Pet subscription service BarkBox is currently under fire from various quarters over its range of colourful Pride dog toys, including a cactus called Consuela and a dragon queen with rainbow wings.

BarkBox is a monthly subscription service that sends out two new toys and two bags of healthy treats to owners across the US, and is known for having regular themed optional add-ons which, in the past, have included The Simpsons and Spongebob Squarepants. This month, the box has an LGBTQ+ Pride add-on, to mark Pride month.

This year’s BarkBox Pride collection has been featured on the subscriber homepage since May; they’ve offered the collection for the last four years.

In addition, new subscribers who sign up during Pride month in June are eligible to receive a free Pride Walk Kit, which includes a rainbow bandana for your dog, and a rainbow collar and leash set.

In previous years, BarkBox’s Pride range wouldn’t have caused much of a stir. Up until recently, most major companies, including Target, have released a range of Pride Month merchandise annually, usually donating at least some of the proceeds from that collection to an LGBTQ+ charity.

However, in recent months, multiple corporations have rolled back their support for LGBTQ+ pride and related initiatives, in the face of president Trump’s attacks on corporate DEI (Diversity, Equity and Inclusion) initiatives.

The Trump administration has also made its distaste for LGBTQ+ Pride Month very clear, for example, staff at the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) have reportedly been told they cannot celebrate Pride on the bureau’s time and only attend LGBTQ+ events in a “personal capacity”.

In addition, the United States Department of Education has now designated June as Title IX Month instead of Pride Month. Title IX is the landmark 1972 law that prohibits sex-based discrimination in education.

The BarkBox Pride dog toy row was sparked when a former Trump lawyer, Jenna Ellis, shared on X that she was pausing her BarkBox subscription for June due to the company’s Pride-themed box.

Ellis, who has over a million followers on X, now works as a senior policy adviser for the anti-LGBTQ+ American Family Association, and her X bio proclaims her to be “a servant of Jesus Christ.” She recently shared a screenshot of a customer service chat in which she asked not to receive a BarkBox in June.

After Ellis shared the screenshot at the end of May, there was a new development.

An X user named Alexis Nikole Nelson, who claimed to be a former employee of BarkBox, shared a screenshot of what she claimed was an internal BarkBox email about the Pride collection, taken from Reddit, which read:

“After some thoughtful discussion today with leadership, we’ve made the decision to pause all paid ads and lifecycle marketing pushes for the Pride kit effective immediately.

“While celebrating Pride is something we may value, we need to acknowledge that the current climate makes this promotion feel more like a political statement than a universally joyful moment for all dog people.

“If we wouldn’t feel comfortable running a promotion centered around another politically charged symbol (like a MAGA-themed product), it’s worth asking whether this is the right time to run this particular campaign.

“This isn’t about backing away from support, it’s about tone and ensuring our marketing remains inclusive and welcoming to everyone in our community. Right now, pushing this promo risks unintentionally sending the message ‘we’re not for you’ to a large portion of our audience.”

Alexis Nicole Nelson captioned her post: “My former employer paused all marketing on Pride toys and cancelled donating the proceeds to a great org because… *checks notes* … a single bigot doesn’t understand how BarkBox works? You literally have to CHOOSE and PAY MORE for the Pride toys. Happy Pride, gang.”

The screenshot caused a furore on X, with multiple LGBTQ+ users and allies stating they intended to boycott BarkBox over what they viewed as a “spineless” U-turn.

One user, @QueerAuntie, tweeted: “Pausing all paid ads and marketing for a pride kit is cowardly. Even Courage the Cowardly Dog thinks you’re a b***h ass. @barkbox lost a customer. Unsubscribed. Done.”

Another person said: “Just canceled my @barkbox bc f this shit. I dont care if its an internal statement Im not giving money to a company that compared LGBTQ+ to f**king MAGA.”

A third wrote: “Comparing pride merch to f**king maga bullshit is fucking insane @barkbox you will never have my business you are spineless and soulless f**k your forever.”

“I do not agree with the content of the message. It wasn’t good”

BarkBox responded with an apology to the LGBTQ+ community, stating that the screenshot shared on Reddit and on X by Alexis Nicole Nelson had actually been a “disrespectful and hurtful” message from an employee at BARK that was shared in an internal Slack channel and was not, in fact, the company’s official position.

Matt Meeker, BARK Founder & CEO, posted the following apology post on social media on 4 June:

“I apologize. A few days ago, an internal message from a BARK team member was released on social media. The message was disrespectful and hurtful to the LGBTQIA+ community, and as the CEO of BARK, I’m responsible for that.

“I do not agree with the content of the message. It wasn’t good. It doesn’t reflect our values, and I’m deeply sorry that it happened.

“The Pride Collection is still available and has been available on our site since the day we launched it. We stand by the products. They continue to be placed prominently on our home page and throughout the site. We have no plans to remove them. You can find it here:

“In the spirit of solidarity, every year we donate a portion of the profits from this collection to a worthy organization supporting the LGBTQIA+ community. This year, we’re increasing that commitment to donate 100% of the revenue from the collection.

“I sincerely apologize and know that message was unacceptable and hurtful. We always welcome honest criticism from our community and heard everyone who reached out. I know a statement can’t fully rebuild trust and connections with people, so we’ll have to earn that again over time. I hope we can start with a sincere apology.”

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