Following an investigation from the RSPCA, 68-year-old William Johns, from Swansea, south Wales, has been banned from keeping animals for 15 years and handed a suspended prison sentence18:40, 19 Jul 2026A dog owner allowed two Jack Russell Terriers to reach levels of obesity an RSPCA inspector had ever seen.‌William Johns, 68, has been banned from keeping animals for 15 years and handed a suspended prison sentence after pleading guilty to two offences under the Animal Welfare Act 2006. He also received an eight-month custodial sentence, suspended for two years.‌The RSPCA, which brought the prosecution, found the terriers - called Cai and Lily - to be grossly overweight when they went to Johns' home in Swansea, south Wales. The largest of the two animals weighed 14.2kg, and was the most overweight dog a vet and an RSPCA inspector had ever seen.‌Speaking this month after the sentencing, RSPCA Inspector Gemma Cooper said: "These poor dogs were allowed to balloon in weight by the defendant's inability to provide a balanced diet for them. One of them became so ill that he had to be put to sleep and had we not returned to the property, the second dog may also have become seriously unwell.”The animal welfare charity said Cai was suffering from heart failure and was so unwell that a vet decided the best course of action was to put him down, Wales Online reported. Lily was taken into the charity's care during a later visit.‌RSPCA animal rescue officer Ethan Griffin visited the defendant's home on September 24 last year, the court was told. During the visit, the officer found Cai in a collapsed state, with urine stains over his body. The court heard Johns agreed to allow the officer to take the dog to a vet.Later, during a follow-up visit, Johns was advised to take Lily to a vet to be weighed and placed on a diet - however, the defendant refused to cooperate with RSPCA officers at that time. On December 14, RSPCA Inspector Gemma Cooper and officers from South Wales Police visited the home.‌On that occasion, Lily was seized - and in a statement presented to the court, the inspector admitted she was shocked by how large the dog was. "When I went to take her from the police officer, it was difficult to hold her like a normal dog, as her torso was just so rounded and solid. In my 15 years as an RSPCA inspector, I have never seen a dog so overweight," she said.After examining Cai, a vet said the dog was in the end stage of heart failure. He was extremely overweight with a body condition score of nine out of nine - with five considered a healthy weight. Lily also had a body condition score of nine out of nine, and a vet who examined her said that she was out of breath most of the time she was at the clinic."She weighed 14.2 kgs and the level of obesity was one of the worst I have seen," he stated. "She had difficulty moving around, and by keeping a dog in this abnormal state, the owner failed in their duty of care to provide a suitable diet and control their pet's weight. The dog suffered for a prolonged period of at least a month if not longer."‌Following the investigation, Lily was put on a diet and lost more than 2kg in the first month in the RSPCA's care. She has since made a good recovery and will be rehomed by the charity.In mitigation, the court was told the defendant was unable to care for the dogs because of a range of health issues, including suffering from Parkinson's and reduced mobility after having had a leg amputated. He had later agreed to sign Lily over to the care of the RSPCA.Article continues belowThe dog owner was also told to pay £400 court costs and a victim surcharge of £187 at the hearing on June 22.