Dog Biscuit Day

A Brief History of the Dog Biscuit

Dog treats have come a long way from the odd table scraps or bran-based, often rotting and moldy “dog’s bread” that wasn’t considered fit for human consumption. In 1860, the American inventor and electrician James Spratt “unveiled Spratt’s Patent Meat Fibrine Dog Cakes, a combination of wheat, beetroot, vegetables, and beef blood. Before long, he had competitors with names like Dr. A. C. Daniels’ Medicated Dog Bread and F. H. Bennett’s Malatoid Dog Biscuits.” 

Spratt was inspired to develop a food specifically engineered for canines during a business trip to London. “After watching quayside mongrels feasting on hardtack, the dry biscuit that fed sailors on long voyages, Spratt set about making a biscuit for dogs that could serve as their primary food.” The expensive biscuit food (a skilled craftsman’s full-day wages could buy about a 50-pound bag ) was popular among England’s country gentleman.

By 1895, Spratt’s was and established business in the United States. The New York Times described dog biscuits as “the principal food” of show dogs. When Lady Ellen– a prizewinning bulldog–died at the 1902 Madison Square Garden dog show, investigators suspected foul play. The likely murder weapon: poisoned dog biscuits.

Since then, innovations and refinements have enhanced the dog biscuit. One of the most noticeable and long-lasting changes occurred in 1907 when Carleton Ellis (the organic chemist behind modern-day margarine, as well as varnish and paint remover) tried to get his dog to taste-test a new recipe for a milk-based dog biscuit. Ellis’s pooch wasn’t interested in the odd edible at first. So, Ellis decided to bake the biscuits in bone-shaped molds. The new look worked.

“To this day,” Ellis told Popular Science in a 1936 interview, “I cannot tell whether my dog is interested in the bone-shaped biscuit because it fools him as such, or whether, after my shaping the biscuit in an effort to cater to his taste, he feels duty-bound to fool his master by simulating an interest in it.” F. H. Bennett Biscuit Company began selling the bones in 1908. Seven years later, the company wanted to stress the nutritious benefits of its dairy ingredients and rebranded the food as “Milk-Bone”; now, arguably America’s most popular dog biscuit brand.

During the post-WWII boom, dog biscuits became more of a “dog dessert” — a special treat, not part of a healthy meal.

than well-balanced dinner. A trend that stuck. Current dog biscuit offerings are wider-ranging, better-tasting and healthier than their predecessors. There are biscuits to improve dental hygiene; biscuits for dogs with specific health issues or allergies; and many more.

You can even bake your own custom dog biscuits!
Check out some recipes.