Category Archives: May 2013

Monthly Dog Box Subscription Breakdown

May 2013 Leave a comment

So here’s my final breakdown of all 5 box companies.

Company Cost (w/out coupon) Coupon Tailored Item Items Worth Dog happiness Human happiness
Pets Love Toys $25 none You pick what comes in the box, Tailored by dog weight Toys and Treat/Chews $30+ + + + + + + + + + +
Bugsy’s Box $29 (CAD) none One dog size only Toys and Treat/Chews $30+ + + + +
Spoiled Rotten $25 available One dog size only Toy, treats, accessory, suppliment $40+ + + + + + + + + +
Pawalla $20-$30 available Two box sizes, Pet products tailored with profile Can foods, treat, suppliment, accessory $30+ + + + + +
BarkBox $29 available Pet products tailored by weight Toy and Treats/Chews $35+ + + + + + + + +

IN THE END:

Pets Love Toys- Pros: I knew exactly what Eclair would like and picked my favorite box from the show room / Cons: There is no surprise factor when the box comes.

Bugsy’s Box- Pros: Treats were interesting, very cute company name. / Cons: Credit card fees apply to USA residents (generally). No treats and toys caterred to your dog’s size or condition.

Spoiled Rotten- Pros: Varied items and great price worth more than box. / Cons: Items are all from their PetFlow website, don’t expect unique niche-like biscuits that’s aren’t mass produced.

Pawalla- Pros: Pet nutritionist picks the stuff, so expected food items are all high quality. / Cons: Pet nutritionist picks the stuff, so don’t expect toys to be stimulating.

BarkBox- Pros: Unique food items and sure please-rs to dogs. / Cons: Least amount of items compared to other boxes. If you’re looking for quantity, pass this box by.

The Winning Box, I leave it to you and your pooch to decide. As all dogs are made differently, perhaps things Eclair and I didn’t like you would. I just place before you what I honestly thought about each box.

BarkBox May 2013 Box review

May 2013 Leave a comment

May BarkboxIt finally came in! Geez, that took a while!

So what came in the box: Planet Dog Rubber Eggplant Toy,  Bocce’s Bakery in Green Juice Biscuits, Loving Pets Grill-icious Beef and Sweet Potato Treats, and Heartland Premium Large Pork Bone.

What makes them different from other monthly boxes: 10% of the proceeds goes to a rescue group. Advise card for you and your pet to try and follow.

Cost: $29.00 for the large dog box.

Coupon code: BarkBox link for $5 off first month, also “BARKPOST” for $10 off first month, unknown exp date.

Eclair’s Verdict: Wobble, wobble, that eggplant bounces like none of my other toys. It scared me in the beginning because I thought it would bounce in a straight line but came back at me! I like it when you toss it because it’s more exciting to catch then my other bouncing toys. Ewww, blah that green biscuit is no good. I won’t touch it. It doesn’t smell enticing,  it smells like grass. Where’s the meat? Oh, there it is! That BBQ beef, yeah that’s the good stuff!

Human Verdict: The box finally came in and the wait is over! Final monthly subscription dog box review! So I wasn’t impressed by the number of items that came in the box considering it was a $29 box, with $35.93 worth total.  The treats seemed more a niche-trendy types, which isn’t bad. I wouldn’t have know about Bocce’s Bakery or Loving Pet’s Grill-icious treats. I looked up the companies and they more geared towards the east coast. So if I wanted to continue to give Eclair these treats I’d have to order through the online venue. The green biscuits will need to be pet recycled. Eclair rejected them 🙁 Of course she did, but I was hoping… Anyways Bocce’s Bakery offers other flavors. Perhaps I should buy a few when I’m visiting in NYC. The beef treat, was a big green light.  And my first impression of the Eggplant was uuuuh, ok. But being scientific in mind, I immediately noticed this would actually be an interesting toy because it’s not balanced in weight nor symmetrical  It would bounce back and forth in different directions from whence thrown! Ok, enough of that, needless to say it bounced the way I had hoped. Perfect! That got my girl interested! The large pork femur bone has yet been tested, but I’m sure Eclair with love it. I’m already loving how it a pork bone because she’ll brake it and I won’t have to freak out about the bone pieces piercing her as chicken bone would.

OVERALL: I generally liked everything that came in the box, but I didn’t like a whole bag of treats worth $9.50 wasted (aka the Green Juice Biscuits). A different flavor for non-herbivores would have been better. I think I’ll have to cancel, no more Bark Boxes. Thank you very much.

Pawalla April 2013 Box Review

May 2013 Leave a comment

Pawalla April 2013 box

So what came in the box: 2 Cans of Mulligan Stew in Salmon and Duck, Lucky Dog-Peanut Butter and Berry Amazing treats, In Clover Grin Dental Chews, Earth Heart Canine Calm Spray, MedNet Ultra Puppy Wipes, and Amazing Pet Rope Ball. All made in the good-o US of A.

What makes them different from other monthly boxes: A sheet describing each product came with the box just like Bugsy’s Box. There is a choice of picking a standard size box which is full size items and a mini size box which is travel/trial size items. I went with a standard box, considering my dog is on the big side and would demolish anything too small. You can also specify what size your dog is when ordering your box.

Cost: $24.50 for the large dog box.

Coupon code: “Intro15S” or “Intro15M” for 15% off first month, “S” for standard size and “M” for mini size boxes.

Eclair’s Verdict: Toss out that rope ball please, I couldn’t even get my mouth around it. What am I suppose to do with it?! The wet food made my meals very tasty but I had to go more than normal because it was introduced too quickly. I know, I know, 2 spoons is not a lot but hey! I’m a GS and we are a sensitive stomach lot! I did love the box that my stuff came in. It took me 30 minutes to tear it to pieces, now that was fun! Can you tape the pieces together and let me do that again?

Human Verdict: Okay…that rope toy frankly sucked! My dog wants to be engaged, and for a simple ball of fabric that doesn’t even bounce! Come ON! I was hoping for something for stimulating or novel, but it’s a fabric ball and I can’t even play tug-o-war with her. For me that toy killed any hope of redemption for this box. Aside from the rope ball, the dental chews were alright. I did like how they smelled differently from typical treats. The other treats, Peanut butter and berry ones were ok. She was a bit hesitant to try it at first. She sniffed it first, then proceeded to test out it’s texture and taste, then finally biting into it. The good part about those treats were it’s lack of added salt, colors, and preservatives. The bad part was it included oats. My dooogie has a sensitive stomach and grains seem to quicken her digestive system. The can foods were “extremely hearty”. I had to use them as a topping for her meals. And since the cans used limited ingredients I did approve of them. And since they used less preservatives then other food companies, the can I assumed wouldn’t last long in the fridge once opened. I would have liked a  number-of-viable-days-after-opening on the can. I ended up tossing it out after 2 days in the fridge. The calming spray, did not calm her. It smelled nice and outdoorsy but didn’t live up to it’s purpose. Out of everything that came in this box, I only loved the puppy wipes, those were so very useful.

OVERALL: The highlight of the box was the doggy wipes… wow, that was really pathetic. Doggy wipes. *frown*

Pet Flow’s Spoiled Rotten April 2013 Box review

May 2013 Leave a comment

Pet Flow's Spoiled Rotten April 2013 box Ok yeah, that’s her nose at the top, going after that boggle-eyed skunk toy.

So what came in the box: Evo Wild Cravings Herring Treats, Dynamo Dog Tummy Treats, Merrick Spiral Bully Stick, Ark Natural Traveler capsules, Pooch Googlies Skunk, and PetzLife Oral Care Spray.

What makes them different from other monthly boxes: This is truly a monthly surprise box. I had no idea what was coming in until it came in: 1 toy, 3 treats, 1 oral care, 1 anxiety care. They seem to focus on treats more but also think about health concerns.

Cost: $24.95 for the large dog box.

Coupon code: “SRB9” for $5 off first month

Eclair’s Verdict: Whoaaah that skunk, what is that?! Totally novel and exciting. I like it. Those fish treats I can’t get enough of, if I could just get the whole bag… 

Human Verdict: I barely got to lay out the goods before the pooch started exploring. Eclair gets bored easily when its something she’s seen before, such a smart dog. I’m really glad something new like the skunk toy came in. She was hesitant but curious and cautious and totally going at that toy. I had to record her reaction on film. The Evo treats, were a huge hit! And I’m so glad they gave such a large bag. It been just few weeks since opening up the bag, but it’s all gone already. It’s got to taste fantastic because she drools when she sees me opening it up. I like everything else in the box too! For a sensitive tummy dog I’m glad they had the Dynamo treats and the anxiety capsules, I’ll definetly try out.

OVERALL: I think I might give this box another month.

Bugsy’s Box April 2013 Box review

May 2013 2 Comments

Bugsy's Box April 2013 box

So what came in the box: 20″ Bottle Buddy, 9″ Animal Safari, 2 TenderStikz of beef/cheddar & chicken/cheddar, Salmon Paws Stix, Dynamo Dog Treats: hip & joint, and 2 Pegetables: corn & carrot.

What makes them different from other monthly boxes: You can’t specify size of dog you have. Can’t be sure dogs of all sizes will like everything that comes. It truly is a surprise. A nice paper came along in the box describing the items.

Cost: $29.00 (CAD) Watch out for that international fee on your credit card!

Coupon code: none

Eclair’s Verdict: I liked the 20″ bottle buddy. I got to toss that thrash it around the room. The salmon stix are very yummy, so are the dynamo treats! I liked only half of what was in here, but the box was fun to tear apart!

Human Verdict: Hmm, not completely excited about this box. The toys were okay, she did like the bottle buddy, but the other animal toy was boring. It was way too common. The 2 TenderStikz seem very high in protein and fat, so I’m saving that for later when she really good. The salmon sticks were good, I like how they didn’t contain any preservatives. The Dynamo treats were ideal because my pup is just starting to do some running jumping moves.  I didn’t like the 2 pegetable treats, my dog isn’t a vegetarian. And I changed her kibble because she could digest the corn in the ingredients properly. Basically corn causes her to go poop more frequently + with softer texture = unhappy human picking up. I’m passing along the items she can’t have or could care less about to a friend.

OVERALL: I’m not going to purchase another Bugsy’s Box. Not specific enough about dog size, total Eclair excitement from all products wasn’t huge, and the CC international transaction fee is no good for a resident of the US.

Pets Love Toys April 2013 Box review

May 2013 Leave a comment

Pets Love Toys April 2013 box Eclair already did some damage to one of the many treats/chews in this box before I got to take a picture of the items!

So what came in the box: Himalaya Dog Chew,  Dried Liver bites, Calming Treat, Smoke House Pig Skin, 2 Pig Skin Rolls, and Chicken Chips. All made in the USA.

What makes them different from other monthly boxes: Your able to choose which box comes in the mail, more than 9 different box varieties to choose from. A mix of toys only, toys and treats, and treats only boxes to choose from. Box showroom ready for the next month on the 25th of each month.

Cost: $24.95 for the large dog box.

Coupon code: none

Eclair’s Verdict: Loved the Dried Liver bites, calming treats, 2 large pig skin chews, and those chicken chips, AWESOME! 2 Paws of approval for this box!

Human Verdict: Dang Dog, this box was great. She liked everything, some much more than others. Nothing in this box did she snub. Great choices for this month’s box. I’d get another box from this company because I could choose which box would come in. Of course this takes away the surprise factor but I like knowing that she’ll like everything in it! Plus, there are more than 9 different types of boxes to choose from, something bound to interest all dog types.

OVERALL: Perhaps I’ll get another box?

Monthly packaged Dog boxes, Introduction

May 2013 Leave a comment

I’ve been looking around for a monthly dog treat/toy box for my pup for a while and I was impressed by a few companies but unsure at the same time. I mean, what’s going to come in the boxes and they are always a surprise right? What if my picky pup doesn’t like them? I couldn’t decide so I choose 5 different companies that appealed and gave each a month try. Of course, I used all the coupons I could find. It can get expensive!

Meet the judge, my currently 7 month old GS (German Shepherd), Eclair!

Dog box Judge

She’s as picky as they come when it comes to food, treats, and toys. Don’t believe me, hear my stories: Food, I feed her twice a day kibble and a few scoops of can food. I have to switch the can food at the very most every 3 days. She gets bored with the taste, plus she’s got a sensitive stomach. She’s like a person, I couldn’t stand having the same for my meals for days on end. Treats, you know how typical dogs love the treat bar at Petco, not this pooch! She doesn’t want any of the treats except for the cookie sandwich ones and its the cream that she wants. She licks off all the cream and leaves the cookies. Just like me! I love just the Oreo cream and not so much the cookie…I think she’s taking after me. Plus, she prefers meaty chewy treats versus biscuits. Toys, playing fetch is ah…ok, but chasing a toy on a string drives her wild. Chew toys made of fibers  for tug-o-war are boring to her, she’d rather pop bubbles.

We’ll be reviewing some monthly pet box companies in the next few reviews; here’s a peek at the companies: Pets Love Toys, Bugsy’s Box, Spoiled Rotten, Pawalla, and Bark Box. All boxes have come in, except Bark Box. That probably won’t be in until mid May. All other boxes are the April boxes.