Best 10 Pet Subscription Boxes In 2018

We love our furry friends as family, because that is exactly what they are: family. For one, while the effects are not identical to children, according to neuroscience research pets do cause people to release many of the same neurotransmitters related to strong emotional attachment that children do. Moreover, this response occurs in your pets as well.

Besides the emotional attachment that both parties feel towards one another, your pets are actually really good for your health. In perhaps a surprise to the cultural expectations, it is cats–not dogs–who are most likely to help prevent heart attack based on the effect they have on the body. However, owning both dogs and cats has been shown to lower bad cholesterol and triglycerides as well as improve blood flow.

Basically, you genuinely do love your pet, but what is more–your pet loves you right back. And what do we do for the ones we love to show our gratitude? Well, one of the time-honored traditions that spans time and the globe is giving gifts. Everyone loves to get gifts, including your furry or even feathered friends. In fact, this idea is so ingrained into our very psyches that numerous services have sprouted up whose sole purpose is to provide a specially curated box of gifts to give to our pets. These services function on a subscription model where you pay a little bit every month, and in return, you receive a number of toys and treats to keep the pet in your life happy and thankful. We take a look at some of the best subscription boxes for pets on the market.

 

Ten Best Pet Subscription Box Reviews

Loot Crate’s Loot Pets

Loot Crate is one of the original “box subscription” platforms and is arguably responsible for the rise of the industry in the first place. In its inception, Loot Crate was designed to appeal to the “geeky” consumer. In fact, the owner of the company described Loot Crate as “ComicCon in a box.”

As we already well know, Loot Crate’s business model has become a rousing success and spawned a number of similar products. However, the theme of Loot Crate runs through their various product lines even as those same product lines expand to include more and more subscription models. As such, it should come as little surprise that this same principle flows through their crate designed for pets as well.

When you order a Loot Pets crate, you will receive a number of items centered around a theme which has its roots in the geek subculture. For instance, Guardians of the Galaxy, the X-Files, and superheroes have all been sponsored themes.

In the crates, you can expect a mixture of clothing, toys, and treats, though there seems to be a higher regularity of clothing than either toys or treats which are occasionally omitted. This means that unless you are interested in the geek theme or your pet often wears clothes, Loot Crate may not be the best option for you. On the plus side, this is the least expensive subscription plan on the list, so if you are looking for a more budget friendly box service, Loot Crate is probably your best bet.

Check Out Loot Pets Here

 

Barkbox

While Loot Crate may be one of the more venerable and well-known dog box subscription services, Barkbox is arguably the most well-known service of its kind designed exclusively for pets. It should be noted that like Loot Crate, Barkbox employs a theme associated with the contents of their box.

Moreover, the products in a Barkbox are actually designed and selected by pet owners. In this way, Barkbox can definitely be understood as being far more focused on your pets whereas Loot Crate aims to appeal to both the owner and the pet. Though, the pet is unlikely to care much what the theme of the box is one way or another. In terms of contents, Barkbox eschews the clothing and instead focuses on toys and treats. In fairness, your pets are far more likely to appreciate the toys and treats more than clothing, so that may be an important factor to consider. It should be noted that some of the toys may actually be fashioned to look like clothing, but they are not intended to be used as such.

Each box contains at least two toys, two containers of all-natural treats, and one chew. However, some boxes may contain more than the minimum requirements of one category or another. Bark Box offers three different size categories depending on the dog and, while not the most expensive, is a bit on the pricier side.

Check Out Bark Box Here

 

Pet Gift Box

Pet Giftbox is the first subscription service on our list that occasionally includes cats as an intended recipient. However, it should be made perfectly clear that most of the boxes are designed for dogs. As the name might imply, Pet Gift Box is far more similar to Barkbox than it is to Loot Pets.

For one, Pet Gift Box does not include clothing. Much like Bark Box–and the overwhelming majority of subscription services we reviewed–toys and treats are the stock and trade of Pet Gift Box. Also like the previous two entries on our list, Pet Gift Box provides a themed set of products.

However, Pet Gift Box does not focus on “geeky” items like Loot Crate, nor does it provide different items depending on the size of your dog. In fact, this service is inherently geared a bit more towards medium sized dogs and larger with fewer toys suitable for smaller dogs.

That being said, this service is reasonably priced and Pet Gift Box allows you to choose different themes based on the month before and after those months have passed. Finally, for a bit extra, you can customize your pet’s box which is generally the only way you can get box intended for a small dog or cat. However, this customization does not actually extend to selecting the items themselves and simply focuses on your pet’s size or species.

Check Out Pet Gift Box Here

 

Surprise My Pet

Surprise My Pet is the first subscription box service on our list from Cratejoy, a brand which hosts numerous types of subscription box services including numerous ones for pets–many of which make it on our list. In fact, Cratejoy even offers the ability to start a subscription through their service whereby they act as the middleman and offer brand recognition.

Surprise My Pet is actually one of the pricier subscription box services on our list, though it is not the most expensive. In terms of overall value, it provides more toys than Barkbox, but does not quite provide the value of Pet Gift Box.

However, Surprise My Pet does offer a rare addition in their box’s contents: supplements. While this may not strike every consumer’s fancy, for owners of older pets, these supplements can actually increase the value of Surprise My Pet’s package by a significant amount–especially considering many pet supplements themselves sometimes cost as much as the Surprise My Pet subscription.

Another advantage of Surprise My Pet is that they offer subscriptions for cats. In fact, you can get a subscription for either a single cat or multiples for the same price–though, you do not actually receive more products. Instead, the products you receive are distributed more equally such that you will receive fewer toys in exchange for more treats and supplements to share among the other cats.

Check Out Surprise My Pet Here

 

The Dollar Pet Club

The Dollar Pet Club is another subscription box service hosted by Cratejoy. This one is based out of New Orleans, LA. Much like Surprise My Pet, this service offers a variety of plans for dogs of different sizes as well as cats. However, unlike some of the other subscriptions box services for dogs on our list, this one only designates between large and small breeds–toy, small, medium, and large are usually the minimum number of categories.

In terms of contents, The Dollar Pet Club offers toys and all-natural treats. However, depending on which animal you purchase it for, you may be more or less pleased with the results. Essentially, this subscription box service technically offers a plan for cats, but the toys are almost entirely centered around catnip–which may not work if your cat is allergic or you are not comfortable with your pet becoming mildly inebriated.

One significant difference between this and the other services on our list is that The Dollar Pet Club also includes cleaning supplies–most notably shampoos and brushes. The dog based boxes are a little more expensive than the cat models, making it one of the cheaper subscription boxes for cats.

Check Out The Dollar Pet Club Here

 

The Naked Dog Box

The Naked Dog Box is an altogether different kind of subscription box service and the only one of its kind on our list. Quite simply, this subscription box service offers no treats, toys, or clothing. However, The Naked Dog Box aims to provide both you and your pet something that may arguably be more important: dog food.

While it may not seem like a “special” gift to many, a dog is liable to appreciate their food more than toys, clothing, and even treats. On the other hand, you will certainly appreciate the convenience and saved time of not having to go out to the store to purchase your pet’s food in person.

The food itself is exceptionally high quality containing no gluten, soy, grains, or potato. These are common fillers in dog food and offer little to no nutritional value for your pet. Moreover, the food contains little sugar to help stave off weight gain in older or sedentary pets.

The plan includes numerous options to help provide the best meals for your pets. The number of dogs, their relative weights, what types of food they like to eat, and the overall health benefits preferred can all be customized.

Check Out The Naked Dog Box Here

 

Cat Lady Box

The Cat Lady Box is a unique subscription box service on our list in that it is only somewhat intended for your pets. While Loot Pets may theme their goods in a way that pleases the owner’s personal tastes, the contents therein are still implicitly intended to be used by the owner’s pet.

With the Cat Lady Box on the other hand, often time upwards of half of the box’s contents are intended to be used by the owner. While the owners obviously do not have to be women, many of the items intended for human use are more appropriate for a female gender and any worn items for the owner are sized for females.

Interestingly, the contents of the box generally only include a couple toys for your cats and occasionally a treat. For the owner, the box can include a wide variety of items from clothes to jewelry to assorted goods like glasses, pillows, and stationery. This is one of the most expensive subscription box service we reviewed, but you do get a nice wide variety of products.

Check Out Cat Lady Box Here

 

Squawk Box

Why should only dogs and cats–and their respective owners–get in on the fun of a subscription box service. That is the question at the Squawk Box looks to answer as this product is designed for bird owners. This is another subscription box service that is hosted by Cratejoy and is also one of the more expensive but specialised boxes on our list.

Unlike the previous entry on our list, this subscription box service sees a return to pet-oriented content. The box includes between four to six items and includes both toys and treats. However, the toys contained within the box are often more appropriate for smaller birds–though the occasional large toy will be present as well.

This subscription box’s schtick is that it aims for moral responsibility. For starters, the box itself is eco-friendly and made from recycled paper which is important if you are interested in sustainable consumerism. Moreover, a portion of the proceeds for each subscription go to funding parrot rescues, so you can help take care of birds you cannot care for personally.

Check Out Squawk Box Here

 

Bunny Club

If dogs, cats, and birds are not your thing, maybe you prefer a bunny instead. If that is the case, then the Bunny Club is the subscription box service you have been looking for. Just like the Squawk Box, the Bunny Club is a service hosted by Cratejoy, however the Bunny Club is a little less expensive.

The Bunny Club is stationed in the United Kingdom, but it does ship worldwide. However, this does mean that you might have to wait a bit longer for your box than with other subscriptions–though, the Bunny Club does ship on the 21st of every month.

Inside your Bunny Box, you will find a number of toys and treats. In terms of treats, you can rest assured that they do not contain any corn, dairy, egg, or seed ingredients. In total, the box contains between six to eight items as well as a handwritten note by the company staff.

Check Out Bunny Club Here

 

The Dapper Dog Box

The highly rated and award winning Dapper Dog Box, is a great way to not only give your dog a treat, but for each box purchased, 12 shelter dogs are fed. The personal service is a clear winner with several customer reviews commenting on the attentive detail and consideration given to each item you receive. The average 5 star rating from 65 reviews speaks volumes.

When signing up you can select the gender and size of your pet, as well as any food allergies they may have, to grain, beef or chicken for example. Each box contains a selection of treats and toys, bowties and bandannas to give that special furry one in your life a great little gift every month. The subscription rolls on month to month but can be cancelled at any time. Shipping is free and animal rescue shelters receive a donation from every purchase. A great ethical company, with an attitude to match and a box that comes very highly recommended.

Check Out The Dapper Dog Box Here