Review: Nov. PetBox for Dogs

We've had the pleasure of reviewing Petbox Subscription Boxes twice before - once for cats, and once for dogs.  I am very excited to announce that we have been given the opportunity to do so monthly in 2015!

As of now, we are an affiliate of PetBox, which means that I will be receiving a surprise PetBox for our dog, Sadie (who was far too excited by this to stay still for pictures!) each month for review - and we are able to offer a standing discount code for our readers for new PetBox accounts.  There is a small bonus for sign ups  that use this code, which will allow us to offset some of the costs of the blog itself.

To receive 10% off your own PetBox subscription, use the code RCHREVIEWS at check out!

It was a big deal for us to agree to be an affiliate - we took great care to ensure that our reviews will be able to remain honest and objective . Our main concern, as always, is to be able to help our readers find the very best products out there!

Today, I am sharing with you the box we received just after Thanksgiving.  Sadie dived her nose straight into it as soon as it was opened!  Little wonder! Not only did she get a couple of great toys, but there were tons of snacks for her in there as well!

Let's mention the toys first - Sadie is very close to 15 years old, and her days of tearing toys to shreds as fast as possible are pretty much behind her.  She has a couple plushies she likes in her bed with her, and never really has been much for rubber toys.  Which is a shame, because they're a lot easier to keep clean!  She got two of them in this box and was curious about both of them, although she lost interest quickly.  A different dog would adore these!

First, there is this delightful ball - there's a whole lot going on in this little blue package.

The soft spikes offer both gripping support and an interesting texture, and the ball squeaks when it is squeezed.

If you toss it on the ground, there's an added surprise - on impact, there is a flashing blue light that blinks for a minute or so.

I think she'd have been all over this ball about five years ago - as it was, the squeaker held her attention each time she heard it.  This is a great toy - unfortunately, no packaging was included to tell me the brand.

The other toy included in the November PetBox is the Jolly Bone.  It's just the right size for a medium dog's mouth, made of tough yet pliable rubber that can hold up to the strongest of gnawing teeth.

No jingles, no light ups - but it floats, making it a great toy for dogs that like to swim and fetch!

The first time we gave it to Sadie, I admit I put a little dab of bacon grease on it, which was enough to tell her it was hers, all hers!  She's since dragged it into her treasure lair under the dining room table, and eventually I expect it is going to go the way of most chew toys and rawhides - buried in the yard to be proudly dug up every month or two.

Onto Sadie's favorite part - the snacks!  She lives for treats and boy, did she get treats!  Trying to get pictures of Sadie when there's a treat nearby is about impossible, but we tried!

There were four full-sized snacks/supplements in the November PetBox:

Exclusively Dog Cookies - Mini Grahams
There was a burst of graham cracker scent when we opened these that made me hungry.  And they made Sadie do something she's never done before - grab the whole box and try to hide it under the dining room table. (It wasn't a well thought out plan, but E for Effort, Sadie!)  These are thin little squares, just the right size for a tidbit snack, and as you might guess, she loves them a whole lot.

Tomlyn Relax & Calm for Med/Large Dogs
These are supplements hiding out as treats - packed with L-tryptophan, chamomile and ginger to promote relaxation and calm. For every 20lb of dog, one of these tiny little bone shaped bites daily will help keep nervous dogs a bit less hyperactive.  Sadie basically has only two modes - freaked out and comotose, so she's getting two of these daily, and it's hard to say if they're working, but she gets very excited at the sight of them!

Happy Howie's Turkey Sausage
These are pretty substantial sized sausage treats - firm enough to make the dog work for it a bit but not hard to break up into smaller bits if you'd rather use them as smaller rewards.  Sadie spent a couple of minutes happily working this one over and licked her chops joyfully once it was all gone.

J Nicolay Bakery Pumpkin Cinnamon Treats
I put these soy, wheat and corn free treats in the 'substantial' category, as well.  As you can see, they are solid hard and crunchy squares that are thick enough that Sadie has to soften it up a bit before she can bite into it.

This keeps her busy for a couple minutes, and I count that as a good thing.  The scent is mild and if her reaction to them is any indicator, I am sure they're quite tasty!

J Nicolay Bakery makes several varieties of dog treats, and they're made to order by hand.

 The last item in our box was Tomlyn Eye Opticlear. This is a sterile eye wash that can be used to flush out a dog or cat's eyes, sooth eye itching, and otherwise help keep them comfortable and healthy.

We didn't have cause to use it during the review period, so we've tucked it away for the spring, which is when she usually winds up spending a lot of time snuffling around in the yard.

As with most sterile solutions, this one has an expiration date - ours will keep until August, 2015.

Speaking of PetBox grooming aids, when I did our previous review, I mentioned a little tool for safely removing tics that we had had no occasion to use.

We've since had to use it three times, most recently on Christmas Eve (yuck!).  It works like a charm, and I'm so happy that PetBox introduced us to it!

Finally I want to let you know that I'll be doing a pair of unboxings next weekend - I would add them to this post, but they were Christmas gifts and haven't made it to their homes yet.  I took advantage of a great special PetBox had over the holidays, and bought a small-dog Holiday Box for my mom-in-law's chihuahua, Harley, and a cat Holiday Box for my daughter's calico cat, Frankie.

There was a glitch during ordering and they accidentally shipped here instead of to the recipients.  Since I had them, I couldn't resist peeking - once they've gotten to where they belong, I'll show you what was in them.  It was a whole lot of awesome, is what!

Remember, if you'd like to sign up for PetBox, using the code RCHREVIEWS will get you 10% off and help us offset the cost of this website.

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