Vet Tom Lonsdale and the Raw Meaty Bones Logo

The Raw Meaty Bones Logo

After 50 years as a vet—graduated May 1972 from Royal Veterinary College, University of London—it’s time to hang up the stethoscope and return to the Raw Meaty Bones campaign full time (although with the occasional interlude of rest and recreation)

Hopefully, as I gather my thoughts, I’ll share them with you here.

However, first, I thought to share with you some background on the Raw Meaty Bones Logo:

I hope you like it. It’s been the logo of the Raw Meaty Bones campaign since about 1992. There’s various elements that somehow came together way back. I can’t remember all, even much, of my thinking back then. I do remember that the Riverstone Vet Clinic premises in the old butcher’s shop had undergone an 18-month transformation from a virtual ruin to a state-of-the-art vet hospital.

The architectural diagrams were available; whether from Otto Cserhalmi the architect or Nelson Haora the builder. Next, it was a matter of arranging a cat on the roof teasing a dog on the ground. And what better models than Polly Puss and son Tom’s dog Podge? Polly Puss was your typical Blue Burmese mischievous miss. Podge was the most affable, well-intentioned and always happy fellow. But due to his generous spirit he was the sort of dog that a mischievous miss could tease.

Accordingly, I took to the drawing board and depicted Polly Puss on the roof with Podge appearing somewhat flummoxed on the ground as both of them sought to gain access to the Raw Meaty Bones that Promote Health. I took some creative licence insofar as I affixed a tail on Podge. Whether he had been surgically docked as a puppy or whether it was part of his genetic makeup, I cannot be sure. Anyway, for artistic purposes, I gave him a tail.

Of course, they’re both long gone now. But every time I look at the logo I’m reminded of two wonderful creatures.

For a long time, through the nineties, the logo image was reproduced on the vet practice stationery and in the front window of the vet practice. If you look closely at the present-day logo you can see the logo reproduced in miniature in the clinic window and within the miniature, there’s a mini-miniature and so on.

In 1996 the logo first appeared on the internet when the www.rawmeatybones.com website first appeared. As to whether the logo had any text at that time, I’m not sure. However, by 2001 the text as you see it, first appeared on the logo. August 2001 was the publication date of Raw Meaty Bones: Promote Health. Joy Lankshear of Lankshear Design designed the book and provided the typesetting. She also worked her wizardry with Photoshop and arranged the text on and under the logo.

So there you have it—the history of the RMB logo.

In the future, I hope folks will make use of the logo for personal use and to help promote the RMB campaign for better pet health and resolution of the junk pet food fraud.

Please note that the logo is copyright protected and should not be used for commercial purposes.

Have a great day.

Cheers, Tom

Tom Lonsdale's Signature
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