A rescued St. Bernard named Lillie inspired Lee Asher to quit his corporate job, spend two years traveling across the U.S. in The Asher House RV to highlight other “amazing” shelter dogs and create a nonprofit animal sanctuary.
But none of that would have happened if CBD hadn’t saved her life in the months following her adoption.
Back in 2016, Asher spotted his “dream dog” at an animal shelter in South Los Angeles and was charmed by her sweet disposition and tongue that hung between her missing front teeth. Though she was placed on hold because she was microchipped and the shelter was trying to contact her former owners, they never claimed the dog, and Asher happily adopted her.
During Lillie’s first night in her new home, Asher woke up to loud sounds he initially attributed to an earthquake. When he got out of bed to investigate, he realized Lillie was having a massive seizure next to the washing machine and dryer, which were banging together.
“I had never seen a dog have a seizure before, so I really didn’t know what to do,” he said. “It was awful. Just from movies, I knew to hold her head up and not let her swallow her tongue and stuff like that. It was a long seizure that lasted about four minutes.”
Asher rushed his dog to an emergency animal hospital and started diagnostic testing and various treatments. But her seizures persisted multiple times a day.
“We just couldn’t get them under control,” he recalled. “After a couple of months, the vet pretty much told me, ‘We’ve tried it all. There’s really not much else we can do.’ We were pretty much out of options. And they said pretty soon I’d have to accept the fact that letting her go might be the best outcome for her.”
Distraught, Asher shared an update on social media, and someone suggested CBD might help Lillie. CBD, aka cannabidiol, is a compound found in cannabis plants that doesn’t produce a “high” like the psychoactive compound tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). CBD is primarily derived from hemp, a Cannabis sativa plant cultivated to have low levels of THC (less than 0.3% per the U.S.’s Hemp Farming Act of 2018) and higher levels of CBD.
With nothing to lose, Asher decided to give CBD a try as a last-ditch effort to save his dog.
“The first day I gave her CBD, there wasn’t this miracle difference. I will say I could tell the seizure wasn’t as long,” he said. “Instead of four minutes, it was maybe three and a half minutes. But it was the first time there was any improvement. And after giving her CBD every day, within a month, she never had a single seizure again. The vet couldn’t believe it. It really saved her life.”
Asher started giving CBD to all his dogs — he had seven at the time — and noticed their coats became more vibrant. He himself had been taking pain medications following a spine surgery but weaned off them by taking CBD instead.
Hitting The Road With The Asher House
It wasn’t the only change Asher made in his life — far from it. The next year — inspired by his close bond with Lillie — Asher quit his corporate career, started a Kickstarter campaign, and bought an RV he dubbed The Asher House. His goal was to visit animal shelters in 48 states for 90 days, host adoption events and use his social media platform to highlight other “amazing” dogs waiting for a second chance in shelters across the country. He hoped to get a dog adopted in every state.
It grew into something bigger.
“I wasn’t on the road for 90 days. I was on the road for two years,” he said. “We went all the way to Alaska. We got over 500 dogs adopted. It was magical.”
He would have stayed on the road, but the onset of the coronavirus pandemic put an end to the epic road trip. So he pivoted and created a 240-acre animal sanctuary in Oregon also called The Asher House — where today the RV is parked next to a building named Lillie’s Lighthouse.
The Asher House takes care of a variety of animals in need, including 150-200 dogs at any time as well as cats, horses, parrots, goats and pigs. Offering CBD is part of the overall strategy to helping nurture formerly neglected or injured animals back to health and happiness, according to Asher. He even created Asher House Wellness, with products that include CBD supplements for pets.
“Every single animal on the property — except for our reptiles — take CBD every single day,” he said. “It is an amazing preventative. The only time that we experience cancer is when we take in a hospice situation.”
While there is currently no evidence that CBD can prevent or cure cancer, research has found that CBD shows promising anti-cancer effects. Studies have traditionally been limited in part because cannabis is classified by the federal government as a Schedule 1 drug in the United States.
The Looming Hemp Ban Threatens CBD For Pets
The Hemp Farming Act of 2018 legalized production of hemp in the U.S. when it contains no more than 0.3% THC. But that’s set to change later this year due to a provision tucked into legislation passed in November 2025 that ended the government shutdown.
The provision, scheduled to be enacted this November, changes the hemp regulations to outlaw products with more than 0.4 milligrams of total THC per package — which critics like Asher say amounts to a hemp ban that will devastate CBD access.
“It just makes no sense whatsoever,” Asher said. “We will see the consequences. There’s no doubt that the dogs will see the consequences and it’s going to result in money. We will be at the vet more. We will need to get pharmaceutical medication to replace what the CBD is doing.”
Asher is so concerned that he created a webpage to encourage concerned citizens to contact their elected representatives to repeal the hemp ban. There’s also a chance to postpone it, as earlier this month, Representative Jim Baird, a Republican from Indiana, introduced a bill to delay implementation of the ban for an additional two years.
To help pets continue to have access to CBD, Asher hopes people will speak up. He also fervently hopes animal lovers will consider adopting their next pet from an animal shelter or rescue since so many need homes — and they can add so much to our lives.
For instance, he’s grateful that dogs have so much to teach us, like resilience in the face of challenging times. He’s seen remarkable transformations at The Asher House, where formerly neglected, sickly dogs often thrive with care and are able to trust and love humans despite past treatment.
“Dogs teach us that no matter what we go through, we should never stop loving,” Asher said. “There’s light and darkness in this world, and when you lead with hate and resentment, you are living in the darkness. You have to lead with love, no matter the loss, no matter the pain. We must keep our hearts open, spread as much joy and kindness as possible, and always lead with love and light. And that’s what dogs do. They’re constantly in the light.”
