BarkBox Subscription: Fun, Unique Dog Goodies in the Mail
There are so many dog goodie subscription boxes on the market today.
The trend started with BarkBox though.
BarkBox was founded in 2011 and, while having options is nice, BarkBox has had the longest time to perfect their box just for your dog. And that they did.
Chester and Gretel first experienced BarkBox way back in 2012.
I wasn’t as into dog subscription boxes as much as I am now and asked, “Is BarkBox worth it?”
To be honest, at the time I wasn’t sure.
However, I’ve watched over the years as they’ve used customer feedback to improve the products and grow into a great, fun company.
As they put it, “Having shipped over 50 million toys and treats so far, we’ve learned a ton about what engages dogs.”
Also, I’ve had the opportunity to try around 15 different subscription boxes for dogs since 2012.
BarkBox has earned my trust over the years for consistency, quality, creativity, fun, and longevity (many boxes have come and gone).
About BarkBox
BarkBox is a box of surprise goodies for your dog that arrive on your doorstep every month.
Every BarkBox comes with 2 original toys only available through BarkBox and BarkShop.com, 2 all-natural bags of treats, and a chew all curated to match each month’s uniquely-themed collection.
They pick the best US/Canadian made treats and innovative toys to match a dog’s unique needs, including allergies.
The box is extra fun because it has a new surprise theme to keep things fresh each month.
If they can’t find something your dog will love that fits the theme, they make it themselves!
One of the coolest things is that they have an online store – called BarkShop – where you can order more of what your dog loved in their box. (their product descriptions are hilarious by the way and will keep you entertained for hours).
The price for a monthly BarkBox delivered right to your door starts at $21 and there are 1, 6 and 12 month subscriptions available .
You can choose a box according to the size of your dog – small (under 20 lbs.), medium (20-50 lbs.), or large dogs (50+ lb dogs).
They also offer a super chewer option.
Shipping is free inside the contiguous 48 states and it’s only $5 to ship anywhere else.
BarkBox gives you additional options to personalize the box for your dog.
For an extra $9 per month you can upgrade your subscription to be part of the Extra Toy Club if you have a multi-dog household or an extra playful pup.
BarkBox is billed and shipped monthly and plans automatically renew.
If your pup isn’t totally happy with an item in their monthly goodie box, BarkBox will send a replacement for free.
Inside Our BarkBox
The theme this month centered around the springtime cherry blossom bloom in Japan. The “bento box for dogs” included:
Get That Geta Toy
This toy was inspired by the traditional getas (sandals) of feudal Japan, which were designed to elevate the foot so mud puddles didn’t ruin their kimonos.
It’s tough and filled with crinkle and a squeaker, creating multiple sources of sound to keep your dog engaged.
Squeakie Sushi Plush Toy
The palm-sized toy is soft and have a high-pitched squeaker stuffed inside to enhance the experience of play.
Etta Says! Crunchy Buffalo Chew
This chew is a unique mixture of rawhide (chopped up into small pieces so it’s safe) and buffalo meat formed into a tasty, chewable treat.
This chew has no odor, doesn’t stain carpet, and is easy on the stomach.
Mr. Porkle Teriyaki Flavored Dog Treats
The training-sized treats are soft and chewy, wheat free, and made in the USA.
Hello Ducky! Dog Treats
These duck flavored treats are like little jerky rounds.
The duck is farmed, and the treats are are cooked on open grilling racks, right here in the USA.
BarkBox Reviews
Don’t just take our word for it – that BarkBox is great.
Here are a couple of positive comments/reviews that people left on a previous blog post of mine for BarkBox.
“I signed Molly my pup up for BarkBox last month and she loves it! Shes about 25 lbs and I’ve had one box of small items and another of medium to see the difference.
The small aren’t too small at all…. maybe around the size of your cell phone. The mediums so far have been big enough for her to have to use two paws and be able to have a happy time ripping apart.
They also all have been well made and there was one that she didn’t really like and the company shipped out a new toy in about 1 week.
The treats are fantastic and I find for their quality, less expensive then going to Petco or Petsmart where your going to pay 10 [bucks] for package of truly good treats.
Not to mention I can reorder them if she liked them and most are only 3-6 dollars.
Plus you can customize the boxes around allergies or if your dog needs tougher toys.
All in all, it’s cheaper to get a bark box than go to the store and I think they have their system down [pat].” – Kate
“We recently joined BarkBox and our beloved mini dachshund Ruby Rose loved it. She is not a picky girl, loves toys even the rubber ones.
The treats they sent she loves all of them… For us we love the element of surprise and really is a huge hit with us.” – Rachel
Check out the adorable Instagram #barkboxday feed to see other satisfied doggy customers and read what their parents had to say about the box.
Final Thoughts
I’m super impressed with how far BarkBox has come since our first time trying it in 2012.
They’ve improved the quality of items included and made it a whole lot of fun.
I’ve tried “uniquely themed” subscription boxes before but I think this one is the cutest.
I like that I can order more of what’s in the box or more toys or treats related to the monthly theme.
For example, our Japanese-themed box came with a sushi toy. It was cute but the card inside showed all of the toys in that series.
I fell in love with Edna’s Edamame for Gretel because she loves little round squeakies the size of the soybeans.
I ordered one for her and we’re eagerly awaiting it’s arrival.
One of the coolest things is that many of the products in the box and are unique to BarkBox. I won’t find them on store shelves… even in upscale pet stores!
I’m very happy with BarkBox and I would definitely order it again.
You may also want to check out our 2012 BarkBox Review, our June 2017 BarkBox Review, and our list of 5 best subscription boxes for Dachshunds.
If you are ready, you can order your BarkBox HERE.
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.
About the Author
Hi, I’m Jessica. I’m a Dachshund sitter, President of the largest social Dachshund club in Washington State, a dog trainer in training, and I’ve been a Dachshund owner for 20 years. I have over 150,000 hours of experience with the breed. When I’m not working, you can find me hiking, camping, and traveling with my adventurous wiener dogs.
We used to get BarkBox, too, but canceled our subscription because we got so many treats that we couldn’t keep up with them all–but we’ve recently started participating in their destroyer’s club program (I have a post coming up on that next week!) and we LOVE picking out new toys from the BarkShop every month. They have the best customer service and we love getting to choose which toys we’re getting. Our favorite part of the subscription was the monthly theme, though. It was always so fun to see what theme they went with each month. I’m glad that the subscription program has continued to get better with time because we really love the toys they make!
I know what you mean. At one time, I was receiving 7 different boxes a month. Imagine the treat overload! Ha, ha. I’m interested to read about your experience with the Destroyer’s Club program. I don’t have time these days to keep up on everyone’s blogs but would appreciate it if you tag me in a tweet with the post, come back and leave the link here, or post it to my blog’s Facebook page.
My Ginger just got her 1st bark box.
I could not be happier.
She loves the statute of liberty toy.
Of course she loves loves loves all the treats.
We can’t wait for next month’s box to get here.
We are happy happy momma and fur baby.
Thank you Bark Box!!!
I’m glad to hear you and Ginger liked it Pamela. We’re looking forward to our next one too.
Was the box received for small or medium sized dogs? While my Noodle is decidedly small at 11.25lbs, he chews like a much bigger pup, so I’m undecided on which size to order. Thank you!
I believe the box they sent me was for small dogs. We received the regular toys and they were fine for is but I don’t leave them down all the time and Chester is only a moderate chewer (Gretel doesn’t try to chew them up). You can call or email them to discuss “tough chewer” toy options.
Thank you for your response! It gave me confidence to execute, and we are now eagerly awaiting our first box. :0D
I contacted customer service just after submittal, regarding personalization of treats based on specific protein allergies, and a representative replied within a handful of hours. They informed me that as something of a test program, barkboxes (at least allergen wise) could be /essentially/ fully customizable. AND THAT IS SO AWESOME.
Thank you again, Julia and Noodle
That’s great to hear!