Boy's Bulldog "Beauty" Wins British Dog Show (1928)

Here is the winner of our Facebook Colorization Poll #15! The original black and white photograph was colorized by Okkama Colorizations, providing photo restoration and colorization services exclusively at The Psychogenealogist.

Here is the caption of the original photo:

“A young boy clutches his winner of 42 first-place prizes - a bulldog, named Beauty - as he arrives at the London Bulldog Championship Show in 1928”

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You can see this photo and other quirky vintage images of dog shows from yesteryear here.

And here are some delightful film clips of British bulldogs and bulldog shows from a few years after the 1928 show through several decades later.

I was particularly drawn to the “Spratt’s Dog Meat Fibrine Dog Cakes” advertisement that Beauty and his boy are standing in front of. According to this Atlas Obscura article the famous dog biscuit was developed in the 1860s by John Spratt, an American electrician who:

… came up with the idea for a dog biscuit after he witnessed sailors dropping hardtack—an unleavened bread—for the local dogs. He decided he could do the same—and monetize it. His flagship company, Spratt’s, was founded soon after. Their lead product, the Meat Fibrine Dog Cakes, were developed from a combination of wheat, beetroot, vegetables, and prairie meat. (The particular kind of meat in Spratt’s formula was apparently highly confidential; until his death, Spratt “kept in his hands the contract for his meat supplier.”)

Here are some vintage Spratt’s advertisements:

These dog cakes were so popular that they were even endorsed by renowned Antarctic explorer, Ernest Shackleton’s sled dogs ins 1914!

What are some of your favorite pet stories in your family history? What sort of snacks did your furry ancestors eat? We would love to hear your stories!

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