Stub out fag danger to pets in cars
A DOG lover is calling for a ban on smoking in cars while canines are in the back.
Megan Pleasant, 22, from Bangor, wants the ban on lighting up in vehicles when children are present extending to animals.
In October 2015 it became illegal in Wales and England for people to smoke in vehicles with children or anyone under 18 present. Both the driver and smoker could be fined £50 each.
Miss Pleasant launched a petition after seeing a man smoking in his car with two dogs in the back and is asking the Welsh Government to debate her suggestion with the hope that it will become law.
Miss Pleasant, who has a black Labrador called Leo, said: “I am a dog lover and I believe this is cruel to animals.
“What sparked it was that I saw two dogs looking unhappy in the back of a car while their owner was smoking a cigarette – although the man did had his car window open. Dogs, as well as humans, are affected by second-hand smoking. It can cause cancer in humans and animals.”
Miss Pleasant is now appealing to the public to sign her petition “and be the voice of those who do not have one”.
She said: “One study found that cats living with smokers are twice as likely to develop malignant lymphoma – the most common feline cancer – as those in nonsmoking households. Another found a higher incidence of nasal tumours and cancer of the sinus in dogs living in a home with smokers, compared to those living in a smoke-free environment.
She said: “These tumours 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.”
Miss Pleasant said she hopes that a ban could become law in Wales and be extended internationally in the future.
She has already received support from actor Ryan Hurst, who plays Opie in TV show Sons of Anarchy, who retweeted her appeal.
To sign, go to https://www.change. org/ p/ welsh- government- make- it- illegal-to-smoke-in-a-vehicle-with-animalsinside/u/22484330