Subscription boxes for pets are a big thing these days, and today I – I mean Cleo – is going to tell you a bit about a dog subscription box called BoxDog!
BoxDog reached out to me about their product – I was not paid for this review, but yes Cleo was bribed with some goodies. This review is our honest thoughts about the box and what was received.
Cleo was excited at first sniff of the box before I even opened it – so something in there must have smelled really good! I am glad she does not have fingers to open the box because I needed her to be patient to get some images for this post.
OK, on to the good stuff.
When I received the box I wanted to learn a little more about the company to see who the brainchild was behind the business, but unfortunately I could not find any kind of history or about page to know who started the business or why. That is something that is important to me so it does bother me a bit. I like to know who I am supporting!
I have not had a lot of experience with pet boxes, I tried one other one called VetPet Box which I liked, but I have not personally subscribed to any myself because I never thought there would be one for a crazy pit bull to enjoy.
BoxDog definitely offered more for her than I had expected as you will see below! But let’s get started with the BoxDog details.
The BoxDog Ordering Options
BoxDog offers a few options for ordering so it can fit just about any budget. Pricing is as of the time of writing of this article which was January 2020.
Monthly BoxDog – $35.99
Each month your pet will receive BoxDog and will include the following:
- 2 handmade treats
- 1 skincare or gear item
- Your choice of 2-3 toys, clothing or gear
Quarterly BoxDog – $39.99
Your pooch will receive their goods every 3 months in the giant quarterly subscription and will include the following:
- 4 handmade treats
- 1 skincare item
- Your choice of 2-3 toys, clothing or gear
Annual BoxDog – $159.96
This is basically the same as the quarterly BoxDog but there are a few additions if you subscribe to the annual plan.
- First pick at seasonal items (so you never have to worry about them selling out of an item)
- First pick at special items
The costs are fair for what you get and based and I would have no problem spending the money for the value of the products.
The BoxDog Unboxing
This is the fun part! Seeing the goodies my pup will get to enjoy. Below are all the items that came with our BoxDog subscription box. This review is based on the Fall 2020 BoxDog offerings I got to choose from – which was a dinosaur theme.
(1) Vegan Skincare Item
I received a bottle of Oatmeal Dog Shampoo for our vegan item and instantly like the smell of it. Not overpowering at all and smells a little like vanilla.
I gave her a bath and it did leave her with a softer coat and not with that “wet dog” smell like some cheaper shampoos give off. (Yes, I usually use cheap shampoos on her – but hope to change that now that I have seen the difference).
Cleo had no thoughts on this one because she despises baths so there was no way she was going to like shampoo!
(2) Handmade Treats
I received 2 different types of handmade dog treats and loved what I was seeing for the ingredients. Now, in regards to any treats or foods in pet subscription boxes there will be no one size fits all situation. My dog is weird and actually hates peanut butter.
So take what Cleo thinks about these cookies worth a grain of salt because, well, she is a weird dog.
Oreo Cookies
These adorable cookies look so close to real Oreos, but without the unhealthy ingredients. 2 hard outer cookies with a layer of frosting in the center.
Cookie ingredients: oat flour, carob powder, egg and water
Frosting ingredients: yogurt powder, tapioca starch, coconut milk powder, coconut flour, apple pectin, milk solids, water
Cleos thoughts!
Cleo inhaled these cookies and was looking at me like, hey that’s it? Clearly she thought they were delicious!
Cookie Variety Pack
This package includes 3 different handmade dog treats with different flavors including cranberry & pumpkin, cheese and plain pumpkin.
Cranberry & Pumpkin ingredients: rye flour, rice flour, barley flour, oatmeal, flaxseed, pumpkin, applesauce, cranberries, whole dried eggs, cinnamon, ginger
Cheese Bone ingredients: rye flour, rice flour, oatmeal, rice bran, dried cheddar cheese, flaxseed, canola oil, barley flour, whole dried eggs
Soft Pumpkin Bites ingredients: oatmeal, soybean oil, flax, pumpkin, rice flour, soy flour, whey, dried whole eggs, cinnamon, finger, all spice and cloves
Cleos thoughts!
Unfortunately she did not find these as appealing! She ate the soft pumpkin bites and did not touch the others. I did bring the others on a photo shoot I did and those dogs devoured them!
(3) Toys & Gear
For my 3 toys and gear items I selected the BoxDog Vest, a “dinosaur egg” ball and a Tuffy Mosasaurus. Yes, there was a dinosaur theme going on here.
Tuffy Mosasaurus
My girl is a power chewer so getting toys is no easy feat for her. Tuffy brand toys are the one brand that we have invested in for her and we have yet to be disappointed so this was a great add to the box options!
Cleos thoughts!
Winner Winner Mosasaurus dinner! The hit of the box – 2 months later it is still here and gets played with daily.
Red Rubber Egg
This rubber dog toy lasted about 6 weeks or so and was fun while it lasted! (I told you she was a power chewer). It made a bell like noise that she wanted to get to – hey, we all need life goals, hers is to kill any toy that makes noise. All in all it held up better than expected and will get this again for her because she loved it.
Cleos thoughts!
Another winner in the box! Of course killing it to get to the noise maker was most of the fun!
Dog Adventure Pack
Cleo will not wear anything – even coats, because of her prior abuse. She gets terrified and stressed when we even try to put something on her, but I thought this was cute and would be a great product for shelter dogs to use on their pack walks. The shelter was so grateful for it!
The quality is great and it can fit dogs from about 15-100 pounds. You can use it for treats, keys, poop bags etc. The hook is to attache a leash and it seems to be very comfortable. They also offer a matching human backpack for the fashion conscious dog owner.
Cleos thoughts!
I did not try this out on her, but instead donated it to a shelter for their dogs to use on pack walks.
Final Thoughts
Overall, I was very happy with the BoxDog experience and box, as was Cleo. I particularly like that I can have some say in what I get for my dog – I am not sure that is something I have seen in many other boxes.
The only negative thing I could really find is that there options to select from were not as exciting as I would like – which is why I chose the vest for the rescue. I hope they do begin to add more options to choose from.
