Last year, I missed out on buying the BARK Dog Advent Calendar because it sold out so quickly. So when I found the 2024 BARK Dog Advent Calendar at Costco this October, I was excited and immediately purchased it for $39.99. Was it worth it? Unfortunately, as an excited dog parent who enthusiastically purchased this for my dog, I found it to be a huge disappointment. Read on to find out why.
When I brought this BARK Dog Advent Calendar home, I showed it to my golden retrievers KB and Kenzo and let them smell the box. They waited patiently until December 1st to open the first slot and reveal what was inside.
2024 BARK Dog Advent Calendar
My first big mistake – I didn’t check the back of the box at Costco where all the toys and treats were listed. I was drawn to the large, colorful box and the eye-catching, festive design, so I ended up buying it on impulse.
What’s inside the 2024 BARK Dog Advent Calendar?
The back of the box lists all 24 surprises, promising fun treats and toys for your dog to enjoy when they open each slot, leading up to Santa’s arrival on December 25th.
8 Holiday-Themed BARK Toys:
3 Squeak!
Ah, the Christmas feast
mocha matte latte
jolly ginger
2 Fetch It!
Christ Mutz Cookie
papmint candy
1 Put it in the trash!
chris mouse
2 Please pull!
jolly marshfellow
pappamat pat
These toys are medium sized for my Golden. Fortunately, they are not heavy chewers or toy destroyers. These toys highlight BARK’s signature creativity and are made even more fun with clever designs and added squeals. The exception was the two Fetch It dog toys, which seemed basic and substandard by BARK standards.
16 dog treats in 5 different Christmas cookie shapes:
snowflake snack
frosted wreath
ginger bite man
frosted candy cane
christmas tree bark box
One of the reasons I wish I had read the back of the box before buying was to see the ingredients in the treats. The snacks were “cute” and a good size, but the ingredients were disappointing. Especially the added food coloring and the snacks were getting stale. These dog treats were disappointing, especially considering BARK’s regular treats are usually of decent quality.
My dog has a sensitive stomach so I couldn’t get him to eat all 16 dog treats. Unfortunately I wasted my money (sad). Specifically, I found out that BARK (on their website) is selling a 2-pack of holiday cookies (Frosted Wreath and Frosted Candy Cane) for $10.00 ($7.99 on sale).
Considering the poor quality of the treats, I wish more toys had been included. Specifically, this Advent Dog Calendar costs $39.99.
BARK Dog Advent Calendar Surprise for Dog Parents
The fun thing about this dog advent calendar is that it’s a bit of a surprise for dog owners. I scanned the barcode on the top right corner of the back of the box and it looked like this: costco.bark.co. This BARK website allowed you to upload a photo of your dog and create a personalized dog holiday card using a variety of BARK templates. I would like to introduce some of the cards I made.
While this was a fun addition, advent calendars are ultimately not for me to enjoy, but for my dog to enjoy.
Is it worth it?Costco’s 2024 BARK Dog Advent Calendar
As mentioned above, as a dog parent, this dog advent box was disappointing. I wasn’t impressed. The dog toys and treats that were in the box didn’t seem worth the price. It feels like most of the cost went into the design of the box, but what’s inside each slot is far more important than the packaging, and I have no plans to reuse the box again next year.
On the positive side, my dogs, especially Kenzo, enjoyed the toys. He loved carrying it around the house and playing it. His favorites were the Mocha Matte Latte and the Jolly Marshfellow.
When giving treats, I broke them up into small pieces. Unfortunately, the frosted wreath and candy cane cookies left dye residue on my hands, and most of the dog treats were stale and difficult to crack.
Also, my dog wasn’t particularly excited about the treats. Probably because the treats didn’t have an appealing aroma. He ate the small things I gave him, but he didn’t seem too excited. Fortunately, I only gave her a small amount, so she didn’t get upset.
Have you purchased the 2024 BARK Dog Advent Calendar?
bark products
Both my dog and I love BARK products and they are sold online and at Target. BARK also offers BarkBox, a monthly subscription service for dog toys and treats (I used to subscribe to this). It’s also worth mentioning that when BarkBox was still in its infancy, our blog was chosen to promote the 2013 Holiday Box.
BARK has a great reputation among dog parents and their furry friends, so I was really surprised at how disappointed I was with the 2024 Dog Advent Calendar.
Would you like to purchase the 2025 Costco BARK Dog Advent Calendar?
I might consider buying it again once BARK releases its 2025 dog advent calendar at Costco, improves the ingredients in its dog treats, and adds more fun toys.
