Product Review: The Pooch Pack

Who doesn't like receiving packages and gifts through the post? Not many people I suspect. Personally, I love receiving packages through the post and the anticipation of what goodies may be lurking inside. Now, even our dogs can experience this and, if you choose so, on a monthly basis too!

Introducing the 'Pooch Pack*'

Just like a magazine subscription, there's not much that you can't get delivered to your door on a monthly basis. Pooch Pack is a gift subscription service for dogs (the name is a bit of a giveaway really)! You can choose to have a one-off  delivery or subscribe for 3 or 6 months and then sit back and wait for a box of doggy delights to arrive.

Each box contains 5-6 products that have all been specially selected to appeal to the most discerning of dogs (you can specify the size of dog when ordering, to make sure products are suitable).  So, when I was offered the chance to try out a Pooch Pack, I jumped at the opportunity.

It didn't take long for it to arrive, or for me to open the box to discover its contents...

The Pooch Pack

Included in the box were:

• Doggie Patisserie - handmade and freshly made bone shaped biccies
• A Dublin Dog Roxxter - a wobbly treat dispenser
• Pooch & Mutt Bionic Biotic - to promote healthy skin, glossy coat & digestion
• Scruffy Chops Rhubarking Mad Shampoo
• Doggee - all in one keyring and poop back dispenser
• Soopa Pets - dried papaya and dried sweet potato treats

I was impressed by the simple, yet effective, packaging (plain and very sturdy cardboard box, with a Pooch Pack sticker and orange shredded paper - just enough to protect the contents) and I loved the contents card with its QR codes (these really appeal to the marketer in me and make it super easier to get to the suppliers websites).  However, the real proof in the pudding isn't what I think of the box and its contents, it's what my three greyhounds made of it.

Discovering the doggy delights

It didn't take much encouragement for the hounds to get stuck in (quite literally) to the Pooch Pack and its contents.

Jasper, Mina & Stevie investigate the goodies

Something's making Mina lick her lips

The Dublin Dog Roxxter

Mina gets to grips with the Dublin Dog Roxxter

One of the things that hit me when I first opened the box was the strong smell of vanilla.  I couldn't fathom where it was coming from until I had a look at the Dublin Dog Roxxter.  I have to say I did find the smell a little off putting and wondered why the dog toy is scented with vanilla - is it for human or hound benefit?  Anyway, it didn't seem to deter the hounds. I've not seen a treat dispenser like the Dublin Dog Roxxter before, so did wonder how effective and attractive it would be to my greyhound gang.

Well, so far, it's proven to be a hit. Both Mina and Stevie have taken it in turns to dislodge treats from it. The only thing is, the treats need to be relatively small to come out - larger treats get stuck and aren't as easy to dislodge as they are from other well known brands of treat dispensers.

Doggie Patisserie

Doggie Patisserie Treats

The Doggie Patisserie treats have also proven to be a hit - both with the hounds and me! They're made from just five human-grade ingredients:  wholemeal flour, oats, honey, peanut butter, semi skimmed milk and baking powder.  They look and smell delicious and as the content card said "Human grade ingredients only so if you're felling peckish, you can nab one too!" I did! I can confirm they are rather moreish and the hounds may have to 'fight' me for them!

Soopa Pets

Soopa Papaya & Sweet Potato Treats

I'm always on the look out for treats that my snaggletoothed hound, Jasper, can eat.  He only has his four canine teeth left so traditional chews aren't really suitable.  There were two bags of chews included in the box - papaya and sweet potato.

The treats are 100% natural, as well as being wheat and grain free (another big tick for me and for Mina).  Jasper seems to be able to eat them quite well, although he definitely prefers the papaya over the sweet potato.

The other goodies

So far, I haven't had a chance to try out the other goodies. I already have several poop sack dispensers, that attach to leads, so I'm not sure whether the Doggee is for me.  The Pooch and Mutt Bionic Biotic looks good and the package provided with last Mina for one month.  The Scruffy Chops shampoo smells lovely but a shampoo for the hounds isn't needed at the moment, so I'll have to wait to try it out.

Subscribing to Pooch Pack

If you'd like to find out more about the Pooch Pack and getting one of your own delivered, simply visit their website at www.PoochPack.co.uk  Prices start at £19.95 for one month's supply, £18.95 per month if you subscribe for 3 months and £16.95 per month if you subscribe for 6 months.  Delivery is free.

Overall impressions of Pooch Pack 

I have to say the Pooch Pack did impress me.  It has introduced me to some products that I would never have known about and/or considered trying such as the Dublin Dog Roxxter and the Soopa Pet treats. Personally, I would have liked to see another dog toy rather than the Doggee (sorry Doggee) but all in all the contents didn't disappoint.

I think a Pooch Pack would make a great Christmas or birthday gift (you can purchase a one-off box, if you don't want to subscribe) for a dog loving friend, or if you're feeling generous it can be a gift that keeps giving for as many months as you choose.  I have a sneaking suspicion that it may well be on the hounds' Christmas and birthday wish lists...

*Disclosure: I was provided with a free promotional Pooch Pack to review .  I have not been paid for my views and all views expressed are my own.

D-day for the black dog

When you have depression, telling someone (or anyone) how you feel can be daunting. It can be a difficult step to take as there is still a fair degree of stigma and misunderstanding about mental illness.

Shrouded in fog
(Photo by: Simon Lawrence at Dreamstime.com)

Friday of the week before last marked D-day for me.  The D in question could stand for so many things... Depression itself, Daunting, Diagnosis, Doubt, Doctor's appointment and even Disappointment.  In my previous post - Chasing down the black dog - I blogged about my decision to go and see the doctor.  I've recognised that my symptoms are at the stage that needs help; if I ignored them any further I would most certainly allow the fog of depression to envelop me completely and this is something I want to avoid.

Whilst I've blogged openly about my own experiences of depression and shared my views through social media, I hadn't spoken to my family (with the exception of my husband), friends, employer or colleagues about its recurrence...until the week before last.  Over the years I've had varying responses when I've told my family, friends, colleagues and employers about my depression.  Mostly, they have been supportive, and only occasionally have I had to counter some of the ignorance and stigma that surrounds mental illness.

A few days prior to my doctor's appointment, I told my CEO about the reason for my appointment.  My CEO was amazingly supportive and understanding, expressing concern and reassuring me that I should listen to the doctor's advice - even if it meant time off work. I told my colleagues too and although they may not have been 100% sure how to react, they too were supportive.

I found telling my employer meant that a huge weight felt like it had been lifted from my shoulders.  All I needed to do next was to turn up for my doctor's appointment.  My usual doctor has left the practice so I was seeing a doctor that I have only seen a few times in the past.

My doctor was very understanding and a her view, thankfully, coincided with mine - my depression is purely down to an imbalance of the chemicals in my brain and medication will help restore and stabilise the correct balance.

On top of prescribing medication, she also signed me off work for a few weeks. This is something I had wanted to avoid but in order to recover and to allow the medication to work, this period of rest is necessary.  My employer, husband, family and friends have all been very understanding and having taken the step of telling people and seeking help, I do feel that the fog which surrounds will begin to lift.

It's still early days with the medication as they take several weeks to become effective.  During the first week I did suffer with a number of side effects - the only one of which is welcome is the dulling of my appetite! However, as this may lead to losing some weight, so it's something I can easily live with...every cloud, eh?  I still struggle with some things and realise that the medication needs time to work - there is no magic wand that simply make my depression vanish.

So, as much as it's a cliché, I'm taking each day as it comes. Some days I'm fine and want to engage in 'normal' activities such as walking the dogs and speaking to friends; other days I'm not.  These are the days when I watch favourite films and snuggle up with the hounds. I struggle with the guilt I feel on these days for generally feeling useless but am lucky that my husband is very supportive (which at times makes me feel even more guilty).

At least by letting people know, it does mean I don't have to hide behind a mask everyday.  It doesn't, however, mean I need to be treated with kid gloves either - just some understanding that I may not be to up my 'usual self'. You can't catch depression by talking to me but you may gain some understanding as to what it means to live with it.

If you're reading this blog and think (or know) that you have depression, please don't think you're alone. It does affect 1 in 4 of us and there are so many organisations which can help.  Taking the first step of telling someone can be scary but once that step is taken, it is (albeit another cliché) a step on the road to recovery.

Organisations that can help:

SANE, Mental Health Charity - http://www.sane.org.uk/
MIND - http://www.mind.org.uk/
The Blurt Foundation - http://blurtitout.org/
The Black Dog Tribe - http://www.blackdogtribe.com/