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When you’re a fur mama to two 90-pound dogs, normal dog toys typically don’t cut it. You need the heavy duty stuff: The toys that are actually built to last and are designed with enthusiastic doggos in mind. For years, it was trial and error with every brand under the sun—most toys got their stuffing ripped out within minutes. One day, everything changed: I bought a single BarkBox toy online because I thought it looked cute and durable. It was game over after that—I’ve been a loyal BarkBox customer ever since, and my dogs love the brand’s toys and treats.
Shortly after buying the single toy, I decided to sign up for a BarkBox membership instead of buying a la cart, since my dogs, especially my eldest (Sasha—pic below!) loved the toys so much, and they not only lasted, but they kept her busy. Not a small feat for a German Shepherd mom (IYKYK).
I’ve been a BarkBox member for over two years, and it’s been the best gift for my dogs, and for myself. If you’re wondering whether it’s worth the investment, read on, dog parent pals.
BarkBox is a monthly dog toy and treat subscription, although they do sell individual toys online (which is how I actually discovered the brand). Every month, you get two toys and two full-sized bags of treats (and sometimes meal topper, dental chew, and doggy “dessert” samples!). Best of all, every month has a different theme. On Halloween you get spooky-themed toys (this past year we got a toy hatchet that Sasha adores to this day), the holiday time offers toys in the shape of pies and turkey bones, and then in between major holidays, BarkBox will do cute seasonal curations, like lake-themed toys, or special edition collabs (we got a Dunkin Donuts box one once, and it was a big hit).
What this month’s treat batch looked like:
And yes, you do get to customize your box a bit with an initial short quiz, which determines the size of your dog (I believe so you get slightly larger toys), their birthday or gotcha day (for free gifts!), and any allergies (to make sure you get treats that your pup can tolerate). It looks like this:
And from here, you input your email address and sign up. I usually get my box around the second or third week of the month, but it’ll come sooner if it’s specially themed around a certain holiday (like for Valentine’s Day, I know we got ours a few days before, so the girls could properly prepare and celebrate).
BarkBox cost is broken down by frequency of sends. $35 a month for month-to-month, $26 per box for a 6-month subscription, and $22 a month for an annual subscription. Right now, we have the annual subscription because we love it so much. You do have to pay $5 a month for shipping, which is a bummer—even if you pay for the 6-month or annual membership. If it becomes too costly or you feel like your house is overflowing with dog toys, you can cancel or pause your membership at any point (just email happy@barkbox.com).
Pros
Very durable, long-lasting toys that are high quality every time
Fun themes every month (fun for dog parents and dogs)
Reliably comes every month
Sometimes you get freebies
Treats are high quality and dogs love them
You can cancel your membership at any point
Cons
Certainly an investment, you kinda have to commit to BarkBox for it to financially make sense
No refunds
BarkBox doesn’t cover shipping
For me, BarkBox is totally worth the $26 every month. I never buy dog toys or treats anywhere else. The only dog accessories I buy outside of my BarkBox subscription is bully sticks at Costco (and like, dog bandanas if we’re feeling fancy, from Amazon). Considering I’d get the girls a new toy or two, and certainly a bag of treats every month, the price isn’t prohibitive for me, personally. I’d be spending that much anyway, and the toys and treats are higher quality anyway.
Plus, the dogs love BarkBox delivery day, and it’s so fun seeing their faces when we open a new box together!
Sasha Vaynshteyn: 5-year-old GSD, enthusiastic dog toy lover
Pepper Vaynshteyn: 3.5-year old GSD, enjoys playing with toys when she has the zoomies
