PSA for Dog Lovers

I have lived with a dog in Hudson for more than thirty years, and for more than thirty years, I have walked a dog on Hudson's streets. For the first two decades, it was the rare walk that didn't include a struggle to wrest a chicken bone from my dog's mouth. (Pictured at right is my beloved William, who, residing in Hudson from 1999 until his death in 2014, holds the record--at least in my life--for number of chicken bones extracted from his mouth.)

Things improved, chicken bone-wise, when Kennedy Fried Chicken closed in 2012, but today there is new hazard that everyone with a dog in Hudson should be alert to: marijuana.

Recently, a 10-month-old terrier mix who spends time in Hudson started displaying odd behavior: head bobbing, awkward gait, moaning and crying, and occasional zoomies. Fearing that something neurological was going on, her humans rushed her to the emergency veterinary clinic in Kingston. There she tested positive for marijuana! The vet said it happens all the time now, and if a dog gets a large enough dose, it can be fatal. This pup's humans do not use cannabis in any form, so the pup must have picked up something in some public space--the street, a park, a parking lot.

Fortunately, after twelve hours of sleeping it off and getting the pot out of her system, the dog is fine, but it was a frightening (and costly) experience for her humans. So, the message to everyone who lives with a dog is this: Be vigilant. Pay attention to what your dog may be picking up and eating. It could be a gummy or a discarded joint.

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