"Dr. Ross' dog food is doggone good!"

In 1932 the old Los Alamitos sugar plant -- which had been closed since 1926 -- was leased to the Dr. Ross Dog Food Co. Before you ask,... NO, the Los Alamitos Race Track did not yet exist, and horse meat in the dog food came from wild horses, not from thoroughbreds who came in last.

However, Dr. W. J. Ross was indeed creative when it came to sourcing cheap protein. Prior to going bankrupt in the Great Depression, Ross purchased boats to catch sea lions as a source of meat for his pet food. It's unclear exactly how far he got with that plan. 

Perhaps even more distubing, Dr. Ross announced plans to process and sell whale meat for human consumption. Presumably the same boats, along with $150,000 worth of additional equipment, were to be part of the harvesting operations near San Clemente Island. Again, it's unclear how far this plan went before stalling.

Eventually, the Dr. Ross dog food brand was purchased by the same company that produced Skippy Dog Food. The new owners used more conventional contents in their products.