BarkBox Inspires: Getting More Than What’s Inside the Box

I  love dog subscription boxes and we’ve tried many of them. I ordered the first BarkBox for my Dachshunds almost 7 years ago and I’ve been hooked ever since.

The treats and toys that come inside the box are high quality, are always made in the USA, are of similar quality to what I would find in the boutique pet stores I shop in, and the toys we’ve receive are generally on the more durable end (C’mon, Dachshunds ARE strong chewers so I am surprised when a toy last more than a day or three).

Now, for me, the surprise alone makes getting a subscription worthwhile.

However, the value of the items in the box always exceed the monthly subscription cost (which is $30 and under).

For example, in the June BarkBox we received:

  • Jurassic Pork Treats – $8
  • Dino-Bite Treats – $6
  • Small Pork Roll – $3
  • Hatchin’ Harry Plus Toy – $10
  • Uh-Oh Volcano Toy – $10
  • Saber Chewth Tiger Teeth Toy – $8

Total Value = $45

What's Inside the June BarkBox - Dinosaur Theme

Inspiring Discoveries

To me, the value of a BarkBox subscription is not just what comes inside the box.

The goodies that arrive every month are a little different than what I might normally buy myself. In a good way.

I’ve tried a lot of toys and treats for My Dachshunds. At least I used to.

I found what I liked and don’t stray far from that. When it comes to treats, that means they end up getting the same thing over and over again.

I’m sure the new flavors and textures of treats that come in the BarkBox are a welcome surprise for them.

But even more than that are the discoveries I sometimes make through what comes in our BarkBox. Take the recent “miracle”.

One of my Dachshund Gretel’s favorite toy is a nut. It came stuffed inside a squirrel years ago but the toy isn’t available anymore.

Anyway, it’s pretty sad looking and we only have one left.

I’ve been searching and searching for a potential replacement. Literally, for years.

Nothing has been the right size or had the perfect roundness she loves.

Back in April, our BarkBox was Japanese-themed and came with a sushi toy.

The accompanying notecard showed all of the toys in the series and Edna’s Edamame caught my eye because it looked like it might be a nut replacement.

I visited the BarkShop and found it. I also found a pea toy. I bought both.

It turns out that the edamame beans, while a hit, are not the size of Gretel’s favorite nut… but the peas are!!

BarkShop Pea next to an acorn toy. They're about the size of a golf ball.

Whoo hoo! They’re the perfect size. Now she has more “nuts” to love on and play fetch with (these toys are one of the only things she actually brings back to us to throw again).

Finding a replacement for the nut is priceless and I wouldn’t have been inspired to browse the BarkShop, and discover the nut replacement toy, if I hadn’t received my BarkBox in the first place.

It Gets Better

The story gets even better though.

Last month, our box was western-themed and came with a “Take the Money and Run” toy. It was a crinkly bag that had little “coins” inside.

While they are not spherical, they are pretty much the same size as the nut and the pea. Gretel loves them. More replacements!

Pea from BarkShop and coin from BarkBox compared to the favorite nut toy

And about the treats….

Their treats are so darn cute. They always have names and little sayings that go with the monthly theme.

My favorite treat this month was the Jurassic Pork Jerkey.

If the name isn’t cute enough, the bag says, “Tastes like dinosaur (probably).”

I decided to check out the BarkShop to see what other funny-named treats they had.

Although not cute by name, I found the Coconut and Cranberry Shareables Granola Clusters.

They’re a crunchy, wheat-free, 100% human grade, organic-certified snacks that both you and your dog can eat.

Unfortunately, they were sold out but I think the idea is awesome. It makes me want to check out the BarkShop more often.

Final Thoughts

I love receiving BarkBox for my Dachshunds. 

Honestly, I don’t always love everything inside the box but I usually use enough to feel like it’s worth the money.

If there are things in the box that my dogs don’t like, or I don’t like for them, I donate them to the rescue I adopted Gretel from.

Knowing I’m helping homeless pets, and that I’m giving back to the rescue that brought Gretel into my to change it, gives me the warm and fuzzies.

When you consider that BarkBox inspired me to finally discover a replacement for Gretel’s favorite toy (and made that possible through the associated store – BarkShop), to branch out the “flavor palette” for Chester and Gretel, and gives the warm fuzzies from donating stuff to animals in need, it makes it more than worth it to me.

You may also want to check out our July 2012 BarkBox Review, our April 2017 BarkBox Review, and our list of 5 best subscription boxes for Dachshunds.

Disclosure: This post is sponsored by BarkBox. I received compensation in exchange for my honest review. BarkBox is not responsible for the content of this article and all opinions are my own.

I found my dog's favorite toy, and some tasty new treats, through BarkBox

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About the Author

Hi, I’m Jessica. I’ve been studying the Dachshund breed since 2007, owned 3 of my own, and shared in the lives of thousands of others through their owner’s stories. When I’m not sharing what I know on this blog, you can find me hiking, camping, and traveling with my adventurous wiener dogs.

4 Comments

    1. I got the small peas. They are a little smaller than the golf ball. Gretel does like the coins but prefers the peas. Perhaps because they are round? I don’t know. Dogs are funny sometimes 🙂

  1. I had to comment on this post because I could not believe another dog is obsessed with those acorns like my Bella is. She’s 12 years old and we got them for her about 6 years ago and she’s been obsessed ever since. We hide them from our younger dog so he doesn’t destroy them but we’ve been looking for more acorns for years to no avail. I came across your blog and was so shocked to see another dog loves these little acorns just as much! I think I’m going to order the peas for her. Could you tell me if you remember if they were just as soft and squishy as the acorns?

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