After a long day of leisurely walks, a few naps, and some well-deserved relaxation in front of the air conditioner, it was finally time for some outdoor fun. Our Golden Retriever has plenty of toys at home, but after months of playing with the same ball and stuffed animals, we decided to try something new and give our best friend a special treat – all without a trip to the pet store. Enter BarkBox, a monthly subscription delivery service for dog toys and treats known for its pop culture themes – from SpongeBob SquarePants to Harry Potter.
At a Glance: What You Need to Know About BarkBox
BarkBox Price: $22/month for 12 months; $25/BarBox for 6 months; or $35/month
Includes: Two bags of treats, two toys, and a surprise – customizable by breed, weight, and allergies
In short: This isn’t your typical dog toy subscription. To find out if the subscription box is really worth it, we tested BarkBox with our puppy for a week to find out what all the great stuff has to offer.
In this article
What is BarkBox?
Our BarkBox review: Toys and treats
Is BarkBox worth it?
Think of it like a monthly food delivery service – just for your dog. BarkBox offers a themed box every month, starting at $22 for an annual subscription. It also includes a few special toys, a few bags of treats, and a special surprise. Dog owners can choose between a six- or twelve-month subscription. As the manufacturer explains, however, your dog will probably push you to sign up for an annual subscription – and who can blame them?
Getting started is a breeze. Simply visit BarkBox.com and enter your dog’s name. We then clicked “He’s a Good Boy,” of course. BarkBox then asks for your puppy’s weight and size so the subscription delivery box can be tailored to your dog’s needs and desires. (We like that the prices remain the same whether you have a dog over 50 pounds.) Next, BarkBox asks for your dog’s breed, their birth or adoption date, and whether they have any food allergies that need to be considered.
After we entered all the necessary information, BarkBox sent us two boxes to test out. (You’ll receive one box every month after that.) This month’s theme: “Big Shake Lake”—with all the toys needed to prove it and “shake off the dog days of summer,” as our delivery card revealed.
Our puppy immediately pounced on them. This month’s BarkBox toy selection included fun toys that owners can only find at BarkBox. First up: a Big Squeak Bass, a green fish with crinkly fins, a built-in squeaker, and a special mouth for hiding treats. Our Golden Retriever—normally a fairly easy-care pup—wasn’t entirely thrilled with the bass at first. But after curling his fins and pressing the squeaker, he knew he’d made a catch.
This month’s BarkBox delivery also included a tug-of-war toy called the Ultimutt Inner Tube, which turned out to be one of George’s favorites thanks to its sturdy pull cord and crinkly sound. He dragged it around the grass, dragged me around the house by the cord, and shook it until he had to nap from all the rough play. Another favorite: a stuffed duck, which our puppy loved to catch in the air and wriggle with. All in all, a total winner. (For particularly strong chewers, there’s also the SuperChewer Box.)
Now, on to the BarkBox treats. We haven’t trained our puppy to beg for treats, but he won’t let that stop him from getting a little food. (George, I am too.) And when it comes to treats, we like to know what ingredients we’re giving him, even though he’ll eat almost anything (“except kale—tell them I don’t like kale that much,” says George). Okay, except kale.
BarkBox included a few small, 4-ounce bags of sealed treats with our delivery. They were Wakey Wakey Soft Bakes, a maple-bacon flavored treat bag that, according to the manufacturer, is made with real US bacon and no artificial ingredients. But the bag George craved most was Jack-o-Loops Soft Bakes, a delicious cinnamon pumpkin soft treat (which also happened to be vegetarian). The treat bags also tell you how many treats to give your puppy to maintain a healthy weight (which is important to us and an added reminder we appreciate).
“Yes, they were really great. More of these, please!”
“If you love tasty treats, fun, unexpected toys to share with friends, and a fun delivery every month, BarkBox is the absolute best delivery box around,” our dog, George, told us. Does he really need all those treats and new toys every month? Of course not, but we have to agree.
For $22 a month with the annual subscription, we appreciate BarkBox’s convenient selection of toys, treats, and themes tailored specifically to your dog’s profile. Compared to buying individual dog toys and packs of treats, it’s a fair price, as you don’t have to shop around yourself. Everything is delivered right to your door, making it easy to treat your four-legged friend (even if you don’t finish all the delicious treat bags before the next box arrives). In short, your best friend deserves a BarkBox every month.
“Four paws up!” says George.