Posted by on 2/23/2022 to
Today is International Dog Biscuit Appreciation Day!
Did you know?
The 1st dog biscuits were developed by an electrician named James Spratt in 1860. These so-called Meat Fibrine Dog Cakes were made of wheat, beetroot, vegetables, and prairie meat. They were formed into a square shape and baked.
The famous dog shaped biscuit, didn’t come about until over a decade later, in 1907. Created by organic chemist Carleton Ellis, the biscuits were originally made into a round shape. When given to his dog to taste, the dog would not eat it.
On a total whim, Ellis changed the design of the biscuit rather than mess with the ingredients. His thought was that butchers sold meat with the bones still in, and after people cooked with them, the bones were often given to their dogs to chomp on. Amazingly, when the bone shaped biscuit was given to his dog for another taste test, his dog devoured it. By 1915, the biscuits became know as Milk-Bones, in part because one of the ingredients was waste milk from a local slaughter house, and also because of its bone shape. Some years later Nabisco purchased the now famous Milk-Bone brand.
Today, dog biscuits in the shape of bones are uncontested - a cute marketing gimmick that all pet owners have come to revere. Interestingly, had it not been for the whims of a dog, dog shaped biscuits may not have ever dominated the Pet Market as they do today!