January 2013 "Just Right" BarkBox Review!

Hey everyone!

Boomer and Sookie received their January BarkBox last Friday! They are always excited when any box comes because they think it's their precious BarkBox that has arrived, but usually it's another one of mommy's boring beauty boxes that they can't enjoy at all. However, they were really excited this time because they could smell something in particular that was especially delicious (to them) in there! I chose for them to get a medium BarkBox since Boomer is about 40 pounds. Sookie is a small dog, but since they're sharing it, I figured I should get the bigger size.

Quick rundown of the things you should know about BarkBox:
- $29/month including shipping, price goes down with the more months you buy at once ($17/6 months)
- 4 to 5 goodies in each box
- 10% of each box goes to a dog shelter
- Different items in each box (sometimes) for different size dogs
- Delivered by USPS

- AWESOME referral program (Get one person to sign up, and get one month of barkbox for free!)

Dog Stats:

Boomer
Breed: Catahoula Leopard Hound/Dachshund mix
Weight: 45 lbs
Sex: Male
Age: ~1 and a half years old
Temperment: Scared of everything. Ferocious when it comes to destroying his toys. Always has to jump on you. Always.

Sookie
Breed: Chiweenie (Chihuahua/Dachshund mix)
Weight: 14 lbs
Sex: Female
Age: ~1 and a half years old
Temperment: Brave and curious. Plays with her toys gently and prances around throwing them in the air to herself. Complains and groans when she's sleeping next to you and you move.

January BarkBox Unboxing!

What was in this month's box?

Dog Treats Toasters in Lamb from Superior Farms, YumZies Soft-Moist Dog Treats in Natural Cheese Flavor from Nootie, Twisted Long Bully Stick from Barkworthies (low-odor), and an Elton the Octopus Rope Toy from Jax and Bones

Total Value:

$34.98

Dog Treats Toasters in Lamb from Superior Farms ($7.99/3 oz):

These treats are grain free and gluten free and the actual treats come in various sizes, as you can see in the pic below. They have a pungent smell, as most treats do. I think it mostly smells like liver treats. They're pretty light and crunchy. Boomer and Sookie seemed to enjoy these as well.

YumZies Soft-Moist Dog Treats in Natural Cheese Flavor from Nootie ($7.99/6 oz):

Boomer and Sookie loved these dense, hearty treats. It's chewy and soft, and smells like very pungent cheddar cheese. Since the main ingredient is chicken, Boomer can't have very much of it since he has a chicken allergy (we think). But they are smaller than the lamb treats that we got, so these can be just hers. They're also grain-free and have omega-3 in them, so that's good! I don't even have enough omega-3 in my diet.

Curly 8"-10" Bully Stick from Barkworthies (~$5.00)

This was the first thing that they wanted out of the box. They are definitely familiar with bully sticks. Henry ended up having to chop it into thirds with a hedge clipper so they'd be able to share it. Boomer finished his piece pretty quickly (~4 minutes), while Sookie took a little longer (~10 minutes). I think it was harder for Sookie to work around the twists since her mouth is much smaller than Boomer's. It smelled pretty pungent in our small living room, but I think it's because the bully sticks we normally get are "odor-free", while this one was a "low-odor" one. In any case, I'm not sure if I would purchase these regularly because of the high price tag, and the odor. I usually buy the Cadet brand at Costco. It comes out to about $2-3 a stick, are "odor-free", and they last pretty long. Boomer and Sookie definitely enjoyed it though. And the twisting does seem to make it last longer, at least with Sookie.

Elton the Octopus Rope Toy from Jax and Bones ($14.00):

This was a cute toy, but I was almost certain it wouldn't last that long with Boomer and Sookie, since they've had a similar looking crab rope toy and tore that to pieces. Surprisingly, after a few days now, it's still intact, with only some of it's arms coming unfurled. I think it's because we're teaching Boomer not to destroy his toys anymore, which seems to be working pretty well. My little Sookie is the one who usually loves and appreciates toys, but I think this one was a bit too heavy for her. And of course, it doesn't have a squeaker, which makes it less interesting to play with. She does bring it to me for an occasional game of fetch though. I've seen pictures on the Barkbox facebook where some dogs just left a pile of chewed up rope in their wake of playing with it, so I wouldn't say it was very durable. Luckily, our Elton still has most of his arms and his head is still the way it came. Success! You can see a cute picture of Boomer playing tug of war with him below, and Sookie trying to push Elton in Boomer's face to get him to play with her in the video. They crack me up.

Overall, I enjoyed this month's Barkbox, but I always do. Boomer and Sookie always get so excited and happy when they get to try new treats and play with new toys, and since they're a huge part of my life, I'm always so happy to see them happy! I was also pleased with the value of the box this month, since it was a little better than last month's value. I think getting a 12-month subscription for Barkbox at $18 a month is worth it, but I'm not sure if I would pay $29 a month for the month to month. You save more in the long run if you pay for your 12-months up front. I've always been satisfied with Barkbox, so I probably wouldn't mind paying the 12-months up front. I'm only cautious with new subscriptions to decide if it's worth paying ahead since you aren't able to cancel your subscription at any time. In the case of Barkbox, the difference is a pretty large difference (in my opinion) between the month to month and the 12-month plan.

If you'd like to get your special companion a Barkbox, just click here and get $5 off your first month! It's one of my favorite ones to open during the month since it's a way for us to bond over the items. :)

Thanks for reading!

TheRxNina