HISTORIAN’S CORNERTHIS MONTH IN ENGLISH SETTER HISTORY:

August 2019

The FDA recently announced that they are studying the link between certain grain-free dog foods and dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM), which can be fatal. While DCM is common in some dog breeds, a number of reports of DCM involved breeds in which the disease is uncommon. The FDA is investigating possible links between certain foods that have legumes (peas, lentils, chickpeas, beans) or potatoes (including sweet potatoes) as primary ingredients and DCM. Previous research by veterinarians indicates that a deficiency in the amino acid taurine may be involved. We may question why we are feeding our dogs commercial foods with ingredients such as these. Perhaps it is a question of sustainability. Can we continue to produce pet foods that contain primarily beef and other traditional livestock? Looking ahead with an emerging concern about where protein (for both pets and humans) will come from in the future, Nestle-Purina is test marketing unique dog foods under the brand name “Rootlab” in the Chicago area. These foods contain protein sourced from plants, insects (crickets), and invasive species (Asian Carp).

Today’s dog owners face a dizzying array of dog food choices in a highly competitive marketplace dominated by a number of global multinational corporations as well as an increasing number of smaller independents. This was not always the case. Let’s take a look back at what English Setter breeders were feeding during the large kennel era and how our breed was used in advertising commercial foods at the time.

EVOLUTION OF EARLY COMMERCIAL DOG FOODS

American James Spratt developed the world’s first commercial pet food while residing in England. He noticed dogs along the riverbanks in London eating leftover hardtack, the dry biscuit sailors ate while at sea. Spratt wisely deduced that dog owners were also in need of a spoilage-resistant food for their pets. He created the first biscuit for dogs - Spratt’s Meat Fibrine Dog Cakes. Spratt’s cakes contained a mix of wheat, vegetables, beetroot, and “the dried unsalted gelatinous parts of Prairie Beef.” (Spratt kept the exact source of the “Prairie Beef” a secret). Spratt introduced his biscuits to America in the 1870s. He employed an aggressive advertising strategy, targeting health conscious pet owners and dog show participants. He bought the full front cover of the first American Kennel Club journal in January 1889. The American dog-owning public went for Spratt’s biscuits in a big way.

The appearance of Milk-Bone in 1908 sparked a revolution in the dog food industry, eventually leading to today’s global pet food industry. Produced by the F. H. Bennett Biscuit Co., the original name of the product was Maltoid. It was a bone-shaped biscuit. There was a real effort to produce a biscuit with nourishing ingredients. It contained meat, cereals, milk, cod liver oil, wheat germ and irradiated yeast. Bennett’s Milk-Bone Dog and Puppy Foods were the first foods to be packaged in individual boxes rather than in bulk to preserve their freshness. It was also sold in various sized biscuits to meet the needs of different sized dogs. In 1931, the National Biscuit Co. (Nabisco) bought the F. H. Bennett Biscuit Co. Nabisco was the first national human food company to enter the pet food business. Milk-Bone was the first pet food to be sold in grocery stores. Nabisco sent out an army of 3,000 salesmen to overcome the initial resistance to this idea.

The first canned dog food appeared on the market in 1922. Ken-L Ration was produced by the Chappel Brothers

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Packing Company in Rockford, Ill. It was canned horsemeat. By 1930, Ken-L Ration had become so popular that the Chappels began slaughtering large numbers of horses for the sole purpose of making Ken-L Ration. By 1941, canned dog food made up 90% of the market. In December 1941 the US entered World War II and the government started rationing tin and meat. Dry dog food became popular again by necessity and the Chappel brothers switched to producing dry dog food. In 1942 Quaker Oats entered the pet food business by purchasing the Chappel Brothers Packing Co. Quaker Oats sponsored a “Quaker Oats Breeder of the Year” award to attract the dog show fancy. Two English Setter breeders who won this award were C. N. Myers (Blue Bar) and Bill Holt (Rock Falls).

The emergence of dog biscuits, kibble and canned horsemeat as basic categories of commercial pet food paved the way for a major new dry formula called dog meal. Clarence Gaines was put in charge of the Gaines Food Co. in 1925. Dog meal was originally sold in bulk. In 1928, Gaines was also selling his customers empty five and ten pound bags so they could divide the bulk into more manageable and less costly purchases. Gaines sensed the need for sales promotion and began the now-familiar practice of using show dog champions in his advertising. He exhibited his own pointers at field trials across the US where the superior quality of his entries nurtured interest in Gaines Dog Meal. Within a decade, Gaines had attained national distribution. In 1943, General Foods acquired the Gaines Food Co.

Purina traces its roots to 1894, when founder William H. Danforth began producing feed for various farm animals under the name Purina Mills. In 1902, he merged with health guru Webster Edgerly, founder of the health movement known as Ralstonism, to form the Ralston-Purina Co. The letters for the word Ralston came from Regime, Activity, Light, Strength, Temperation, Oxygen and Nature. By late 1940’s, the company was getting complaints about the appearance, texture and digestibility of its dry dog food. Purina’s pet food division borrowed an extruder (used to make the company’s popular Chex cereals) from the cereal division and experimented making dry dog food with it. Ingredients were pushed through a tube, cooked under high pressure and puffed up with air. Purina Dog Chow was introduced in 1957 and in two years it became the leading brand of dog food in the US. This expanded product had greater palatability. The less dense chow resulted in much larger bags for the same weight as meal, which helped fuel sales in supermarkets.

ENGLISH SETTER BREEDERS AND THEIR DOG FOOD

No doubt, English Setter breeders each had their own favorite brand of dog food. Jeannette Brady (Frenchtown) was still raving about the virtues of Ken-L Biskit decades after she ceased breeding. So large was C. N. Myers’ Blue Bar operation that he had a railroad siding built to serve his kennel. He ordered dog food by the boxcar load. One approach open to English Setter breeders in the early days of the English Setter Association was to cook up your own food. Dr. A. A. Mitten took this approach for his Happy Valley Kennels. First, a soup was made from nine large (beef ) shinbones. These were placed in 30 gallons of water and boiled for four hours. Then a bushel of carrots, two heads of cabbage, two pecks of spinach, three garlic cloves, and a scoop each of barley and rice were added. This mixture was boiled for two more hours. Thirty pounds of ground beef were added for the last fifteen minutes of cooking. Once the soup was cool, 100 pounds of Kib-L Biscuit were added. This concoction was refrigerated until use. When feeding, the food was placed in individual pans and a quart of milk was added. Some dogs also received a raw egg and all were given raw bones or meat every other day. All dogs received a daily tablespoon of cod liver oil. Puppies were started on raw hamburger.

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There were two smaller scale dog food producers that bred and showed English Setters for the publicity. One was D & G (Dietrich and Gambrill) located in Frederick, MD. They bred at least two AKC champions. One was Ch. Rock’s Reward of D & G (Ch. Rock of Stagboro x Ch. Old’s Blondie, b. 1936). The other was littermate Ch. Roxanne of D & G. Selkirk Snooksie was their grandmother on their sire’s side and their pedigree was as strong in Mallwyd influence as much as any of the English Setters of the time. The other regional dog food company was the Sturdy Dog Food Company located in Syracuse, NY. Founded in 1930 by W. M. Crull, Sturdy sold granular meal, baked and kibbled biscuits, and canned food. Crull maintained experimental kennels as a “proving ground” for their products. They got involved in the breeding of English Setters to attract the attention of sportsmen. They hired their own handler, Charlie Palmer. Their two most famous AKC champions were littermates Ch. Sturdy Max and Ch. Sturdy Belle, two champion offspring of Rummey Stagboro.

DOG FOOD ADVERTISING AND ENGLISH SETTERS

When it came to dog food advertising, English Setters were a popular subject owing to their popularity with the public. They were often depicted in the field, thus exhibiting their vitality. Here is a sampling.

Early British Ad for Spratt’s Dog Food Featuring a “Setter.”

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Ken-L Biskit Tin Cover Featuring Rin Tin Tin, the First Canine Movie Hero

1946 Gaines Ad Featuring an English Setter.

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Purina Ad Featuring an English Setter

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D&G Dog Food Ad From a 1936 Show Catalog

Sturdy Dog Food Advertising Thermometer Featuring Ch. Sturdy Belle.

Collection of the Author.

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Vitality Dog Food Ad Featuring Ch. Blue Bar Limited from an Early

1940's Dog News. Flash Stanley was the Mythical "Owner" in this Ad.

Blue Bar Limited was One of Myers' Early Successful Specials. The Fact

that Myers' Name Does Not Appear is Probably the Result of Him Not

Feeding Vitality Food.

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Dash Dog Food Ad Featuring Ch. Prune’s Own Yukon and His “Mythical” Family Getting Ready for the Hunt. Dash was a Product of the Amour Co., Which Was One of the Five Largest

Meat Packing Companies in Chicago.