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.

Picture dump

I'm totally slacking in the blog department, I know. Life is getting in the way of my pugs. Stupid life!
A quick update on them:
Ares is mange free! And if you remember my post on mange and my cousin's story about Otis, you'll be thrilled to know after a long battle, Otis is also mange free! Both dogs are on one more month of medicine and need another negative skin scrape but I think it's safe to celebrate now!
Luna keeps me on my toes! She's been so funny at the dog park lately - the other pug there, Nicky, likes eating the dirt from holes that other dogs have dug and Luna has decided all of the holes are hers. This results in him sniffing and her going over and flopping on her back in his hole, batting her paws in his face! They're tiny, shallow holes but she's definitely gotten stuck in one by wiggling too much!

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: March Pawalla Mini!

Oh, boy were we excited to get our Pawalla Mini! Luna couldn't wait for me to get the box open but I managed to sit them down long enough to get pictures this time.

Right after I took this, Ares snagged the monkey stick and took off running. Note the line of fur behind him. That's where Ginger's cage was while pet sitting. She went home last night and with my work schedule, I haven't had a chance to vacuum yet. It's really attractive, I know.

Their haul! I'm most excited for the shampoo!

We'll start with the Pet Greens Semi-Moist Li'l Treats - Tasty Lamb flavor. Pawalla says "The small size of Li'l treats is great for smaller dogs or when used as a training treat for larger dogs. The vegetable glycerin keeps this treat soft and chewy for fur family members. They also contain wheat grass powder which provides SOD (superoxide dismutase) an anti-aging enzyme, and GAGS (glycosaminoglycans) which are part of joint synovial fluid. This is a good, healthy treat for your fur family." They retail about $7.99 and can be found here.

They're in the shape of hearts! I love hearts! They're full of LOVE! They're also Ares and Luna approved and I'm not ashamed to admit we've already gone through half of the bag with training exercises. Actually, I am ashamed to admit it - we need more! Someone send us some!

The next thing we tried was the Natural Balance Healthy Bones Turkey, Oatmeal and Cranberry treats. As you can tell, Luna was excited for me to open the bag. Pawalla says "Natural Balance has added additional vitamin E and zinc to these tasty treats. Both the E and the zinc are related to coat quality, so there is a definite contribution from these treats. There are no artificial flavorings (rosemary is used as a preservative) or colors added. There are grains in this treat such as oats, barley, rye, which are just fine for pet foods when used in supportive roles to a meat protein." They retail at about $5 and can be found here.

Luna still couldn't resist. These were shaped like bones and had "NB" stamped on them. Ares and Luna found them delicious. Also, Luna stole most of Ares' from him. Poor Ares.

We also got a 2 oz sample bottle of Fresh Dog Oatmeal Shampoo. Pawalla says "This soap free shampoo is great for dogs sensitive to soaps and detergents. Fresh Dog shampoo contains coconut oil, oatmeal and sweet almond oil. These essential oils in this product are also aroma-therapeutic and are very pleasant. Echinacea has been added to naturally disinfect and promote healing. This is safe for kittens and puppies as well as adult dogs and cats. It can also be used by the human members of the pet family." 

I'm really excited for this one because while I don't know if it's just the winter weather or what but Luna suffers from dry skin and dandruff. This will be perfect for her! A full sized bottle retails at $12 and can be found here.

And we have to save best for last: the PetLou Monkey Stick! As I said earlier, Ares was so excited about this, he grabbed it out of the box and ran when I first opened it. Silly boy. Pawalla says "This colorful monkey is sure to please your pup! Made of ultra-thick, durable material, this plush toy stick features a loud squeaker for extra fun. PetLou uses only premium grade fabric and fillers and construction-double stitched seams for durability." They retail about $7 and can be found here.

Ares and Luna loved it! Since the weather was nice, we went out on the balcony to let them play. They ran and played tug of war to their heart's content (and don't forget the tricks for their lamb treats!)

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Overall, not including the shampoo, I received about $20 in products. Pawalla Mini's run between $12-17 a month depending on the length of the subscription so I think we did great! We will definitely happily use everything that came in our box, and probably very quickly at that!

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