A couple have been jailed after 52 animals were found in a west Wales home in a filthy and poor environment - with some of the animals found in a suffering state.

Dyfed Powys Police, the RSPCA and two vets attended the property on December 29, 2024 where 29 dogs, 17 snakes, one Hermanns tortoise, a leopard gecko and a monitor lizard were found in appalling conditions and taken into possession by police. There was also a dead snake found and two dead dogs.

The two dead dogs were found to have suffered unnecessarily, with many of the snakes suffering along with some of the dogs found. Inside the house RSPCA rescuers described an “overpowering smell of dog faeces and urine” with the animals living in “filthy conditions".

34-year-old Zoe Louise Graham and 39-year-old Lee Peter Lock, both of Coombs Road, Milford Haven, appeared at Swansea Crown Court on Friday, 16 January for sentencing.

Graham was jailed for 18 months and was disqualified from keeping animals for 15 years and Lock was jailed for 27 months and was disqualified from keeping animals for 25 years.

Graham had pleaded guilty to 14 offences under the Animal Welfare Act and Lock pleaded guilty to 12 offences under the Animal Welfare Act on October 3, 2025.

Twelve of the offences were joint offences with the seven of these relating to causing suffering to six different French Bulldogs.

One of these offences was that they caused unnecessary suffering to a bulldog type dog by failing to provide veterinary treatment for the dog’s ruptured rectum.

Three of the joint offences related to three snakes that they caused unnecessary suffering and in addition they failed to meet the needs of 21 adult dogs, eight puppies and 18 snakes and other exotic animals.

The two additional offences for Graham were that she failed to meet the needs of a Hermanns tortoise and leopard gecko.

In a written statement, RSPCA Inspector Keith Hogben said when he entered the property in December 2024 he was “hit by a strong smell of dog faeces and urine” he soon was greeted by several French Bulldog type dogs.

He said: “The hallway floor was wet and had what looked like mud and dog faeces trodden into the wooden floor.

“I then made my way into bedroom one at the front of the property where I observed several adult French Bulldog type dogs and some small puppies that seemed a few days old and some larger puppies approximately three to four weeks old.

“Some of these dogs were in thin condition but were alert, active. Conditions in the bedroom were very poor with the same overpowering smell of dog faeces and urine. There was household rubbish in the room, clothes scattered all around, a bank of six small cages in filthy soiled conditions with faeces and urine present, mouldy food and in the middle two cages was a French Bulldog living in appalling conditions.

“To the right of the bedroom door as you enter was a sectioned of area that was contaminated with faeces, urine, soiled water, dog food, dog toys.”

In the second bedroom there were no dogs but there were several dog cages, some “soiled” with “dirty bowls” and the smell of the room was “overpowering”.

In the bathroom he found five French Bulldog types who were alert and active. There was some water present along with dog faeces.

In the kitchen which he described as “filthy” he found a cream coloured French Bulldog with her ribs easily visible. Also in the kitchen close to the back door was a dog pen with two French Bulldog types and an English Bulldog type living in “filthy conditions with many piles of dog faeces that the dog's could not avoid”.

He said: “The three dogs were trying to all get into one small plastic dog bed inside the pen although there was no bedding in this dog bed.”

In the back yard were two collie type dogs that seemed in normal condition, alert and active. The dog's coats were dirty and the environment was totally unsuitable with no clean area for the dogs.

He added: “The whole of the back yard was covered in wet mud, faeces and there was an overpowering smell of faeces and urine. Inside a shed the these dogs had access to was a container full of green coloured dirty water and the the conditions in this shed were again filthy, the smell in the shed was overpowering which made me cough and gag.

“Outside the back door by the step was a large amount of dry dog food which looked like it had been thrown there from the back door, one of the collie type dog's was lying on this food as that was the only dry space.”

In the living room he found a further five French Bulldog type dogs and a bully type dog that was in “very thin condition with her hips, spine and ribs easily visible”.

Inspector Hogben added: “Along with the dogs inside the front living room were a number of vivariums which held many snakes of the constrictor type.

“Conditions in the vivariums looked poor, all had soiled substrate, dirty water in filthy bowls, no hiding places and no enrichment in the vivariums.

“The glass fronts on the vivariums were dirty. Some of the snakes looked in thin condition with their spines easily visible. In another vivarium opposite the snakes I observed a tortoise and a gecko in the same vivarium.

“There was no water in this vivarium or any enrichment, the tortoise was trying to climb the sides of the vivarium and the gecko seemed lethargic.

“There was also a small monitor lizard in a plastic tray that was in a bank of 20 stacked trays as you entered the room. This lizard was alert, active and had water present which the lizard was laying in.”

Inspector Hogben said one of the police officers found a tan coloured dead Bulldog in a plastic dog bed covered with a blanket in a shed and a second dead dog in a freezer in the shed.

In a witness statement provided by an expert vet he said in his opinion both of these dogs were caused to suffer.

Both dogs had a post mortem and the vet said that the pathologist confirmed a “rectal tear occurred in life” in one of the dogs and therefore the vet said in their opinion “the dog will have suffered extreme pain as a result.”

The other dog suffered both as a consequence of the “extreme emaciation”.

In total 17 live snakes, one tortoise, one gecko, one monitor lizard were taken into possession by police and were handed into the care of the RSPCA. One snake was found to be dead and three snakes would need to be euthanised on welfare grounds. Three more snakes later died along with the gecko.

One dog was transferred to another charity for ongoing care and another dog - an XL Bully - was euthanised due to legislation. The exotics were rehomed by a specialist exotics centre.

All the other dogs received the treatment and care they needed from the RSPCA with all but four dogs signed over into the care of the charity being happily rehomed. These four dogs during the court proceedings have been signed over to the RSPCA and will now be rehomed.

Following sentencing, RSPCA Inspector Keith Hogben, said: “I would like to thank everyone involved in this complex case, from my dedicated colleagues, Dyfed Powys Police, the vets, the exotics centre and a charity partner. It was a real team effort, and although not all the animals survived - it is great to see those who have been rehomed into loving homes.”

Also, following sentencing Dyfed Powys Police Sergeant Paul Roberts, Rural Crime Team said: “This investigation demonstrates an excellent example of partnership working to target some of the most upsetting animal welfare offences.”

In mitigation the court gave Graham credit for her guilty pleas, and that the house was unmanaged and unmanageable and that there had been no original intention to cause suffering as they had intended to take in homeless animals to care for them.

For Lock credit was also given for his guilty pleas and his remorse, regret and in not taking full responsibility for the animals, that the home situation became unmanageable and offending is out of character.

For advice and guidance on caring for lizards and other exotic pets, please visit the RSPCA’s exotics web page: http://www.rspca.org.uk/adviceandwelfare/pets/other.