Bailey the Boxer

My sister and her boyfriend recently adopted her own dog to join the three kitties that they already have (thank goodness they have a house!)
Her name is Bailey and she's a Boxer mix who is roughly the same age as Luna (and over twice Ares' weight!) She's a tiny little thing compared to Boxers though and I love her!

Ares and Luna finally got to meet Bailey at my dad's house about a month after they got her and they had a BLAST! I couldn't get many pictures of them because they were a blur of rough housing all over the kitchen!

This picture is just funny. Ares and Luna doing their business. The yellow lab is Lexi, our 11 year old family dog.

The best part about Bailey? She had more accidents at my dad's house than my dogs did! (It's the little things in life.) In her defense, she played so hard, she was drinking a ton of water. But still... it took the spotlight off of me and my silly dogs. (Luna still pees and poops inside because she's a stubborn butthead).

monthly review: July Pawalla Mini

Ares and Luna opened up the BarkBox earlier this week but they got to open their Pawalla Mini yesterday! It's been an exciting week!

About Pawalla: You can get a standard box or a mini box. Standard boxes come with 6-10 full sized products that include wet food, treats, supplements or vitamins, essentials, and a toy. Standard boxes range from $21-$29 a month, depending on your subscription plan. Mini boxes come with 3-5 products that include treats, a toy, and surprise item(s) but NO wet food. Mini boxes range from $12-$17 a month, depending on your subscription plan.

We get a mini box simply because we also get BarkBox and because I don't want them to get picky and only eat wet food :) You fill out information about your dog's age, size, and such so that they can tailor it to your needs.

This is what happens during most of our pictures. Luna is determined to eat the box while Ares is trying to figure out what I'm doing.

 Ares was very interested in figuring out what we got this month.

The first thing we tried out were the YumZies Natural Hickory Bacon Treats. Pawalla says "Yumzies are small, soft treats. Chicken is the main ingredient and the treat contains only natural ingredients, flavors and preservatives. Yumzies are grain-free treats, and are made in the USA with USA-sourced chicken. These treats naturally contain omega 6 fatty acids for coat quality and omega 3 fatty acids have been added to enrich coat and skin. The texture and size of Yumzies makes it the perfect on the go snack."

I'm not sure that I would use these as training treats (we use teeny tiny treats because they get so many treats all day) but Ares and Luna love them and I don't think they'll last very long in our house! They are $6.99 and can be found here.

The second thing we looked at, we haven't tried yet. It's the Honest Kitchen Ice Pups. Pawalla says "The highly regarded Honest kitchen has offered us a nice powdered envelope of high protein goodness. This envelope is to be hydrated, served as a beverage either hot or cold or frozen into ice cubes for those who love ice. Chicken and turkey have great amino acid profiles making them a good protein choice. Honest Kitchen has added some whey and vegetables in the form of asparagus, watercress, and parsley. A bit of honey sweetens the mixture. If your dog or cat has specific fluid intake needs, Ice Pups is a way to ensure that they drink enough fluid."

I can't wait to make it as a frozen treat for Ares and Luna. And do you know what I'm going to put it in? The safemade bowl we got in this month's BarkBox! It's going to be so fun! One packet of this is $0.99 and can be found here.

The next thing we pulled out was the Flying Basset Breath Spray. Pawalla says "Fresh breath is a blessing to many pet families. Sometimes, even clean teeth aren't the cause of mouth odor. Flying Basset has put together a collection of oils and compounds that together fight mouth odor. This product is safe for both dogs and cats, but it's always good to use small doses to start."

Ok, honestly, does anyone have a dog (or cat) who likes stuff sprayed at their face, especially while having their mouth held open? Anyone? No? That's what I thought. 

I totally tortured Ares and Luna with it though for the sake of reviewing it. I'm not sure if they liked it or not. It smelled similar to human mouthwash and Luna got 2 sprays while Ares got 3. After they got sprayed, they licked their mouths A LOT! I've never noticed Ares or Luna having horrid breath and definitely didn't notice a difference afterwards but I'll consider using it in the future, even if we don't buy more. It retails for $9.95 and can be found here.

We also got a Etta Says Crunchy Duck Chew. Pawalla says "USA duck goes into this rawhide/duck crunchy treat. Rawhide has been ground up to mix with duck feet, along with a bit of salt to bring out the flavor. Safe for dogs that have problems with rawhide, and we know that swallowing whole pieces of rawhide is neither healthy nor safe. In this form,  Crunchy Duck Treats will still help clean teeth and contribute to healthy gums. A unique, safe treat that dogs will love and is also made in the USA."

Does this treat look familiar to you? If it does, that's because I got the same exact chew in my April BarkBox. I still have it because I was waiting for another chewy treat before giving it to them and now I do but I kind of wish that even if it was still Etta Says, it was a different flavor. Oh well. I have no idea how much the chew costs so we'll put it around $1. They can be found here.

And last but not least. Our Wigzi Bone. Pawalla says "This fun bone is made with 100% recycled materials and durable enough to withstand rough games of fetch - it even bounces!"

Does this toy look familiar? I'll give you a hint:

Yes, we got the same toy (although different sizes) in each box this month. UGH. Yes, Ares and Luna like the toy. Do I need two of them though? No, I definitely do not. I know that this isn't Pawalla OR BarkBox's fault that Wigzi (and Etta Says) sent each of them the same toy (and treat), but COME ON! The point of the boxes is to try out different toys, treats, and other items from a variety of different companies. I feel like these companies are taking the easy way out by sending the same product to be sent out in each of the boxes instead of sending out a variety of their products. Wigzi very actively participates with Pawalla and BarkBox, I can count 4 products that we've gotten from them since I started my subscriptions at the beginning of the year. I have no problem with that, I think very highly of Wigzi's products. I just don't need multiples of the same one. If it continues, it'll force my hand in picking only one box to renew when my subscriptions are up. 

This size retails for $7.99 and can be found here.

Again though, Ares and Luna absolutely love this toy and I haven't even filled the holes with treats yet. But they're like toddlers. It doesn't matter if there's two of something, they're going to fight over the same one. I particularly enjoy the head smacks Ares gives Luna before relinquishing the toy to her.

Our haul was around $26, which makes me a very happy pug mommy.

If you want to try your own Pawalla or Pawalla Mini, clickity-click this link for $6.50 off your first subscription!

monthly review: July BarkBox

I feel like we used to be one of the first people to get our BarkBox but ever since the May mail fiasco, I get mine waaaaaay after everyone else. Ares and Luna don't know the difference, so it's okay though.
I feel like I have so much stuff to write about - Ares and Luna met my sister's new dog, Bailey, and we went to not one, but TWO pug meet ups this month.  I have so many pictures I want to share. One day I'll catch up, I promise.

On to our BarkBox, but first, let me explain BarkBox if you don't know how it works: It's a company that sends you four or more products every month to try out with your pups. A portion of each months proceeds help doggies-in-need (a different cause every month). The price of the boxes range from $19-$29 a month, depending on the plan you choose (a 6 month subscription is $19 a month, a month to month subscription is $29 a month).

I finally got both of the pups to pose with the box this month! I'm so proud of them.

Ares was excited to sniff out the haul.

 This is a Safemade bowl. BarkBox says "Made with same child-friendly, food-grade silicone as Safemade's line of toys - plus freezer, dishwasher, and oven safe! We recommend freezing water in the bowl overnight for maximum coolness at the park."

 We haven't tried it yet but I'm eager to put it to good use. I'm excited that it's oven safe so I can bake the dogs little cakes for their birthdays! I definitely wouldn't leave it out for the dogs while I'm not around just because we've received a safemade toy before (from Bugsy's Box if I remember correctly) and I had to take it away within minutes because my dogs could easily rip it apart. So many different uses for it, though that don't involve the risk of my dogs deciding the bowl is a toy! The bowl is $4.99 and can be found here.

The next thing we looked at was the No Grainers treats. BarkBox says "Fourth of July may have passed, but it's always a perfect time for USA-made treats. No Grainers soft treats are made from American chicken and (as the name says) are grain, wheat, corn, and soy free!

Ares and Luna really loved these but I wouldn't say that they are training size for them. The treats we use are much smaller. They're still good treats though and I know we'll use them up very quickly! They're also in cute little crescent shapes! I love it when treats keep you on your toes in terms of shapes. It makes things exciting! These are also $4.99 and can be found here.

The second bag of treats we got were by Max & Ruffy's. BarkBox says "Hailing from Maryland, Max & Ruffy's makes the perfect, healthy snack for summer. Only the best organic, non-genetically modified fruit is used in their treats. Every ingredient is human grade - and we know BarkBox parents love when their furbabies eat better than they do."

BarkBox is totally right that Ares and Luna eat MUCH better than I do! These treats were really intriguing because they're made with coconut, molasses, and flax. They actually smell like molasses and they're a bit hard so Ares and Luna can't swallow them in one bite like they normally do! I'm happy that we got an interesting combination of ingredients in the treats. I would never think to make treats with coconut or molasses in it! If you look at their website, you'll see that they definitely don't have a shortage in crazy combinations for their treats! I will definitely have to buy some of their treats in the future! These are $7.25 and can be found here.

This Mr. Barksmith's smoothie looks really interesting. BarkBox says "Low calorie and made from fruit, these dog smoothies are also fortified with Omega 3 chia seed - great for joints and a healthy coat. Pop them in the freezer if the hot weather is making your pooch pant, or let them eat as if you're on a summer roadtrip!"

Unfortunately for us, this smoothie is peanut butter flavored so I'm hesitant to let Luna try it. She can handle peanut butter in treats but her tummy does NOT like straight peanut butter and I don't know how much I want to risk it to see if they like it! I'll either give this to my sister or save it for a time when Luna isn't around to get jealous watching Ares chow down on it. A single cup is $4.99 and can be found here.

We got two different treats from Clear Conscience Pet. BarkBox says "Slow cooked with the highest quality meat, vegetables, and cheddar cheese. Tender Stikz are healthy, human grade, and free of synthetic ingredients or fillers. Because of the lack of processing or preservatives, please refrigerate after opening (there may not be leftovers, though!)

We got TWO of one treat, you guys! I don't have to figure out how to make them share! The lighter colored one was chicken flavored and the darker one is beef flavored. Ares and Luna chewed them JUST long enough to swallow them whole then looked at me, demanding more! Six sticks are $9.95 so we'll estimate that we got $3 in treats. They can be found here.

And finally, THE TOY! This one is from Wigzi and BarkBox says "'Two pockets? For treats?! And it floats?!? And no rubber smell?!?!'  (We've taken the liberty of translating the pup perks of Wigzi's pocket bone for you. You can thank us later.) Dishwasher safe, recyclable, and made right here in the USA, we think it's a great fit for summer play!"

A sheet came with the bone, stating that the bright green color was made specifically for BarkBox. Also, it definitely doesn't need treats inside for Ares and Luna to go nuts over it! They love anything and everything they can chew! Unfortunately, I didn't get any pictures of them having fun with it. We got the medium bone which retails for $9.99 and can be found here.

I estimate that we got about $35 worth of items. Everything we got was fun and interesting (with an exception that will be explained in the July Pawalla Mini review).

Want your own BarkBox? Clicky-click this link for $5 off your first subscription!

life update in pictures aka Silent Sunday