New Survey Reveals Surprising Ways Generation Z Put Their Pet’s Health Before Their Own [Video]

Did You Know? Almost 25% of Young Pet Owners Say They’ve Taken Sick Days for Their Furry Friends

PR Newswire, Washington, DC, February 25, 2016
It’s no secret that tobacco kills people, but did you know that Big Tobacco’s products kill pets too? Having warned of a world without cat videos with the ad “#CATmageddon,” truth^® continues to call attention to the impact of tobacco on our pets. According to a new truth survey, young pet owners visit the vet just as frequently as visiting the doctor themselves. By tapping into pet mania, truth is rallying this generation of teens to end tobacco use for good.

“#CATmageddon” premiered on the 2016 Grammy Awards broadcast and has already been viewed more than 33 million times. The new ad called “#FinishIT” makes clear that dogs and cats are twice as likely to get cancer if their owners smoke. An extension of truth’s award-winning Finish It campaign, the ad underscores the immediate, unexpected dangers of the number one cause of preventable death, tobacco.

To explore Gen Z’s love of pets, truth conducted a nationwide survey of 1,000 15-21 year-olds. The survey revealed young pet owners are seriously dedicated to the health of their pets:

• Pet owners visit the vet just as frequently as they visit the doctor themselves
• Pet owners are more likely to buy organic food for their pets than for themselves
• Nearly a quarter of pet owners have taken a sick day to care for their pet

It’s clear that today’s youth care about animals. With the teen cigarette smoking rate currently at 7 percent, this latest ad urges, “Let’s treat our best friends like real best friends.” The ad is meant to inspire and empower teens to ‘Finish It’ and end tobacco use for good if not for themselves, then for their pets. And in collaboration with Petco, truth is giving teens ways to help pets exposed to smoking in the home and carry the Finish It message.

“The more attention we generate and the more young people we engage to help us finish the tobacco epidemic, the more lives – humans and pets – we can save,” said Robin Koval, CEO and President of Truth Initiative, the national public health organization that directs and funds the truth campaign. “When one out of four young pet owners has taken a sick day to care for a pet, you know you will grab their attention with the truth about pets and cancer. These ads, and our online and in-store activities with Petco, will get more young people involved in the movement to end tobacco use.”

Petco, a leading pet specialty retailer that focuses on nurturing powerful relationships between people and pets, has teamed up with truth to help spread the word. Beginning on Tuesday, March 1, all Petco locations nationwide will be giving out free Finish It pet collar charms and tips on how to protect pets from the negative impact of tobacco. Pet owners can support “Finishing it” in the name of their furry friends by visiting a local Petco to receive a collar charm for their dog or cat to wear, while supplies last.

“We’ve watched for more than 50 years as people increasingly treat their pets like true members of the family, so we’re not surprised to see that many young pet parents take their pet’s health so seriously,” said Dr. Whitney Miller, Director of Veterinary Medicine for Petco. “That’s why we’re thrilled to provide helpful tips for pet parents concerned about the effects of secondhand smoke on their pets and an easy way they can help spread the word and show their support for this powerful campaign.”

The #FinishIT ad is part of Finish It, the campaign truth launched in August 2014 to inspire a movement of youth and young adults to end tobacco use. More than 294 million people have participated in the Finish It movement thus far. To learn more about the Finish It campaign and how to get involved, visit thetruth.com, YouTube.com/truthorange or follow @truthorange on Twitter.

The Finish It campaign and new ad were created by truth’s agency of record, 72andSunny. Media planning and buying is handled by Assembly, truth’s media agency of record.

About truth
truth^® is one of the most successful and one of the largest national youth tobacco prevention campaigns. The campaign exposes the tactics of the tobacco industry, the truth about addiction, and the health effects and social consequences of smoking. truth gives teens facts to make their own informed choices about tobacco use and inspires them to use their social influence and creativity in the fight against tobacco. The campaign is credited with preventing hundreds of thousands of teens from starting to smoke, and is working to make this the generation that ends smoking for good. To learn more, visit thetruth.com. truth is part of Truth Initiative, a national public health organization dedicated to achieving a culture where all youth and young adults reject tobacco. To learn more about Truth Initiative’s work speaking, seeking and spreading the truth about tobacco, visit truthinitiative.org.

About Petco
With more than 50 years of service to pet parents, Petco is a leading pet specialty retailer that focuses on nurturing powerful relationships between people and pets. We do this by providing the products, services, advice and experiences that keep pets physically fit, mentally alert, socially engaged and emotionally happy. Everything we do is guided by our vision for Healthier Pets. Happier People. Better World. We operate more than 1,430 Petco locations across the U.S., Mexico and Puerto Rico, including more than 115 Unleashed by Petco locations, a smaller format neighborhood shop; 10 Pooch Hotel destinations for pet daycare, boarding and spa services; prescription services and pet supplies from the leading veterinary-operated pet product supplier, Drs. Foster & Smith; and petco.com. The Petco Foundation, an independent nonprofit organization, has invested more than $135 million since it was created in 1999 to help promote and improve the welfare of companion animals. In conjunction with the Foundation, we work with and support thousands of local animal welfare groups across the country and, through in-store adoption events, help find homes for more than 400,000 animals every year.

Contact:
Sarah Shank
202-454-5561
[email protected]
[email protected]

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