Woman’s house burns down, so BarkBox promises a free box to replace her dog’s toys. Then it arrives with roasting marshmallows and a toy fire

Karli Breanna has been going through a difficult time lately. A few months ago, she found herself without a home after a massive fire ripped through her apartment building, leaving it condemned. As she dealt with the aftermath, BarkBox delivered a moment of confused levity. She took to TikTok to talk about it, wondering if it was dark humor or a coincidence, and the video has drawn over 1.7 million views. 

In her video, Breanna said, “So my house burned down, and I had to contact BarkBox to cancel my subscription. And the customer service rep was like, ‘Oh, why are we canceling? Like, we’re so sorry to see you go.’ I was like, ‘Oh, you guys didn’t do anything wrong. I just don’t have an address right now.” Breanna said that after hearing her story, BarkBox responded with some amazing customer service. 

Breanna noted that the customer service representative said, “You know what? As soon as you guys get put up in a new place, you send me that new address, and we will send you a free Bark Box to replace all the dog toys that you guys lost.” However, when the eventual delivery reached her, Breanna was stunned by the contents, coming online to ask if the fire-themed delivery was intentional. 

The themed box was a bit too on theme

In the video, Breanna pulled up a box she indicated was the BarkBox delivery and removed the dog toys from within. Laughing, she said, “So I got the box in the mail, and I want you guys to let me know if you think this was a coincidence or intentionally malicious. The free toys they gave us are roasting marshmallows and a fire… because my house burned down.” It should be noted that this is Breanna’s version of events, so it shouldn’t be treated as verifiable fact.

Her viewers found the delivery hilarious. One user joked, “They said free of charge but not free of trauma.” Another took to the comments to tell Breanna that this was her chance to flip the table. They quipped, “now your dog can DESTROY the fire.” Commenters were split between those who thought it was intentional but good-natured humor and those who thought it was just a coincidence going into fall.

Among those who thought this was intentional, one wrote, “That was 100% on purpose, and they have an amazing sense of humor.” On the flip side, a TikToker argued, “That is a horrible coincidence. My dogs bark box this month was indeed campfire themed so I got the same things.” Another echoed this sentiment, stating, “This month was the fall box. We got smores, a fire, and a moose dressed like a lumberjack. It’s an unfortunate coincidence.”

Those commenters may have a point. According to Wirecutter, BarkBox is known for building each month’s box around a creative seasonal theme, which means a campfire set would have gone out to plenty of subscribers this fall. Dog owners rarely miss a chance to have fun with their pets online, from a trainer whose taping trick for her Dalmatian drew a visit from animal control to a Boston woman who set up a dog kissing booth.

One commenter quipped, “‘When house gives you fire, make s’mores’ or however the saying goes.” For Breanna and her dog, the box is still a small step toward normal as they rebuild after the fire. As she noted in the caption, “Anything helps I guess.”