monthly review: May Pawalla Mini!

How Pawalla works: You can get a standard box or a mini box. Standard boxes come 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.

We got a pretty good haul from Pawalla this month. The pups and I were very happy with our items. Ginger had already gone home, but Annabelle and Maximus were still visiting when we opened the box so they got their first experience with the opening of the box.

Annabelle and Maximus couldn't have cared less about seeing the box for the first time. Luna did her usual chewing to see how good it is.

They figured it out VERY quickly once the box was open, though!




The first item I looked at was the Earth Heart Canine Calm Spray. Pawalla says "Aromatherapy isn't just for people anymore. This natural remedy mist can help soothe dogs during stressful times, including thunderstorms, fireworks, or vet visits. We found important calming and stress release essential oils in this spray mist, namely bergamot, tangerine, lavender, geranium, marjoram, and ylang ylang. Bergamot is an important oil that works to relieve anxiety for our furry friends. Tangerine oil is used to relax muscles and organs, while lavender removes body tension. Just a small amount of an essential oil mixture is required to achieve the beneficial effects. Ylang ylang calms breathing and relieves high blood pressure. Made in the USA and packaged in a BPA free recyclable container."

I'm not sure how I feel about this because Ares and Luna are normally pretty calm dogs in the first place. Luna does tend to get very scared during nighttime thunderstorms though so I will probably try it when we get the next one. A 2 fluid ounce bottle costs $13 and can be found here.

The next one we looked at was Lucky Treats Peanut Butter Berry Amazing. Pawalla says "The dog world is lucky to have such wonderful treats being made particularly for them. Peanut butter and Berry Amazing is a good example of the high quality, human ingredients going into dog treats. Colors, preservatives, sugar, salt, gluten, etc. are a few of the undesirable ingredients that are not found in these products. Blueberries and cranberries contain good phytonutrients, and we know that berries contain valuable antioxidants. Flax seed is great for skin and coat. Barley is high-nutrient flour. This product is made in the USA.

This is about the time that Maximus and Annabelle realized that this box has amazing goodies for them. They weren't too sure about the posing for pictures before treats part though. The cutest part about the treats? They're heart shaped!

These treats are roughly $7.30 and can be found here.

The other bag of treats we received is Cloud Star Dynamo Dog Functional Treats: Tummy. Pawalla says "Dynamo is using the idea of "functional" treats for dogs. This means that besides being a treat, a particular function such as digestive health is addressed with the treat. The Dog Tummy formula contains ginger, known to aid in digestion, along with a probiotic and pumpkin fiber. Peppermint, chamomile, and lavender are also added to to aid in the digestion of food and in digestive health. These treats are made in the USA, and contain no gluten, soy, wheat, corn, and no grain. The other ingredients in these treats are those used in hypoallergenic products, so I would expect these to definitely be tummy friendly."

Everyone sat very still for their treats, although it was still impossible to get all 4 dogs in one picture. These were definitely a success with all of the pups. These treats were $7 and can be found here.

And like always, we save the best for last: the toy. This month, we received Charming Pet Products Lily the Lion Mini. Pawalla says "Meet Lily. This bright, all natural latex dog toy will show your canines that balloons are not just for parties anymore. Lily is made of all-natural premium latex and the same soft supple squish that dogs love to chew and squeak!

This toy is absolutely adorable! In case you couldn't tell in the picture, that's Ares' paw and face in the lower right of the picture, and Luna sitting on my chair so I couldn't take pictures. Silly puggies.  These retail for $2.79 and can be found here.

I had to take a picture of Luna stealing the toy while I took pictures. She's so spoiled, I let her keep it after I took that video.

In all, I received roughly $19 in products from this months Pawalla Mini. I'm very pleased with everything.

Want your own Pawalla or Pawalla?  Clickity-click this link for $6.50 off your first subscription!

monthly review: April Pawalla Mini!

Our Pawalla Mini box came so late this month! It was shipped out on April 20th and didn't arrive until today. It was very hard on me because I'm very impatient. I contacted Pawalla about the delay yesterday and apparently it was a problem throughout the east coast with Pawalla. Something about storms? It's been sunny here but I haven't paid attention to what's been going on in the rest of the country weather-wise so I'll trust what they say.

How Pawalla works: You can get a standard box or a mini box. Standard boxes come 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.

Ginger and Luna knew what was up. Ares was trying to be dignified for the picture. Basically, all of my pictures were a mess because they all forgot what "sit" means. (Ginger doesn't know her own name, much less any commands. It's hard to get her to do anything and Luna follows her lead.)

 Ares loves getting the first glimpse of our haul!

First up: In Clover - Grin Dental Chews. Pawalla says "Grin is a licorice dog treat (one of the first I have ever seen), with a flavor/taste that dogs tend to like. Along with the flavor, this is a grain free product that contains the anti-oxidant green tea. It also contains inulin, a prebiotic that works to feed the good bacteria in the intestinal tract. Dried seaweed meal contains chlorophyll which helps to freshen breath. These clover-shaped treats contain 16 calories each. The chewy texture of the treat encourages chewing to clean teeth." They're roughly $4.99 and can be found here.

The shapes are super cute!

Silly puppies didn't want pictures, just treats.

Next up was their favorite treat: Locomotion Pet Treats (cheesy flavor). Pawalla says "Quick production and delivery to store shelves allows this company to use no preservatives in the making of their treats. Their products are so fresh that they don't need any. Oats are great for GI health, cheese powder, nonfat powdered milk and egg powder all provide healthy Calcium, Phosphorus, Potassium and all of the B vitamins. The garlic powder will make the treats a hit with all dogs." We got a 6 oz box but a 1 pound box costs $5.99 and can be found here.

Now here's a potential dilemma for some people: garlic powder. It's kind of controversial in the dog world, some people think it's just fine in small amounts for dogs, some people think it's something dogs shouldn't have at all. I'm actually quite surprised that the Pawalla nutritionist approved the treats to go in our monthly box for this reason. My dogs have never had treats with garlic in them but I figure that in small amounts, they'll be fine.
For real, here's what happened when I opened the box. I tried to take a picture of one treat on the blue chair that all of the product pictures are taken on. Luna snagged that treat as soon as I put it down and hauled ass to find a spot to eat it. After she ate it, this picture happened:

We also got Grizzly - Pollock Oil. Pawalla says "Omega 3 and 6 fatty acids are part of the daily nutrient recommendations for cats. The omega 3s keep the heart and kidneys healthy for cats. We think of omega 6 fatty acids when we think about coat quality in cats. However, you will find that great contributions come from omega 3 fatty acids like those found in Grizzly Pollock oil. Pollock fish is a great source of the omega 3 fatty acids we commonly associate with salmon oil. There is a good ratio of 1.3:1 of DHA to EPA. Because of the high level of polyunsaturation in the product, it is preserved with rosemary extract." I can't read what size my bottle is, but an 8 oz bottle is about $8 and can be found here.

You guys, I didn't write the above wrong - the whole paragraph was written by Pawalla about how good Pollock Oil is for CATS, not dogs. Rest assured, with a little research I found that Pollock Oil has the same benefits for dogs that it does for cats. I think they might have forgotten to switch "cat" to "dog." :)

You may or may not remember that we got items from Grizzly in our February Pawalla Mini. They loved those Salmon treats they got then and they loved the stuff they got now! Luna got about 1 pump because she's about 10 pounds in her food and I put 2 pumps in Ares' dish because he's about 20 pounds. The wet spot on Ares' food is the Pollock Oil. They LOVED it and licked their bowls completely clean (although they do that every night anyway!)

And finally, their toy. They got the Amazing Pet Rope Ball. Pawalla says "This ultra-durable, rope ball promotes healthy play while also helping keep your pup's teeth clean." I can't find this toy online ANYWHERE. I would low-ball estimate it to be about $3.00. It will probably be on the Pawalla shop page in the next month or so.

Luna was still licking her lips from her amazing dinner but she wanted that ball!

I love this picture. See Ares' hind leg flying up? I managed to take the picture right as he was slipping on the hardwood floor!

And a more dignified picture of him playing fetch.

Want your own Pawalla or Pawalla Mini? Clickity-click this link for $5 off your first subscription!

monthly review: April BarkBox!

I think that this BarkBox is my favorite so far. In the letter I got with my product descriptions, the team at BarkBox stated that for our April showers, they wanted to make sure that our pups got fun indoor things to keep them occupied, which is great because my pups and I hate the rain! Ginger is visiting us again and this time, she has learned to join in our box opening fun!

Now first, about BarkBox: 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).

Only my boy is sweet enough to pose for pictures for his mama.

 Ginger and Luna were so excited to get the box open.

Their lovely haul. So many fun goodies to explore!

First things first: They got Licks liquid vitamin. Strangely enough, it's not on the sheet of goodies to explain what they are and why I should give them to my pups. Licks is a canine health supplement and treat. There are 3 super easy ways to administer the vitamins from these packets: 1) feed to dog directly from packet 2) pour over food and 3) pour into their water dish. The joint and heart formula we received is packed with Omega 3 fatty acids, vegetarian Glucosamine, and Vitamin E. They also have formulas for athletes (to maximize energy) and zen (to calm down anxiety-ridden pups). You can find them here.
If you remember, I got a couple of these in their Bugsy's Box back in January. I haven't used those and still haven't used these so I don't have an opinion on them. I am very intrigued by them and will probably add them to Ares and Luna's water dishes in the next few days to see how they react to it.

The next thing is my absolute favorite from the box: The grooming mitt. This is by ABO Gear. BarkBox says "The GroomMitt is handy for times when your pup could use a bath, but you don't feel like dragging sad puppies to the sink, or enduring a wrestling match in the tub (advantage: dog.) You stay dry, they stay happy and clean." They are sold for $6.99 and you can find them here.

I naturally had to pull one out to try it. They have the same cloth feel that baby wipes do but it's something that you can just stick your hand in. Ares and Luna were both pretty clean but it didn't stop me from wiping them down! The best parts about it: it smells yummy and it's amazing for cleaning those pesky pug wrinkles! I am a happy mama!

The lovely Etta Says also sent us a few things. BarkBox says "Etta says makes treats with the highest quality, USA sourced duck. They're all natural - no fillers, coloring, preservatives, grain, gluten, or by-products - and come enthusiastically recommended by our R&D team." The duck jerky retails for $9.50 and can be found here.

They got a crunchy duck chew which I haven't given to them yet because I'd rather that World War III didn't start in my apartment and they got duck jerky treats.

One piece easily broke apart for me to share among the three of them. They barely sat still for the pictures and they more or less inhaled them when I finally let them have their piece of jerky.

We also got a Barkworthies bone. BarkBox says "Nothing sates a four-legged chewer quite like a bone. These stuffed shins are filled with brown rice and ground bully sticks, which makes them doubly appetizing and entertaining - it takes skill to get all of the filling out!" They retail for about $6.50 and can be found here.
I thought Ares was going to go nuts, trying to get the bone before I was done taking pictures of it! Unfortunately, due to my dog's inability to share, they aren't getting it until I can get something comparable to keep everyone happy.

And finally, their toy. BarkBox says "Whether your best friend is a chewer, a retriever, or an avid tug-of-war enthusiast, this rope toy is made for all types of play. Best of all: you can partake in puppy playtime! Rough-housing pups, rejoice! It retails for about $7 and can be found here.

Ares usually LOVES ropes but tonight he happily let Ginger play with it by herself. This is the perfect toy to take to the dog park though - they'll have so much fun with it!

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

monthly review: February Pawalla Mini!

When I signed up for BarkBox, I also heard about Pawalla. The great thing about them is that they're currently offering a mini box (for the first 200 subscribers). Their regular box comes with 6 or more goodies consisting of wet food, treats, healthy supplements, and essentials and toys. The mini box states that it comes with 1 treat, 1 toy, and 1 surprise item that will never be wet food (they must have had some complaints about people not wanting the wet food in their boxes which makes sense to me - my dogs don't get wet food unless they're sick). When you order, you give information about your pet so that they can customize your box to suit your pet's age and size. Because we are signed up for BarkBox, I decided the Pawalla Mini would work best for us and we signed up February 12th and got our first box today, just 10 days later! I'm amazed!

The best part about Pawalla? They have boxes available for dogs or cats!

They know the drill now - pose for pictures, then they get to open their box. Excuse Luna's lion imitation, there was a poop catastrophe in her cage so she's wet from her bath.

They actually got this box open! (I made it easier for them.)

And here are their yummy goodies. I know they told me that I would be getting 3 products but I'm definitely not complaining that I got 4 and somehow, I don't think Ares and Luna will complain either!

As with Bugsy's Box and BarkBox, the Pawalla Mini comes with a helpful guide to our goodies.

First up is the Wigzi Tasties Treats. As Pawalla says, "Wigzi treats should really be called limited ingredient treats because of their makeup. If a dog can eat peanut butter, duck, and/or cheese, these small treats will be perfect. They are made with pea flour, tapioca flour, and chickpea flour, all of which are being used in the most current limited antigen foods. These are grain free, preservative free, and artificial color and flavor free. This is a USA product for your dog family that should be easy and neat to carry in your pocket for treating on the go. They come in three flavors, Peanut Butter, Roasted Duck, and Wisconsin Cheddar."

They are $5.99. It states that they are training treat size but they are about twice the size of the treats that I use for training. This would be something I would use to train them to sit and stay and such, and not "potty treats." As you can see, we got the roasted duck flavor - YUM! The best part? They were right about the limited ingredients. These treats ONLY contain duck, chickpea flour, and tapioca. They also donate 2% of all profits to animal rescue groups and shelters that find temporary homes for animals that would be otherwise euthanized. You can find these treats here.

They were so excited to try their treats! And they absolutely loved them!
If I were to buy anymore treats, these would be it. I love their size and the lack of ingredients, especially ones I can't pronounce is a HUGE plus for me!

The other treat they got was Grizzly Salmon NuTreats for Dogs. Pawalla says "Crunchy, fish treats for dogs. These are made from smoked wild salmon, fish protein, fish bone powder, fish oil, alfalfa, kelp and natural preservatives. These are great training treats as they carry a strong fish scent, are small, and are healthy for your fur family member. They have low moisture and high protein. They may crumble fairly easily. Because of the high content of omega 3 (heart healthy) fatty acids, both rosemary and vitamin E have been included as natural preservatives. These score high on the list as training aids." They're about $8.50 and can be found here.
The description was definitely right about the strong scent! The good news was, I wasn't hit by the smell as soon as I opened the bag or anything - I had to put the treats near my face before I got the strong whiff (or maybe I'm just catching the cold that's been going around my area!)

Ares and Luna absolutely loved them. I could barely get Luna to sit still long enough for the picture and later, I caught Ares trying to get the treats from where I left them on top of the oven!

The next thing I looked at was the Gerrard Larriet Aromatherapy Spray. It is described as "Aromatherapy and essential oils have been shown to affect mood, stress, energy, calmness and sleep. They are being used in human therapy and now it is available for pets. Gerrard Larriett offers three essential oil blends (Happy Jasmine, Balancing Rose, and Relaxing Wildwoods). Now we can treat our fur family to the benefits we receive. We tried the Relaxing Wildwoods, which contains shampoo and conditioner, freshening & shining spray, and deodorizing soy candle. The scent is lovely and all of the ingredients are safe for dogs and cats."
I have the Happy Jasmine freshening and shining spray and while I was worried about the smell of it (I'm not a huge fan of floral scents), this smells amazing! I immediately sprayed it on both dogs. My only issue is that my dogs don't really like things sprayed at them so they looked at me like I was crazy for a second before running off. I'll use it but definitely not as much as I could because of this. Do other people have the same problem? I'm assuming because some people use a spray water bottle as a way to break up fights and such, that most dogs don't like sprays. I don't blame them either. Still it smells super yummy and I'll definitely put it to use even if I won't be purchasing it on my own. Happy Jasmine is supposed to help sensitive, dry skin though so if I notice a difference in her dandruff from using the spray, I'll definitely reconsider my stance. I definitely wouldn't mind trying the shampoos and conditioners though. A 4oz bottle is $12 and you can purchase it here.

And last but certainly not least, Ares and Luna's favorite - the toy! This is also made by Wigzi. Pawalla says "These colorful and durable toys for dogs bounce and float! They are made in the good ol' USA, and they have none of that rubber smell!" I didn't sniff the toy before relinquishing it to the dogs so I have no idea if the lack of rubber smell is true but the dogs definitely give it two paws up! The medium lock is $9.99 and can be found here.

I really like that Pawalla included two completely different items from one company. It shows me the range of things that Wigzi produces and I'm definitely eager to explore their site to see what else they have. The toy doesn't squeak and it isn't the hard plastic that Ares and Luna like chewing on so I'm not sure how long the toy will keep their interest but for now, they think it's awesome! Y'all I'm an idiot. I just realized that the "key" spot on the bottom is perfect for adding a treat in it for playing. This will definitely make them excited!

The mini boxes range from $12-14 a month depending on the subscription you sign up for and I received roughly $35 in goodies! Ares, Luna, and I are super happy campers and I definitely think that we'll stay loyal customers for quite awhile. First impressions are huge for me and this one was great.

And one more thing, I received this e-mail yesterday:

Recalls, especially ones that can affect your dog's health, are totally scary but I'm really glad that Pawalla stepped up and made sure to send an e-mail to ALL of their customers, even the ones that weren't affected by receiving the product from Pawalla. It made me really happy that they kept me in the loop.

Clickity-click here to get $5 off of your subscription to any Pawalla box.

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!