A dog lover in Wales is calling for a ban on smoking in vehicles when animals are present, according to a story by Hywel Trewyn for the Daily Post North Wales.
Megan Pleasant, 22, of Bangor, Gwynedd, is suggesting that a ban on smoking in vehicles when ‘children’ are present should be extended to include the presence of animals.
In October 2015 it became illegal in Wales and England for people to smoke in vehicles when anyone under the age of 18 was present. Under the law, both the driver and smoker can be fined £50.
Pleasant began her campaign with a petition after seeing a man smoking in his car with two dogs in the back.
The man was said to have had his window open, but even so the dogs were ‘looking unhappy’.
“Dogs as well as humans are affected by second hand smoking,” Pleasant was reported to have said. “It can cause cancer in humans and animals.
“One study found that cats living with smokers are twice as likely to develop malignant lymphoma – the most common feline cancer – as those in non-smoking households.
“Another found a higher incidence of nasal tumors and cancer of the sinus in dogs living in a home with smokers, compared to those living in a smoke-free environment. These tumors were specifically found in long-nosed breeds such as retrievers and German shepherds.
“Unfortunately, dogs with nasal cancer do not usually survive more than one year.”
Pleasant said she hoped that a ban could become law in Wales and be extended internationally in the future.
Animal welfare makes sense
