensure the page looks good and matches our approach.
Benefits of working with us:​
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Access to a fully created Wix page to translate and build out (we will create a mirror and assign co-ownership to you, though you can build one with whatever tool you prefer)
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Free, legal use of Elwood's stock images
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A proven user journey that works
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Guidance for engagement (building auto-responses for the site and social media)
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Elwood's list of resources, the FAQ, etc.
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Funding for a few things as needed (logo design, um... maybe other things?)
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Raw design files of printables to use/translate as you see fit.
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Support from us and other Elwood farmers who are building their own pages
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Elwood's will share your website and social posts
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Creative support/feedback from us if needed
And what do we get out of working with you?
Content for social media (we want to share about your farm!)
The ability to say Elwood's is in X number of countries
If you use the Veganuary link tied to Elwood's, we can use those numbers to support the idea that Elwood's Organic Dog Meat is making a difference
The ability to give you feedback (if you let us!)
We get "coworkers" because dog meat farming is lonely
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Want to work on this together? Reach out to us!
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And—of course: You're fully welcome to make your own non-Elwood dog meat website in your country on your own (this also goes for your cat/zebra/human baby meat farm). We just ask that you not copy our words, layout, or images. Many thanks!
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