Dog Business Reviews

PawPals with Annie Subscription Box – Making Friends!

Charlie posing with his first Paw Pals With Annie subscription box
Written by Kevin Sando

A couple weeks back we caught Charlie writing a letter. He wouldn’t say who it was for, but has been keeping an awfully close eye on the mailman every afternoon since.

A Special Delivery – PawPals with Annie!

Finally, last week he heard the knock he was waiting for. Charlie greeted the mailman with a single bark and we all rushed outside to see what had arrived! Charlie’s ear to ear smile said it all, this was good stuff!

Our Golden Retriever Charlie showing off his million dollar smile!

To our surprise, stuffed in our mailbox was a large brown package. It turns out Charlie had sent a note to his pen paw pal Annie and she had responded with this box of goodies put together just for him!

Charlie is ecstatic to see that a package has arrived for him!

Annie Tested, Annie Approved

PawPals with Annie is a dog subscription box unlike any other. Each month you will receive a variety of premium dog products which have been hand paw selected by Annie herself. What does it take to be “paw selected” you ask? Well, Annie the blonde Scottie personally tests each and every product that makes it into her boxes! Doggy approved!

Paw Pals With Annie Logo

Aside from the high quality of the products, what makes PawPals with Annie unique? Check out these features which set Annie’s box wags above some others on the market:

No automatic renewal

This is the only dog subscription box we have encountered that does not auto-renew. Whether you choose a 1, 3 or 6 month option, when it ends you will not be surprised with a new charge on your credit card! This makes a lot of sense to us as many dog owners may not be able to afford, or think that they need, a box every month. Because PawPals with Annie does not auto-renew, you can choose when to have boxes delivered. Maybe you have a special occasion coming up like a birthday or new puppy arrival or maybe you have just survived a particularly destructive month and the toy graveyard is overflowing. The point is, you get to choose!

Thinking of purchasing a dog subscription box? Browse the MyDogLikes reviews first!

Another feature that we really liked was that PawPals with Annie ships at any time of the month, unlike many of her competitors who ship on predetermined days. As an expert procrastinator, I really appreciate that I can send a box to our best dog friend on her actual birthday and not feel like a jerk if I forget to do it three weeks in advance! 

Personalized

Not only is your box selected by dog size, but interests as well. The online order form includes a “Tell Us About Your Dog” box where you are encouraged to give a bit of info on your dog’s breed, weight, likes and dislikes. We absolutely love this feature because its allows your voice as pet parent to be heard and the unique characteristics of your dog to be celebrated. Maybe rope toys just don’t cut it in your house, Annie want’s to know that! In our house, little Charlie is not too picky, but Harley will not play with ANY rubber toys!

Charlie about to open up a package from his Paw Pal Annie!

We love that Paw Pals with Annie is willing to put forth that bit of extra effort to really make each box special.

Charitable

5% of every gift box sold goes to America’s Vet Dogs. America’s VetDogs® is a not-for-profit organization that serves the needs of disabled veterans who have served our country. VetDogs provides guide dogs for individuals who are blind or have low vision; hearing dogs for those who have lost their hearing later in life; service dogs for those with other physical disabilities; facility dogs as part of the rehabilitation process in military and VA hospitals, and PTSD service dogs to help mitigate the effects of PTSD in an effort to provide the emotional and physical support needed. 

Taking a Look Inside our PawPals with Annie Box

Charlie posing with his first PawPals With Annie subscription box

Nylabone DuraToy

We have had great experiences with Nylabone in the past, so were happy to see a brand new design in the box. The DuraToy is a unique combination of a rope tug toy and a nylabone chew.

MyDogLikes reviews the Nylabone Dura tug toy from our Paw Pals with Annie subscription box

This is an excellent tug toy, but like any rope toy should not be left unattended as a tough chewer could make their way through the rope without too much difficulty. Thankfully, the chewy grips help to distract your pup from eating the nylon rope while providing a good grip for the human (or dog) on the other end.  The knot you see in the middle of this toy moves creating some interesting movement and changes in size of the “handle”. When playing directly with Charlie, I liked creating a small handle for myself and a large one for him to ensure that any puppy lunges and chomps did not accidentally land on my fingers! 

Looking for the best dog tug toys? Check out the Nylabone Dura Toy!

Come Clean Soap

This item was a bit of a surprise as most boxes tend to stick to toys and treats – but it was wonderful to receive another lifestyle item that pet parents can appreciate as well.

Come Clean soap is safe for pets and comes with an adorable figurine inside!

This all natural glycerin soap is safe for humans and dogs alike. Better still, each bar of Come Clean soap contains an adorable collectible dog figurine inside. Taking a closer look at ours revealed a cute Golden Retriever pup waiting inside! Annie clearly picked out this particular bar just for us! Once we use this bar up our Golden Retriever figure collection will be complete with a little Harley and Charlie! 

Trying out our pop culture glycerin soap from Come Clean

As promised, this soap looks and smells great. It lathered up nicely and was great to use on our own hands after delivering treats, leaving them soft and moisturized. This little bar of soap put in some overtime too, freshening up some well “loved” toys! With mud season in full swing this bar would be great for creating a bucket of soapy water to help our little “muddy buddies” come clean as well. Best of all, after using this bar of soap it dried clear, allowing us to see still see our golden friend staring back at us!

Indigo Smokehouse Strips

These 100% Pork Bacon treats come from PetSafe – one of our new favorite brands. These treats contain no artificial color, flavors, or byproducts and are sourced and processed in the USA. These treats are so fresh, you’ll be looking for that bar of soap! Nothing but whole food goodness in these vacuum sealed snacks! 

Charlie enjoying some PetSafe Dog Treats!

YumZies Duck Jerky Chews

The boys are on a grain-free diet so we always appreciate when we can give them treats that follow this same standard. These YumZies Jerky chews are all natural and also free of wheat, corn, and soy. Sourced and manufactured right here in the United States, these treats have a strong aroma that got the boys really fired up! Though their name would suggest a tough jerky consistency, the reality is that these are soft treats that come in large “perforated” squares that make sharing a cinch! Because YumZies Jerky Chews allow you to customize the size that you want, these treats are ideal for dogs of all sizes. Although Harley would have preferred having the whole square to himself, he was content sharing it with Charlie too! 

Harley getting his first taste of Yumzies Dog Treats

YumZies dog treats are easy to break and thus easy to share!

Kong SqueakAir Ball

I think we have made it pretty clear in the past how much our little Chuck loves his dog discs. Well, the only thing that can compete in his mind is a fresh Tennis Ball. Needless to say, we were very happy to see that his friend Annie included a Kong Tennis Ball in this box! 

Kong makes our favorite dog tennis ball

Apparently, Annie throws one of these into EVERY single box! What an awesome extra gift! We have tried out these Kong balls in the past and they are significantly tougher than your average tennis ball designed for dogs which typically have a seam down the middle and split at first chew! This added toughness will come in handy over the next 2 weeks when this toy will not leave his side (except for frisbee/walks of course).

Charlie chewing on a fresh Kong Tennis Ball

Why MyDogLikes PawPals With Annie Dog Subscription Box

At between $20 and $40 a box (shipping included), we felt that PawPals with Annie delivered a great value for the money. The quality of products was very high and we thought the inclusion of a lifestyle item was a really nice touch.

We love the fact that Annie is willing to personalize each box a bit for her friends personalities and that she does not auto-renew! After all, shouldn’t you be able to make the decision when you want to receive? If you are looking to check out a new dog subscription box you should definitely give Paw Pals with Annie a try!

Harley and Charlie - our very happy Golden Retriever boys!

 

About the author

Kevin Sando

Kevin is a mechanical engineer with a degree from the Rochester Institute of Technology. He has move than a decade experience in new product design, prototyping and early stage manufacturing. Pairing this background with his love of dogs, gives him a unique perspective to evaluate the design and execution of new and interesting pet products.

98 Comments

  • Hey! I noticed a couple “nice” changes to your site this morning 😉 Not sure about this box, but Mom loves the actual box it comes in, the way it is wrapped and the stamp thingy.

    • Yes, a very kind and wise friend helped us out 🙂 We could get used to getting this box in the mail, thats for sure!

  • Layla woofs a BOX ??? She loves boxes with surprises in and we would love to receive one with all different goodies 🙂 thanks for the giveaway

  • We have tried a LOT of subscription boxes but haven’t heard of this one! That bar of soap is too darn cute 🙂 By the way, it was SO nice to meet the both of you (and the boys!) at BlogPaws – I still can’t believe how friendly and awesome people in this community are 😀 Great giveaway!

    • SOOOOO great to meet you too Chelsea! I have to say I really look forward to getting that little figure out of it! I used to collect figures when I was little haha! Checking out your site now!!!

  • I love all the variety especially for a new puppy owner who has no clue what toys and treats to buy. It would be great to have a couple different products to try out and see what he will like!

    • So true!!! I love finding new things to try and when you have a pup you don’t really know what he or she will like! Tell us more about this puppy now!!!

  • I like that it is personalized for your dog and that it donates to a good cause.

  • I like the fact that, like Birchbox, it takes into account that the recipients are all different.

  • One day, I’ll have a four legged friend of my own again, for now I will pamper my brothers wonderful dog.

  • I like that the products are of high-quality. Also it’s nice that it doesn’t auto-renew so I could decide each month about delivery. My boxer boy Neo would love this!

  • I love everything in the subscription box, everything my yorkie would love, and I like how involved your digs are in reviewing the products, their opinion really count

  • Thank you for the opportunity to win! I like that the subscription doesn’t automatically renew like most other boxes. So, if you sign up for three months, you get three months, etc.

    • We loved that too! Nothing worse than realizing you are still getting billed for something!

  • I love that you can really personalize the box to your dog’s likes. Also I think it’s great that shipping is included. My dog would love this!

  • That it comes right to your house with a variety of items. And no automatic renewal

  • My favorite feature of this box is that you can have your box selected by dog size and interests as well. Very nice!

  • I like that it doesn’t auto-renew; that’s just rude. I bet Mike would love, love being profiled and getting his style of toys – then we would probably renew ourselves.
    ******************
    {in the contest I am Margot C__ on the Rafflecopter}

  • I like the soap. It’s very unique and I’m glad that it actually smells good and not like the typical doggie soap.

  • Lots of goodies in that box, Charlie! I hope you’ll share equally with your Bro, Harley. It was so nice meeting all of you at BlogPaws2015!

  • I love that the boxes are personalized, don’t auto renew, AND that they come with the Kong SqueakAir Ball. It’s amazing how quickly my 12 pounder pup can destroy a tennis ball. (I’m talking minutes, not hours or days… it’s ridiculous. Love to try the Kong one!)

  • My sister dog, gustavo, would love this. Come clean soap, he needs this! He likes the most stickies stuff in the house and rolls all over it!

  • I love the fact that 5% of every gift box sold goes to America’s Vet Dogs. America’s VetDogs® is a not-for-profit organization that serves the needs of disabled veterans who have served our country

  • I really love how this box can personalized and that there is no auto renew because I always forget to cancel the subscription before it renews.

  • I like that it’s customized to your dog so you can get the right types of toys and goodies, but the 5% to support America’s Vet Dogs is wonderful!

  • I like the fact that you can order a box when you want to like, for a birthday or a friend’s gotcha day.

  • I just love that the box is personalized to our furkids’ tastes. Tucker won’t play with anything rubber and Miss Abby is more fond of things that scream in pain, er squeak. 😉

  • I like that the subscription is only for the time frame signed up for and not auto-renew. It has a nice variety, too.

  • I love that fact that there is no autorenewal on it and you can sign up to just get it for one month or up to 6 months. I also love that 5% goes to charity!

  • My favorite feature of PawPals with Annie is it ships at any time of the month. Great for gift giving!

  • i like that it doesn’t auto renew, since i often forget about cancelling things

  • I’m loving the personalized touches and extra Tennis ball added in.
    This really seperates this box from companies like BarkBox!

  • Wow! Thank you for introducing us to a new dogbox! We have never heard of this subscription before and love the personalized touch!

    • We loved that too. Nothing worse than getting something that isn’t a good fit!

  • i love they personalize it not just random stuff my sweet siberian husky denali would love

  • I like the personalization. I don’t subscribe to boxes because many of them, I end up not being able to use many of the included products and feel like it’s a waste of money. I like the odds in this one of getting things I can actually use or give to my dogs.

  • I really like how it doesn’t auto renew and I have the choice to purchase the box each month!

    • We love that too. Nothing more frustrating than when you see an unexpected charge on your credit card!!

  • I love that PawPals with Annie does not use auto-renew. I always hate that in other subscription boxes. It’s refreshing that this one doesn’t have it.

  • I like the fact that dog toys are included in the box. My dogs love getting new toys to play with!

  • I went with them and I had delayed shipping then they canceled my subscription for it no warning. I wanted to like them so bad but that left a sour taste in my mouth honestly. Which is ironic because it was days before you wrote this.

    • I’m so sorry that you had a poor experience 🙁

      Was this recently that you placed your order? We actually posted this review in 2015 although there was a recent update to fix a broken link. It looks like their site is not up right now either, so I’m not sure what is going on…