76 THE NEW BARKER www.TheNewBarker.com Looking at this furry, joyful family, you would never suspect that Ardolino, Nina, Odie, and Jolene were once full of aches, pains, and anxiety. Five years ago,Ardolino was knew something was not right. She owned a successful magazine, cared for animals on her rescue farm, and partici- pated in community events, but she was hiding something.Every morning when she woke up,she was in pain. After several doctor’s appointments, Ardolino was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis and knew that she needed to find alternatives to potentially toxic prescription medications being recommended. She had heard of the benefits of CBD oil and thought it might be a better, safer option, so she started using it to treat her arthritis. Thankfully, CBD oil worked. It changed her life and made it possible for her to make it through the day without pain. The stigma surrounding medical cannabis and CBD oil was still strong at that time, so Angela decided to change that. “I looked around and saw a lack of education about medical cannabis and CBD and decided to change that,” says Ardolino.“I pursued a degree in medical cannabis from the University ofVermont, and the more I learned,the more I discovered how therapeutic CBD can be for dogs. Nina, Jolene, and Odie have suffered from thunderstorm anxi- ety for years, and like me, Odie has joint pain. I knew that my pets — and all of our pets deserve the same kind of relief that I had found in CBD.” Humans and animals have an endocannabi- noid system which interacts with cannabinoids from the hemp plant, Ardolino explained. Simply put, these cannabinoids work as a mediator between the body’s cells, often helping to repair problems in the neurological and other systems. Dogs actually have more cannabinoid receptors than people, increasing the chance they will ben- efit from CBD therapy, says Ardolino. With this and her passion for helping animals in mind, CBD Dog Health was created. In 2016, after Floridians voted yes on amend- ment two, which legalized medical cannabis, Ardolino hosted Canna Conference. The educa- tional event brought together doctors, veterinari- ans, and patients to learn about the positive effects of medical cannabis and how cannabis reacts in the endocannabinoid system. She also became an advocate for safe, natural, ethically grown hemp and medical cannabis in the U.S. Unfortunately, despite the increased demand for medical cannabis education and the passing of legislation to legalize medical cannabis in Florida, our elected represen- tatives in Tallahassee moved to block medical cannabis at every turn, creating roadblocks for CBD Dog Health. To see Angela Ardolino on her rescue farm, surrounded by dogs, chickens, geese, and a pet pig, is to see someone in her element. She grins widely as her Doberman, Nina, playfully dives into the lake. Her Schnauzer, Odie, eyes the pack of dogs boarding at the farm with the look of a ringmaster, as mixed breed mutt Jolene leads the pack. Trusting CBD, No Bones About It. Angela Ardolino, Hernando Umana and Blanche. Photo, courtesy of CBD Dog Health. Photo, courtesy of CBD Dog Health.