Barkbox!

Some of you may have heard of Birchbox… it’s a monthly subscription that sends out a box of several trial and full sized beauty products. I’ve been receiving Birchboxes for about a year now and love it. I’m a fan of being able to try before I buy, and have been introduced to some great new products. Plus, who doesn’t love receiving packages?? It’s like getting a present in the mail each month!

You can imagine how thrilled I was when I found out that there’s now a similar monthly subscription for dogs called BarkBox. Now the pups can share in my excitement each month with their very own box of goodies. Each month they will receive a box with four or more goodies… they could be treats, toys, bones, grooming supplies, and fun new doggy gadgets. Each month is a surprise! We received our first Barkbox last week and the pups were stoked. I’m sure they could smell the contents before we even opened the box… as wherever I took the box, Lucy followed. She nosed her way into the box once I opened it, even getting pieces of tissue paper stuck to her schnauzer beard. Silly pup. Below are what Chloe + Lucy received in their first Barkbox… I’ve also included prices, as several people have asked if I think the contents of the box are worth the price (Note:  I did not receive a sheet that lists all the contents of the box, which it seems is usually included. Would have made this review a little easier, and I like to read the brief description and prices of the products like I receive from Birchbox. At first I thought that BarkBox just didn’t include a summary sheet, but I’ve seen that others did receive one so I guess ours just got left out. Hopefully next month we’ll have one!):

1.  LittleEatz carob chip cookies – these are all-natural treats that both pups and their humans are able to eat! Personally, I haven’t tried them (they look like little chocolate chip cookies, so I’m tempted!) but the girls sure do seem to like them. ($3.99)

2.  Doggie Waste Bags – made with tapioca plant. Basically, they’re eco-friendly poop bags. We haven’t tried these yet but as both a pet owner and a pet photographer, we can never have too many poop bags. ($3.33 for the pack of 20, as they are $9.99 for 60 on their site)

3.  K-10+ vitamin packet –  a packet of vitamin powder that you mix in your pups water. We received a multivitamin packet, but did not receive the calcium packet that others have received. I’m not too worried about it though… I’m not sure that these will work for us since we usually end up dumping and refilling the dogs’ water long before it’s empty. Lucy’s grungy beard dirties up their water pretty quickly. ($2.50 per packet, $34.99 for a box of 14 packets)

4.  Barkworthies Bullystick Ring – this is Lucy’s favorite part of the box… she LOVES bullysticks. She wouldn’t leave me alone until I gave this to her and she went to town on it. Lucy approves! (couldn’t find prices on their website, it appears that they sell wholesale. I’d guess that this would be about $2, based on other bullystick prices)

5.  Freezy Pups Kit –  this is my favorite part of the box… An ice cube tray that makes cute little bone-shaped ice cubes! It even comes with 4 flavor packs: chicken soup, white cheddar cheese, juicy apple, sweet potato n’ maple. For some reason, Lucy is an ice cube fiend. Even if she’s asleep, if she hears the ice box she comes running into the kitchen and looks expectantly up at me. And Chloe loves hanging out on the deck so I’m sure she’ll love these cold treats in the summertime. ($19.99)

6.  BarkBox t-shirt –  for humans, not pets. It’s cute… I like the #woof bubble.

7.  Yellow BarkBox collar –  a thank you that signifies that by subscribing to BarkBox, you are helping pups in need. Sweet.

Barkbox is giving back by donating 10% of each proceeds to a different shelter or rescue group each month… I love that.

Overall, I’m pretty happy with our first BarkBox and definitely think it’s worth the $16/month that I paid. I’m already looking forward to next month’s box… and I bet the pups are too!

To start receiving your very own BarkBox, just go to www.barkbox.com. You choose your pups size:  small & cute (0-20lbs), just right (20-50lbs), or big & bold (50+lbs). You can then choose how many monthly boxes you’d like to receive:  $25/month for 1 month, $21/month for 3 months, or $17/month for 6 months. And if you enter the discount code:  APZIE001 , you can get $5 off your purchase making the 6 month subscription less than $16/month. Score!