Showing posts with label Aussie Naturals. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Aussie Naturals. Show all posts

Thursday, August 22, 2013

monthly review: August BarkBox

I was really happy this month because we got our BarkBox really quickly! I think I get more excited than Ares and Luna do about opening the box to see what they got (of course, they're always more excited to get what's inside!)

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 while a month to month subscription is $29 a month).

My apartment has been an absolute wreck lately since Luna has decided that her life goal is to rip the stuffing out of every toy she can get her little paws on so we took pictures outside again this month.
I got a really silly picture of Ares and Luna posing with their box.


 And their haul! Shortly after taking this, I put it on another box so it would be higher off the ground. Luna knocked it over to get to the precious duck strips.


I tried a different way of taking video this month and sadly, I'm pretty disappointed by the quality of the video. Live and learn.
Luna loved exploring the box to find those duck sticks.


Which brings us to the first treats that we tried: Plato natural duck strips. BarkBox says: "Duck is a subscriber favorite, especially for those with allergies. Plato's recipe for scrumptious treats is American duck with brown rice. They break into nice little pieces for training, but our pups are happiest when they get an entire piece."


I think these were Luna's absolute favorite treat - she could sniff them out even before I opened the package and kept trying to run away with the bag. I think it's also safe to say that Ares loved them too. He did a rare little dance for me while Luna watched in amusement.




I was nice and finally gave up the treats and they gobbled them up quick fast! Plato treats retail for $5.19 and can be found here.

Next up is the Primal Pet freeze-dried liver munchies. BarkBox says "Another single-source protein - hooray! Primal Pet liver munchies are made with 100% turkey liver. Sourced and made in the United States without antibiotics or added hormones, these treats are also grain-free, salt-free, and sugar-free. Munch away, dear pups, munch away."


Ares and Luna think any kind of liver treats are the best thing ever - I regularly stench up my apartment, dehydrating cow liver for them - and these were no different. I think Luna thinks all of Ares' desperate treat dancing was very funny. These treats retail for $6.99 and can be found here.


It's not really a treat but we also got Barkworthies bully flakes! BarkBox says "Got a picky pup who won't eat dinner? Bully flakes - made with 100% ground bully sticks, which are much-loved by BarkBoxers - may help convince your finicky dog to finish his meal. Sprinkle over kibble or wet food and let the feasting begin!"


Ares and Luna are typical pugs - they are not at ALL picky about what they eat. In fact, the other day, I got out of the shower to find them eating my Cheez-its! When Luna saw me, she grabbed the bag and made a run for it! 
Anyway, I kept meaning to let them try it with a meal to find out what they thought and to get pictures but my bad memory got in the way of that goal. I think that as long as they don't expire, I'll save them either for a nice treat or in case one of them gets so sick that they refuse to eat. Either way, Barkworthies totally spoils us via our BarkBoxes! These retail for about $6 and can be found here.

We also got a little packet from The Honest Kitchen. BarkBox says "Homemade treats that are versatile enough for summer and winter? Count us in! Ice Pups are a grain-free, salt-free treat mix that can be frozen in an ice tray to beat the heat, or blended with hot water to make a comforting broth."



If these pictures look familiar to you, it's because I got a packet of this in last month's Pawalla Mini. I'm not as upset about this double though because it's more of an extra treat instead of being the main focus of the box. I'm also really excited because now I can use one packet to freeze, and one to heat up and we'll get the best of both world's! One packet is $0.99 and can be found here.

And of course, we always save the best for last. OUR TOY! It's a dolphin from Aussie Naturals and BarkBox says "Whether your pup is a swimmer, retriever, flinger, or a thrasher, Floaties are sure to delight! Made with a tennis ball, rope, and squeakers, these aquatic animals have been transformed into a floating, retrieving toy." 

You probably don't remember, but back in February, in our very first BarkBox, we also got an Aussie Naturals toy. It's a water bottle toy. Funnily enough, it is also a dolphin! Ares and Luna still have it and play with it regularly even though I took out the old water bottle without realizing that I can't find a water bottle the right size to put back in the toy.
Ares was very impressed with it, the ball and rope are in the body of the dolphin, with squeakers in the mouth and tail. I like to lay in bed with Ares and squeak one side, he attacks it, so I squeak the other side. We can go back and forth like that forever, because he doesn't know which squeaky side he wants more! Luna hasn't really shown any interest in it so far. Ares especially would rather die than go in the water so I doubt we'll ever use it for that purpose. The floatie dolphin retails for $11.99 and can be found here.


By my maybe right/maybe not calculations, we received roughly $31 in items this month. Mama and babies are happy campers!

If you want to try your own BarkBox, clickity-click this link to get $5 off your first month.

Tuesday, February 19, 2013

monthly review: February BarkBox!


We got our first BarkBox today! They were SOOOO excited to open the box as evidenced by this video:


They completely failed at opening the box themselves but Luna was convinced that she could eat her way into the box!

Here's their haul. I'm thrilled with everything!

 The BarkBoxes come with a sheet that explain all of the products that come inside each months box.


The first item I gave them was the Aussie Naturals. BarkBox describes it as "Durable and eco-conscious, our friends at Aussie Naturals craft tough toys with jute, wool, cotton, coconut fiber, and natural gum rubber. They may have a more extensive R&D team than BarkBox: all toys are tested with Atlanta rescue dogs! If I had opposable paws, I'd give them two thumbs up."
We got the large dolphin which retails for $12.99. You can get your own dolphin here. These have water bottles inside them for squishy fun!
Ares and Luna are fans of their dolphin!

They also received two different types of treats from Wet Noses. BarkBox says "The Wet Noses company hails from the Pacific Northwest: Washington, to be exact! Delightful and scrumptious, their treats are free of corn, wheat, and soy. Did we mention they're organic? What's not to love?!"
They're $7.95 each and can be found here. We got Carob & Mint flavor and Dogranola. I've only opened the Carob & Mint one but they're a fan. I'm worried about giving Luna the Dogranola one though - she's always had peanut butter when we give her plain peanut butter and I'm scared she'll get it from eating a treat with peanut butter in it. I'll probably try it on a day I don't have to work, just in case. I would love if she could try them!

The next thing I saw was the N-Bone. BarkBox says "I like chewing, and I hate when humans complain about doggy breath. Dental chews kill two birds with one stone (or in puppy-speak, two chew toys with one set of teeth). Good breath and a pair of shoes left untouched? Everybody wins."
Luna and Ares haven't tried them yet but they love things like this so I'm really excited! They're about $6 and you can read more about them and find an online retailer here.

Ares and Luna were DYING for their treats. You know they want something when they're being good dogs!

The last product that they got is a Jolly Pets Monster Ball. BarkBox says "Not much can keep me away from a toy stuffed with treats, but the look of this Monster Ball has me reconsidering...sort of. It's too fun of a treat toy to stay scared for long! I still think his goatee looks funny. May I suggest that he find a better groomer?"
They're about $6.50 and can be found here.

I immediately put in some of Ares and Luna's bacon treats and let them have it! nomnomnom!


Luna is a huge huge huge fan and wouldn't let Ares have it!

Last but not least, we got a wag.com coupon (not pictured). BarkBox says "Hate hauling pet food home, humans? Our friends at Wag.com now feature overnight shipping so you can spend the evening doing something productive (Here's a hint: belly. Here's another hint: rub.) Visit their site with the included coupon for $10 off!" Go to wag.com

The dogs love their stuff and I love the price (and the descriptions of the products)! BarkBoxes start at $29 a month and go down to as low as $18 a month, depending on the subscription that you sign up for. The toys and such are based on the size of your dog - you can select small, medium, or large. We signed up for the medium sized box only because Ares and Luna tend to gravitate towards the larger toys. The monster ball, luckily, is made for small/medium dogs. No matter how much you pay a month, you can't beat the deal you get - we got just over $40 worth of toys treats not including the wag.com coupon!


Want to try your own bark box? Use this link to get $5 off of your BarkBox order: You know you want a BarkBox!