It’s early morning, just after breakfast, and six-year-old Cayley is wide awake, eagerly anticipating her daily dose of cannabis.
The black labrador, tail wagging, laps up the liquid tincture owner Brett Hartmann squirts into her mouth, a remedy he uses morning and evening to help alleviate Cayley’s anxiety.
“Ever since I started her on CBD (cannabidiol — a marijuana extract), her separation anxiety has disappeared,” says Hartmann, 30, of his pet, a service dog he acquired while in college because he had epilepsy.
Hartmann, who lives near Los Angeles, said he turned to medical marijuana for Cayley after he no longer needed her to accompany him everywhere, having himself overcome his epilepsy with the help of the drug.
“I just allowed her to retire and… I don’t think she handled the transition too well,” Hartmann, who also has his ageing dachshund on cannabis, said. “But CBD has really helped.”