Life Before Plastik Gift Set For Dogs Review

If you’re not a dog owner then you’ll probably be reading the title of this post and thinking, “a gift set for dogs, seriously?” Oh trust me, I never thought I’d be one of those dog people who buy their pet presents, but believe me it happens to the best of us. My dog Baxter has so many toys he now has his own toy box and he even has a cupboard just for all his doggy bits and bobs like treats, food, leads, poo bags etc. And yet despite already being fairly well kitted out in the dog department, Baxter has got plenty of things on his Christmas list this year, including this gorgeous gift set for dogs from Life Before Plastik.

Life Before Plastik are a plastic free shop who sell sustainable products from independent UK brands, which in my eyes supports everything we should be doing right now – zero waste shopping, supporting small businesses, and buying products that are natural, eco friendly and sustainably produced. They have a tonne of different products on their site, but it was the pet products that caught my eye.

What Do You Get In The Life Before Plastik Gift Set For Dogs?

The gift set includes three products: a toy, chew, and poo bags, which can also be bought separately by the way should decide you love them so much you’d like to repeat buy in future, but don’t need the gift set version.

Rudy The Reindeer Dog Toy

Baxter loves his toys and it’s through play that we have developed trust, bonding, and an understanding between us. There’s nothing he loves more than a game of tug of war or chasing after a squeaky ball. So I’ll be honest his first impressions of Rudy the Reindeer, a suede covered, jute filled reindeer toy from Green & Wilds, weren’t all that great – it doesn’t squeak, it’s not squishy and it doesn’t bounce. But once he realised he could have a good old chew on it, it has become one of his new favourites. And I know you might well be wondering how on earth I know it’s one of his favourites, but it’s because he always grabs the best ones from his toy box and takes them over to the rug – my brand new rug that he thinks belongs to him might I add. We spend a lot of time carting toys back and forth from rug to toy box, only for him to take them straight back there again. In fact even as I write this he’s rolling around with Rudy hanging out of his mouth, he particularly likes sucking on the floppy antlers for some reason.

From an owner’s point of view, I love this toy because so far it has proven indestructible. Many a soft toy has come a cropper and had its stuffing removed after Baxter’s had a go at it for a couple of days. First up it was poor old sloth, may he rest in peace, who got violated in so many ways. Then it was a Christmas pudding who had every last scrap of stuffing removed from it before we even made it to the new year.  And then the most recent casualty has been mallard, who has had the indignity of having his quack removed. I have every faith however that Rudy the Reindeer is going to be able to withstand all the chewing, shaking and clawing that Baxter has to offer and knowing that there is no risk of him choking on stuffing or a squeaker is also a good thing.

Antler Dog Chew

Also from Green & Wilds, this antler dog chew is great because it is responsibly sourced, which means it comes from deer (Red Deer in Scotland to be precise) that have naturally shed their antlers. Baxter absolutely loves a chew of an evening, much like us humans like to sit down of an evening with a cuppa, he likes to sit down with a chew. He has had antlers before, but they’ve always been the split ones, and if I’m honest I’ve never given the whole natural shedding thing much thought – I certainly will now! The antler was the first thing he grabbed out of the box when it was opened and he snaffled it away super quick, thinking we might take it from him. Apparently, dogs love the smell of them so that’s probably the reason he was drawn to it, but you’ll be relieved to know that us humans can’t smell them (dogs have something like 8 times our sense of smell).

An antler chew might not look like much, but they have so many benefits:

  • Great for natural teeth cleaning; the gnawing action helps scrape the teeth.
  • Completely natural, with no additives or preservatives.
  • Hypoallergenic.
  • Durable – seriously these things last ages!
  • Prevents dogs getting bored and seeking out other things to chew…. like your furniture!

There are many arguments for and against dogs having antlers to chew on. Some people say that it is too hard for their dogs teeth and that they could choke on them, but like all these things it’s all about personal preference and common sense. Dogs should always be monitored when they have chews, whatever that chew may be, and they should never be left alone with them as yes there is a risk of choking. However that isn’t restricted to antlers, they could choke on anything if you left them to their own devices let’s face it. And as for the too hard for the teeth thing, listen you know your dog and either your dog can handle it or they can’t, you just gotta go with your gut. For me personally, I know that Baxter is absolutely fine with them and that the benefits of having a natural product for him to chew on far outweigh any of the potential hazards. And as you can see from this picture, he is quite literally like a dog with a bone!

Compostable Poo Bags

And finally we have these compostable poo bags from Fetch It. Right, OK so poo bags probs weren’t at the top of your Christmas gift ideas for your dog I know, but bear with….

These poo bags are made from GM free cornstarch, which means they will decompose in just a few weeks as opposed to the years and years that your bog standard biodegradable poo bags take. This is huge in the fight against plastic waste, HUGE!

We get through a lot of poo bags – like easily 4 a day (well he is a cockapoo!) and of course I do the decent thing and pick it up. However, the reality is I’d be better off leaving the poo to decompose naturally, but obviously it would be seriously gross if we all did that. So these are brilliant in my opinion, as it means you’re being a good dog owner by picking up after your poopin’ pooch and you’re also doing your bit for the environment. Everyone’s a winner.

You may not think a 60 pack of eco poo bags could be as exciting as a reindeer toy and an antler, but tell that to my dog who managed to get them out of the packet and scatter them all over my living room. Practical and fun; it’s the gift that keeps on giving!

Baxter and I loved this gift set for dogs so much. The ethos behind it, the quality of the products, the combination of practical and fun, it really was a pleasure to receive. The box is carefully packed to ensure items don’t get damaged or move around, and I really appreciated the little touches of a gorgeous gift tag and even the twine used to tie the box – so simple but really effective and continuing on with the message of sustainability. In fact to continue this further I’ve kept the twine to use as decoration on some handmade Christmas gifts I’ve got planned. This gift set is available to buy from the Life Before Plastik website for £23.99 and you can get 5% off your first order if you subscribe to their site.

*product gifted for review

And just because he’s so darned cute, here’s another picture of Baxter Boo the Cockapoo!


Want to see what Baxter helped me review last year?

Check out last year’s Dog Christmas Gift Guide.

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