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Reviewed / Camryn Rabideau
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As the proud owner of two dogs and three cats, I’m a regular in the pet toy aisle, and one of my go-to brands has always been KONG. These popular toys are well-made and keep pets entertained for hours, and if you’re equally obsessed with the brand, you’ll definitely want to hear about KONG Club.
This monthly subscription for pets delivers top-rated KONG toys and treats to your door on a monthly basis, and the service was recently rebranded to include several additional features, including pet coaching and free vet consultations. We wanted to try out KONG Club for ourselves, so my pets and I dove into one of its monthly deliveries. Here’s what we found.
What is KONG?
We've been using KONGs since Addy was a wee pup.
If you own a dog, chances are you’re familiar with KONG. The brand is best known for its cult-favorite rubber toy, which is shaped like a snowman and has tens of thousands of reviews on Amazon. The Classic KONG toy is hollow inside, allowing you to stuff food or treats inside it. It’s a great way to keep your pup busy for a few hours, and I used KONGs regularly when my dogs were puppies to keep them out of trouble. KONGs come in a variety of sizes and toughness levels, making them an unbeatable option for all types of dogs.
While this toy is what most people think of when they hear the term KONG, the brand also has a lot of other products. My dogs have the KONG Genius Mike toy, a KONG ball, as well as a KONG harness and matching leash, which I absolutely love. All that to say, KONG offers a wide variety of dog supplies—not just its namesake toy.
What is KONG Club—and how is it different from KONG Box?
Addy and Ace were more than happy to test KONG Club.
When we originally reviewed this subscription service, it was called KONG Box, but it was recently rebranded to KONG Club. Along with the name change, there are several new features that were added to the subscription. You still get a monthly box of toys and treats delivered right to your door, and each package contains one rubber toy, one personality toy, three treats, and one bonus item. The subscription is available for both cats and dogs, and the contents of your box will include best-selling KONG products that follow a monthly wellness theme.
There are some new features that you get with KONG Club, too. You’ll have access to 1:1 pet coaching through the KONG Club mobile app, as well as 24/7 live support from licensed veterinarians via AskVet. You can use the app to ask these professionals questions pertaining to behavior, nutrition, and preventative care, and you can also join the AskVet Clubhouse, a Facebook group where fellow pet owners and experts can trade advice, tips, recipes, and more.
Finally, KONG Club now features a Rainy Day Fund, which provides money to help cover emergency pet care costs. For each month you’re subscribed to KONG Club, $45 is added to your Rainy Day Fund—up to $1,000. If your pet ever needs emergency care, you can use your accrued funds toward the bill.
What we like about KONG Club
Ace was a big fan of the KONG Lion toy.
The products are high-quality
One of the reasons KONG is such a popular pet brand is its products are extremely well-made and durable. In particular, its rubber toys are nearly impossible to ruin—we have a few that are more than five years old and still in great shape.
Given the brand’s reputation for top-notch pet toys, it should come as no surprise that the products in the KONG Club boxes were all A+. I felt comfortable letting my dogs play with the toys with little supervision. Even the stuffed animal, which was the KONG Cozie Ultra Lucky Lion, is made from extremely durable materials that are hard to rip up. My younger dog, Ace, made it his mission to rip the ear off the lion, and he barely made any progress on it after several days.
If your dog tends to be hard on their toys, you’re also able to request the “Extreme Chewer” option, which includes durable products that are better suited to your pup’s play style.
There are dog and cat boxes available
Even my kitten, Piper, go to play with KONG Club.
The original KONG Box was only available for dogs, but now you can get KONG Club for your cat, too! I recently got a new kitten, Piper, and she was more than happy to test out the cat box.
We were both really impressed with the contents of the package—it included a spider teaser toy, set of two crinkle balls, a refillable catnip toy and extra catnip, the KONG Connects Magnicat, and more! Her favorite was definitely the teaser toy, and the only thing she didn’t like was the cute seasonal collar. The bell on it bothered her, and she would run around like a maniac trying to get it off.
You get more for your money
When I learned that the original KONG Box was being rebranded into KONG Club and would include more services—such as access to AskVet and a Rainy Day Fund—I expected that it would come with a price increase, as well. However, I was happy to find out that the cost didn’t increase at all. In fact, it actually went down!
For dog boxes, you can choose a month-to-month plan for $44.99 per box, a six-month subscription for $39.99 per month, or a 12-month subscription for $34.99 per month. For cat boxes, you’ll pay even less—a month-to-month plan is $34.99 per box, a six-month subscription is $29.99 per month, and a 12-month subscription is $24.99 per month. Overall, I think it’s a great value for what you get, and I love that they’ve added more features to make the subscription worth your while.
What we don’t like
Not every toy in KONG Club was a hit.
The contents can be hit or miss
I have to say that the KONG Club box for dogs that we tested didn’t include the best array of toys. The KONG CoreStrength Bamboo Ring and KONG Extreme Goodie Bone were two of the toys included, and neither of my dogs had any interest in either one.
It just goes to show that your KONG Club products can be hit or miss. The cat box we received was great and contained a wide variety of toys that Piper loved, but we were underwhelmed by the contents of the dog box. The good news is that the contents change monthly, so even if one month is a flop, the next month might make up for it.
The Rainy Day Fund has a lot of stipulations
The new Rainy Day Fund is a nice idea, but it has a lot of fine print that would likely make it less-than-convenient to use. There are several requirements that have to be met before you can use your fund, which earns $45 for each month you’re subscribed to KONG Club.
First, you have to chat with an AskVet veterinarian before going to the ER so they can determine if it’s an emergency. I don’t know about you, but if my dog is hurt—we’re talking serious injuries, poisoning, choking, just got hit by a car, and so on—the last thing I’m thinking about is pulling up an app to ask a virtual vet for their approval to go to the ER.
Once you do get approval from AskVet, you have 10 hours to check into the ER. From there, you have to pay the hospital for any services out of pocket and then submit a claim to AskVet within 24 hours for reimbursement. It’s also worth noting that the funds can only be used for “emergency” visits. If your dog is hurt or sick and you take them to your normal vet—which I’d say is most people’s first choice—the funds can’t be used.
Additionally, if you cancel your KONG Club membership, you forfeit your emergency fund and any pet coaching you have in progress. There is an option to just cancel the toy delivery and keep the app access for $24.99 per month.
Should you sign up for KONG Club?
In my opinion, KONG Club is worth the purchase.
KONG Club is a little more expensive than other dog subscription boxes—for comparison, BarkBox starts at $23 per month, and Chewy Goody Boxes are $25–$30—and if you’re going to be paying $35+ for KONG Club every month, you definitely want to get your money’s worth.
Even though some of the products in our monthly box were a bit of a flop, I would still happily buy the subscription for my pets and recommend it to other pet parents. Why? Mostly because I know and love the brand, and there’s no doubt that you’re going to be receiving high-quality toys. Plus, the new features that have been added to the subscription, such as access to the AskVet app and Clubhouse, add even more value to your purchase. Bottom line? If you like KONG toys and want to see what else they have to offer your dog or cat, I don’t think you’ll regret signing up for KONG Club.