ASPCA

RAW Giving + ASPCA

American humorist Josh Billings said, “A dog is the only thing on earth that loves you more than he loves himself.” Whether as loyal companions, sheep herders, rodent catchers, or even body warmers, canines have been serving humans dutifully for thousands of years. It is our solemn responsibility to return the favor by taking care of them.

When Josh Kesselman recently sat down with iconic columnist, animal lover, and ASPCA Board Member, Cindy Adams, she spoke passionately about the steep rise in reports of canine cannabis poisoning as marijuana legalization proliferates in cities and states across the United States. (A 765% increase in cannabis-related calls to the Animal Poisoning Control Center in 2019, per the American Kennel Club.)

Dogs’ brains have more cannabinoid receptors than humans, making them significantly more sensitive to the effects of marijuana than we are. As soon as five minutes and as late at 12 hours after ingesting even a small amount of cannabis, a dog may exhibit lethargy, breathing problems, a drop in blood pressure, abnormal heart rhythms, incontinence, and loss of balance. Though rarely life threatening, it’s a serious medical issue that requires immediate treatment.

Edibles, which usual contain a higher concentration of THC along with other potentially harmful (and tantalizing) ingredients, is generally considered to be the biggest cannabis-related threat to dogs, but we can’t discount the problem of pets feasting on discarded roaches littering our city streets.

Josh, a passionate advocate for animal welfare (and the proud owner of a menagerie of rescue animals, including a rodeo horse, a wild donkey, and a 12-year-old mutt named Chloe), wanted to help combat this growing problem. So he is kicking off an awareness campaign with a donation to the ASPCA in Cindy’s honor.

He is also encouraging the entire RAW community to “don’t flick, it might make a doggo sick”, instead properly dispose of any roaches “put it out, then throw it out” either in the trash or burying them as Josh often does in his garden. Josh also makes portable pocket ashtrays and will be creating new designs to encourage people to ‘toke responsibly’. As Josh says, “we are one beautiful community, let’s show the world how the plant makes us even more caring and empathetic so they’ll accept us and stop judging us.”