The State - News from Dec. 16, 1987

Fresno police haven’t said if they plan to use the canine patrol to sniff out a carload of stolen Christmas presents--homemade dog biscuits. A charity had sold 100 packages of the biscuits in a fund-raiser for Valley Childrens Hospital and they were awaiting delivery when they were stolen from a car in a restaurant parking lot. “I’m sure that when (the thieves) stole them, they didn’t know what they took,” said Sharon Andreasen of the Las Amigas Guild, a charity benefiting the hospital. It was Andreasen’s idea to create the special dog biscuits, dubbed “ruff cakes,” which come in a variety of flavors--peanut butter, tofu, buttermilk and garlic. The charity raised about $500 by selling the biscuits, cut in the shape of bones and fire hydrants. Andreasen is hoping the thieves will reconsider and return the canine morsels in time for Christmas.