Review: BarkBox October 2017

My readers that have been with me for a while know we used to have an adorable pup that we rescued named Luna. She passed away in January 2016 and it was sudden and one of the worst days of our lives. Fortunately, we were able to realize that rescuing more pups was better than not living with another dog ever again. Which leads me to introduce our new pup, Felix!

I loved spoiling Luna, but she didn’t like toys at all and had no interest in a lot of things that you buy to spoil your dog. Felix on the other hand LOVES toys and is so spunky and is incredibly easy to spoil! I’ve heard of BarkBox before, but never had a dog that would benefit from it. Now I do! So I decided to sign up for a 6 month subscription to try it out.

Felix’s first box is the October 2017 box, which is Halloween themed. The theme this month is House of Horrors. I love this theme because dogs are terrified of the silliest of things! The box came with a card that describes the theme and some of the toys and we also got a welcome card since it is our first box. (P.S. I accidentally ripped the themed one!)

The first toy is the “Rain of Terror” that comes with a crinkly plush rain cloud and inside, much to my surprise, was two rain drops. Adorable! Felix very much enjoyed thrashing the cloud around and squeaking the rain drops. Felix loves hide and seek toys so this is perfect!

The second toy is the “Count Vaccula” that is a vacuum plush with two squeakers and a nylon plastic center part for chewing. Felix loved this toy and the chew part! He is a destroyer so I don’t see the toys lasting long, but he will definitely enjoy this one.

The first treat is the Spooky Treats that are made with pork and cheese. They are shaped like donuts and they smell like BBQ to me. Felix went nuts over these and even tried getting back into the box after I closed it to get these. I like that they are small so I can give him 2 or three a day. The only thing I don’t like is the crude protein percent. There’s only 6% and usually you want something with more than 14% crude protein.

The second treat is the Zombie Crunch, which is also a pork product. It is very crunchy and Felix seems to enjoy that factor. I am very pleased that these have only one ingredient and are 36% crude protein. They look like strips of skin which is fitting for the theme! I have been breaking them in tiny pieces and only giving Felix a couple per day.

The chew in this box is a pig ear. I haven’t given Felix a pig ear yet, but he is a heavy chewer so I’m interested in seeing how well he handles this chew. It’s thinner than the bones we have for him. I’ll keep this one aside for a special time where we can closely monitor him, since I’m always afraid of him swallowing too much at once with these types of treats.

BarkBox allows you to choose how long you’d like to be receiving the boxes and of course the longer you subscribe the cheaper the boxes. 12 months will cost $21 per box, 6 months will cost $25 per box, and a single box purchase is $29. All orders come with free shipping, but in certain states, including Ohio, will need to pay tax on top of the price. When I signed up they were offering a free box with any 6 or 12 month subscription.

I also saw their Facebook live video after ordering that day and they said if you ordered that day you got signed up for the Extra Toy Club! I used the chat on their website to talk to customer service and they were SUPER kind and I loved all of their dog puns. They let me sign up for the extra toy club for free with the offer even though I had already ordered! They couldn’t send me a Halloween themed one since my box was already prepared to ship, so they send us a Barry the Blowfish toy! Very pleased with the customer service experience.

P.S. You can get a free each month too for FREE if you order by tonight! Hurry! https://www.barkbox.com/r/4KQMOP2U77

I just read they have a “Super Chewer” box option as well and we asked for the next box to be toys that will last longer with dogs who love to destroy! The toys he got in this box lasted about a day. The good news is we joined Felix in the Destroyers Club where we upload photos of him with his destroyed toys and we get points and money added to our account which go towards more toys to destroy! It’s the perfect program and makes me less sad that he destroys everything we boy him. You can sign up for the Destroyers Club through the Bark Shop site. #DestroyersClub

Overall, Felix and I are very pleased with this subscription box and can’t wait for more fun themes. We are so happy we added Felix to our family and are able to have fun and participate in BarkBox and the Destroyers Club.

Want to try BarkBox? Get a free box with Felix’s link! He’ll get a free box too or we will donate a box to a shelter3! Click here. Or go to https://www.barkbox.com/r/4KQMOP2U77

Follow Felix on Instagram! @thefelixpup

Do you have BarkBox already? Is your dog a destroyer? Comment below!

Review: Pawz Natural Rubber Dog Boots

You know how we’ve been getting below zero degree weather in Ohio? Well, I witnessed for the first time (as a first time dog owner) my dog not able to walk in below 0 degree weather. She would just sit and lift each paw, then started shaking! I felt so helpless because I couldn’t lift her to take her inside. I just acted excited and had her RUN with me to the front door.

That being said, I looked for some way to protect her paws from frostbite. I found these Pawz Natural Rubber Dog Boots at Mutts & Co. I was skeptical at first because they are basically balloons covering the dog’s feet.

She did not like them at first, but quickly learned that they were helping rather than hurting her. Outside, she barely notices they are on. I am happy to report that she has not stopped walking or started shaking since we’ve been using these booties! Of course we do not use them if it’s above 30 degrees outside, but I do like to put them on her if there is salt on the walks or roads. Salt can dry out their paw pads and these boots protect her paws from it.

These boots also keep the pup’s feet clean from dirt, mud, and other gross things we don’t see them walk in. They are waterproof, but Luna’s nails have shown to poke holes. These are safe to dispose of as well and a pack comes with more than 4 boots. The price ranges from $12 – $25 depending on size. I believe Medium was around $16. I’ve seen cheaper online though, but since I was in a hurry I bought them in store.

I wasn’t sure which size to choose, but we went with medium because she is a 40 pound border collie black lab mix. They fit pretty well, but her nails sometimes get in the way when putting them on. She still does not like the process of putting them on.. Haha. BUT, they do stay put and we can go on a long walk without worrying about them falling off.

Overall, I recommend this product for all dog owners. They make so many sizes and it’s just taking a step towards protecting your dog and keeping them healthy and happy. I might post a video of Luna in her Pawz sometime. She always gets compliments on them!

Here is some pretty cool info about Pawz Booties:

Pawz is the world’s only disposable and reusable, waterproof dog boot. Made of natural rubber, Pawz are 100% biodegradable. Pawz are designed to go on easily and fit securely without zippers or straps. Fashionable yet durable, Pawz offers serious paw protection. Pawz is the most natural-feeling boot your dog can wear because without padding your dog feels the ground, providing a needed sense of security. Like a sock, Pawz moves with your dog, allowing full paw motion and maximum comfort. And imagine never losing another expensive dog boot again! Pawz come 12 in a package and each boot may be worn many times.

 

 

 

More info at: http://pawzdogboots.com/

Pups & Pets: Meet Luna Our Rescue Pup

Everyone welcome to the new section of my blog: Pups & Pets! This first post of this new section will be about our newest edition to our family, Luna. We chose the name because #1 the boyfriend wanted her to have a character’s name from a computer game (Dota 2) and #2 I liked that it means “moon” in Latin. It fits her well and she responded to it almost immediately!

Our First Meeting with Luna

My boyfriend and I have wanted to adopt a dog for about a year now. We tried an adult dog with behavior issues, which did not go well and then a puppy, which ended up being way too much work for two people who work 8 hours a day. So, after months of stalking petfinder and a dozen rescue sites in Ohio, I came across a post of Luna (whom they named Whisper) by a shelter. She was described as loving and gentle and good for an elderly couple and I was thinking “That’s our dog!” (I should mention my boyfriend and I are 25 years old haha). A team of people who rescue dogs and put them in foster homes rescued her from the shelter and put her in a prison program before I could get to the shelter to see her, but luckily Randy, the Wet Kisses and Wagging Tails owner, took her out of the program to meet us and then kept her at his home for us until we could officially make her our new family member. They have a great rescue and they are very kind and understanding! I would adopt from them again for sure.

Luna with her Tornado Toy

Two weeks later she’s doing wonderfully with us and with our daily routine. She sleeps most of the day, but LOVES to be outside and exploring. She’s a little timid with loud noises and toys, but we hope she gains confidence as time goes on and learns she’s safe with us and is allowed to have some fun! The only toy we can play with is her food puzzle. I got her the DogTornado Interactive Dog toy and she seems to really love it while getting praise every time she succeeds at finding the food hidden in the compartments. It gets her mind working and is also an entertaining and rewarding experience for her and us! We also make sure she gets a walk in during the day with our dog walking service DogDays Ohio. Justin, the owner is very friendly, understanding, and trustworthy. I love that I can feel at ease that Luna gets some attention, can relieve herself, and gets some exercise while we are at work 8 hours a day. I highly recommend them if you are in the Columbus, Ohio area.

Luna Gazing out the Window

This week we gave her a bath for the first time in our home. She seems to get very shy when she is nervous or does not like something. She was shy and tried to get out of the tub, but afterwards, she seemed so happy to be clean! She really likes to “shake” and she didn’t mind the hair dryer. I hope she will learn that baths are a fun and good experience. The only negative is BOY does she SHED! So much fur everywhere! We have been vacuuming daily. She’s been very itchy with her spay site healing and being shaved, so we hope after she heals and her fur grows back in she will be less itchy. She also had a very bad flea infestation and had patches of hair missing. The fur is growing in and seems to be very itchy too.

Training wise, she’s perfectly potty trained! She does need some leash training, as she likes to pull and gets VERY excited to see other dogs and they get intimidated by her excitement and do not greet her nicely. We are working on that. Tricks she knew before she got to us were “sit” and “lay down” on her bed. Within two weeks I have her doing “sit”, “down”, “up”, “stay”, “night night” (which means go to bed) and working on “heel” and “paw”. She is a fast learner, especially when there are treats and lots of praise involved!!

I’m so glad we found Luna. She is definitely a great pup. Very gentle, loves people, and is so cuddly and soft! I find training sessions fun and rewarding for all of us. I can’t wait to see what all she is capable of!

Happy Luna After Dinner & Treats – Wearing a cone so she doesn’t lick stitches.

Look for some doggie toy, food, treat, and service reviews in the future!

Do you have a rescue dog? Tell me about your experience with him/her in the comments below!

Luna Curled up on the Couch – 11/13/14