(PRESS RELEASE) TAMPA, FL –Founded in 2017, Pet Anxiety Awareness Month has worked with veterinary industry associations, brands, and the media to raise awareness about fear, anxiety and stress (FAS) in dogs and cats. This year, through a multi-year collaboration with Ceva Animal Health (FELIWAY), and ThunderWorks (ThunderShirt, ThunderEase, ThunderWunders), the single event evolves into two distinct awareness events – Dog Anxiety Awareness Month in June, and Cat Anxiety Awareness Month in September.
“This evolution is exciting because the goal of Pet Anxiety Awareness Month has always been to serve pets in the best way possible and help bring awareness to pet anxiety,” explains pet expert and event founder, Kristen Levine. “Having two distinct events will help us serve the unique needs of each pet.”
A 2022 study revealed that while 47 percent of Americans admit to experiencing regular bouts of anxiety or stress, even more dogs are suffering from signs of anxiety, with as many as 57 percent showing signs of anxiety. Among those, 73 percent are reported to have moderate to severe anxiety.1
Levine emphasizes, “As a culture, we’re doing better having those difficult conversations surrounding human mental health. Now it’s time to do better by our pets too.”
Dog Anxiety Awareness Month begins in June, ahead of the July 4th holiday when an estimated 40 million dogs will experience anxiety from the sounds of fireworks. However, education surrounding dog anxiety signs and solutions will continue year-round with the website, doganxietyawareness.org (to launch June 1). Pet parents are urged to visit the website, take the veterinary-approved online anxiety assessment for dogs, and discover solutions for their dog’s anxiety and resulting behavior.
“Pet parents often misinterpret their dog’s anxiety as bad behavior,” explains Levine. “In serious cases this can result in pets being surrendered to shelters because the pet parent can’t handle the destruction of property, inappropriate elimination, bolting out the door, or other perceived bad behavior that results from their dog’s anxiety. We want to educate pet parents so they can keep their dogs at home where they belong, and out of the shelters.”
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Levine’s own dog, Buck, was the inspiration for the original Pet Anxiety Awareness Event. As the years progressed, Buck’s anxiety worsened, as is often the case with dog anxiety, reports Levine. “My husband and I would have to take separate vacations so one of us could stay home with Buck,” she recalls. “And I would even have to roll my car out of the driveway in neutral so he wouldn’t hear me leaving and begin destroying the house.”
The website, petanxietyawareness.com, hosted by Levine for five years, will continue to operate, providing pet parents with the resources to identify and find solutions for their pets’ anxiety. However, it will also contain links to partner resources for doganxietyawareness.org (to launch June 1) and catanxietyawareness.org (to be launched this summer).
“Over the past five years, we’ve helped hundreds of thousands of pets with their anxiety. I couldn’t be more thrilled to partner with Ceva Animal Health and ThunderWorks that have been helping dogs and cats cope with anxiety for 20 years. allowing us to reach even more pet parents with the right content to help their cat or dog regain their calm and quality of life.”
These new initiatives continue to have industry support from leading veterinary associations, such as the American College of Veterinary Behaviorists and FearFree.
1 2022 study of 1,000 dog households conducted by Kantar Group & Affiliates on behalf of CEVA Animal Health.
