For a lot of TV viewers, Dick Van Patten will always be Tom Bradford, the unflappable dad of eight on Eight Is Enough.
The show ran from 1977 to 1981, and Van Patten had been working since he was a child, starting on Broadway at seven years old. But the actor had a second act that many fans never saw coming.
In 1989, he co-founded Natural Balance Pet Foods after a lunch with the drummer from John Davidson‘s talk show band, where the two animal lovers came up with the idea of a healthier dog food, according to the website Pet Food Industry.
According to Mesquite Local News, sales figures for the brand topped $100M in sales. Del Monte announced it would buy Natural Balance in May 2013 and completed the acquisition of 100% of the company on July 15, 2013.
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Michael Bezjian/WireImage for Silver Spoon (formerly The Cabana)
“My partner and I started Natural Balance Pet Foods in 1989 with the intention of developing the finest, healthiest pet food on the market,” Van Patten said, per Pet Food Industry. “We wanted a pet food based on sound scientific principles and truth, not marketing hype. We did it! Not only for dogs and cats, but for large carnivores, such as lions, tigers, polar bears, and wolves in zoos and animal reserves worldwide!”
Additionally, Van Patten founded National Guide Dog Month. It launched in 2008 reported the Blind Veterans Association.
The website states, “The idea for this appreciation month came from actor Dick Van Patten, who was impressed by the great help he had observed service dogs perform to humans with certain ailments and disabilities. To further the cause, he also launched a fundraising initiative to benefit the animals who worked hard every day in service dog training schools.”
Van Patten’s love for animals was deeply rooted in his youth. Reflecting on his lifelong passion during an interview with Triad Today, the actor shared how his devotion to animal welfare began long before his Hollywood success, shaping the compassionate philosophy that would eventually lead him to revolutionize the pet food industry.
He shared, “I wanted to have my own pet shop when I was a kid. My father would take me every Saturday, and I would buy a different pet. Once I bought a baby alligator for a dollar. We kept it in the bathtub, but it got bigger and bigger, and finally nobody could take a bath. So my grandmother said, “Get rid of that alligator!” So I took it to the Central Park Zoo, and it’s probably still there today because alligators live for a long time.”
What started as a lifelong devotion to animal welfare grew into a true pioneer story in American business. Dick Van Patten’s vision in 1989 didn’t just launch a successful company; it changed the pet food industry forever by making high-quality, natural ingredients a national standard.
Related: In 1971, General Mills Put a Vampire and a Frankenstein-Style Creature in the Cereal Aisle; Decades Later, the Monster Cereals Return Every Fall for Halloween
This story was originally published by Parade on Oct 24, 2026, where it first appeared in the Celebs section. Add Parade as a Preferred Source by clicking here.