THE EAGER EATER

Purina had been feeding hunting dogs and working farm dogs since 1926, selling the food through rural Purina dealers.

In 1950, Purina decided to apply its years of experience in farm animal foods to developing a highly nutritious and palatable dog food to be sold through grocery outlets.

After five years' work, Purina researchers hit upon a formula that dogs loved. In tests of 300 dogs of 30 different breeds, Dog Chow® was preferred five to one. It had the nutrition of Purina's other rations and was easy to use and store.

After successful test-marketing, Purina® Dog Chow® entered national distribution in April 1957. Advertising stressed the food's palatability with an "Eager Eater" theme. Gaines was then the total sales leader in dry dog foods. By the end of that year, Purina had captured 14.8 percent of the market, and in August 1958 Dog Chow® became the nation's leading dry dog food, a position it has held ever since.