Marlo's BarkBox and Super Chewer Review
Barkbox is a subscription service for dog toys and edible delights. Super Chewer is a bit more expensive version for dogs that are extra active at chewing. With so many different subscription boxes available you might be wondering if this one is really good, especially when you have no way of telling what it's like before you actually subscribe to it and make a commitment.
I have ordered this box for my dog Marlo and would like to share my insights with you and hopefully help you decide to give it a try or on the contrary – stay away. This is our experience, so keep in mind that yours might be completely different.
Large Dog box
Marlo is about 60 pounds, so I went with a box for a large dog. He turned out to be a very aggressive chewer, so I ended up upgrading the subscription to Super Chewer, but let's talk about the classic one first:
2 toys in every box
Dogs love toys, period, and I always buy toys for my little big guy. Unfortunately, some toys only live a day or two before getting totally destroyed, others I see for a few weeks, so the need for toys in my house is constant. Most toys in the classic box were plush, which, yes, got killed and de-gutted within hours. Every once in a while there was a rubber toy in a box, so this is why I ended up upgrading.
2 treats in every box
Marlo is not big on eating and definitely is not spoiled with treats. The best treat for him a piece of cheese if there is ever a need while training him. So I felt that the treats made the box more expensive, but were totally not needed by me or Marlo. The treats were nice, organic, and tasty, so no complaints here, it's just something I would never spend money on. You can also specify your dog's sensitivities or allergies and you won't receive treats with those ingredients.
1 chew in every box
Every chew we got was very nice and tasty for Marlo. He attacked every one of those dental chews until they were gone, and he doesn't chew everything that easily. So I can say that he was a fan.
Super Chewer Review
Super Chewer is an upgraded BarkBox for aggressive chewers. It costs $8-$9 extra per box of rubber and tough rope toys, so you can forget picking up fluff from every corner of your house. The toys are Marlo tested and approved in this house! If you don't want to upgrade for Super Chewer, you can contact BarkBox customer service and request more durable plush toy versions for your classic subscription at no cost. This option is not available on the website, but you can request it via live chat or over the phone.
Does this box make financial sense?
This is an important consideration, so let's take a look at some numbers:
Each box has 2 toys, 2 treat bags, and 1 chew. If you divide that by total price of the box, which I did below, you will see that cost per item is less than similar items would go for at pet retail stores. This is good news and shows that money is well spent.
The good price might not matter if you otherwise wouldn't buy so many dog toys or treats and with the subscription blow through your dog budget. All those extras don't include real food, so keep that in mind.
This is what the prices look like:
- Classic box for 6 months - $150 total, $25 per box, and $5 per item
- Classic box for 12 months - $252 total, $21 per box, and $4.20 per item
- Super Chewer for 6 months - $204 total, $34 per box, and $6.80 per item
- Super Chewer for 12 months - $348 total, $29 per box, and $5.80 per item
Beware that there is no cancellation policy, so once you commit to a period of time, you can't back out. Their customer service is very nice and will work hard to keep you happy, but you have to be very sure about this before subscribing. You can start by ordering just one box per month, especially when the first one is discounted for new customers, if you just want to try.
The subscription is also auto-renewing, so don't forget to opt out before it renews if you don't like something or simply accumulated too many dog toys.
Other than locking us into a period of time, this subscription service gets thumbs up from both me and Marlo.
