We were joined by his older, but not bigger, sister Lola. In typical pug fashion, she was the perfect little model…

This is one of my all-time favorite photos of a pup and their human… Amy + her pit pup, Rocky…

You can imagine how thrilled I was when I found out that there’s now a similar monthly subscription for dogs called BarkBox. Now the pups can share in my excitement each month with their very own box of goodies. Each month they will receive a box with four or more goodies… they could be treats, toys, bones, grooming supplies, and fun new doggy gadgets. Each month is a surprise! We received our first Barkbox last week and the pups were stoked. I’m sure they could smell the contents before we even opened the box… as wherever I took the box, Lucy followed. She nosed her way into the box once I opened it, even getting pieces of tissue paper stuck to her schnauzer beard. Silly pup. Below are what Chloe + Lucy received in their first Barkbox… I’ve also included prices, as several people have asked if I think the contents of the box are worth the price (Note:  I did not receive a sheet that lists all the contents of the box, which it seems is usually included. Would have made this review a little easier, and I like to read the brief description and prices of the products like I receive from Birchbox. At first I thought that BarkBox just didn’t include a summary sheet, but I’ve seen that others did receive one so I guess ours just got left out. Hopefully next month we’ll have one!):

1.  LittleEatz carob chip cookies – these are all-natural treats that both pups and their humans are able to eat! Personally, I haven’t tried them (they look like little chocolate chip cookies, so I’m tempted!) but the girls sure do seem to like them. ($3.99)

2.  Doggie Waste Bags – made with tapioca plant. Basically, they’re eco-friendly poop bags. We haven’t tried these yet but as both a pet owner and a pet photographer, we can never have too many poop bags. ($3.33 for the pack of 20, as they are $9.99 for 60 on their site)

3.  K-10+ vitamin packet -  a packet of vitamin powder that you mix in your pups water. We received a multivitamin packet, but did not receive the calcium packet that others have received. I’m not too worried about it though… I’m not sure that these will work for us since we usually end up dumping and refilling the dogs’ water long before it’s empty. Lucy’s grungy beard dirties up their water pretty quickly. ($2.50 per packet, $34.99 for a box of 14 packets)

4.  Barkworthies Bullystick Ring – this is Lucy’s favorite part of the box… she LOVES bullysticks. She wouldn’t leave me alone until I gave this to her and she went to town on it. Lucy approves! (couldn’t find prices on their website, it appears that they sell wholesale. I’d guess that this would be about $2, based on other bullystick prices)

5.  Freezy Pups Kit -  this is my favorite part of the box… An ice cube tray that makes cute little bone-shaped ice cubes! It even comes with 4 flavor packs: chicken soup, white cheddar cheese, juicy apple, sweet potato n’ maple. For some reason, Lucy is an ice cube fiend. Even if she’s asleep, if she hears the ice box she comes running into the kitchen and looks expectantly up at me. And Chloe loves hanging out on the deck so I’m sure she’ll love these cold treats in the summertime. ($19.99)

6.  BarkBox t-shirt -  for humans, not pets. It’s cute… I like the #woof bubble.

7.  Yellow BarkBox collar -  a thank you that signifies that by subscribing to BarkBox, you are helping pups in need. Sweet.

Barkbox is giving back by donating 10% of each proceeds to a different shelter or rescue group each month… I love that.

Overall, I’m pretty happy with our first BarkBox and definitely think it’s worth the $16/month that I paid. I’m already looking forward to next month’s box… and I bet the pups are too!

To start receiving your very own BarkBox, just go to www.barkbox.com. You choose your pups size:  small & cute (0-20lbs), just right (20-50lbs), or big & bold (50+lbs). You can then choose how many monthly boxes you’d like to receive:  $25/month for 1 month, $21/month for 3 months, or $17/month for 6 months. And if you enter the discount code:  APZIE001 , you can get $5 off your purchase making the 6 month subscription less than $16/month. Score!

Most of the time you are a mellow and content baby. You seem to have your daddy’s easygoing attitude (and you get cranky when tired or hungry like him too!). This month has brought more frequent smiles and laughs, and you’ve also started what can only be described as growling. It’s often a cute little growl but sometimes it’ll come from deep in your throat and sound like a demon baby. I know you’re just finding your voice. When we talk to you these days, you make sounds back and your daddy loves your sweet little conversations. I heard your first real giggle on April 6 as you and I were singing and dancing at night in my office. Before that you were doing this little baby squeal and a combo cough/laugh. But you only let out that big laugh once and have since reverted to the baby laugh. You have discovered your hands, in all their yummy deliciousness. It seems that you can’t keep them out of your mouth these days. It took quite awhile for me to get photos of you this month where you weren’t chomping on your fingers. This month, you rolled over for the first time! You rolled from belly to back for the first time on April 14 as you and your daddy were playing on the living room floor. I’m not expecting you to roll from back to belly anytime soon since you still hate tummy time. You’ve developed an unhealthy obsession with the tv… Though you’re not really ‘allowed’ to watch, if it happens to be on you will twist and turn and contort yourself to get a glimpse of those pretty, moving lights. You’re grabbing more and more, and it isn’t limited to just your toys. You love to grab your mama’s hair, clothes, and necklaces. And when you’re nursing, you curl your arm up around your head and grab ahold of a little tuft of your hair. It’s so dang cute. You’re getting much better about holding up your head and are starting to sit, assisted, in our laps. I know it won’t be long until you’re sitting on your own. I get excited with each new thing that you learn, but also a bit sad as you need us less and less.

You’ve grown to about 12.5lbs. We go to the doctor for your 4 month appt next week and mama’s looking forward to seeing how much you’ve officially grown but dreading the shots that you’ll be getting. It breaks my heart to see you cry… I don’t think I’ll ever get used to that feeling.

Even after 4 months, I still can’t believe you’re all mine. Nothing makes me happier than that gummy little smile of yours and I don’t expect that that will ever change. I feel lucky every single day…

Love,

Your mama.

And this month’s iPhone pics will have to be updated later due to a sucky internet connection…

Head on over to April Ziegler Photography fan page to request a doggy photo that will make you smile this Woof Wednesday…