Atlas Obscura, one of my favorite websites, occasionally publishes articles on dogs. In this piece, from 30 June, Michael Waters reveals the origins of bone-shaped dog biscuits.
In 1907, organic chemist Carlton Ellis came up with the recipe for what became the “Milk-Bone,” a dog biscuit that was designed to use waste milk from cows sent to slaughter. Waters reports that at first the biscuits were square, and Ellis’ own dog rejected them. He tried the same recipe, this time shaped like a little bone, and the dog ate it with enthusiasm. Ellis always wondered whether the shape made the difference, but in any event, the biscuit that became the Milk-Bone was born. Ellis sold the patent to the National Biscuit Company, an important early commercial bakery.
I’m quoted in the article, talking about the diet that most dogs still enjoyed (or not) when the Milk-Bone was invented. On April 4, 2016, I wrote a post about a behind-the-scenes tour of the Milk-Bone factory from this May-June 1938 issue of the National Biscuit Company’s NBC Magazine, which seems to have been directed to store managers and owners. This is the cover image. By then, Milk-Bones were regarded largely as dog treats, although the company still suggested that dogs could live off them alone.
Thank you, Atlas Obscura!
