The Wilsons had previously been warned about breeding and selling dogs without a licence, but continued to run the puppy farm for financial gain.

An investigation, led by Cannock Chase Council, found that the Wilsons had placed adverts for 425 dogs between 2017 and 2019 – business with an estimated sales value of £105,000.

Birmingham Crown Court heard that they used false names and addresses to set up multiple accounts to create advertisements with multiple online market places, in order to attempt to evade detection.

A spokesperson for Cannock Chase Council said: “The dogs were kept in cramped and rancid conditions, with no attempt being made to care for their health and wellbeing.”

Among the 60 dogs, four litters of puppies were found, with a further three litters born shortly afterwards and further dogs were confirmed as being pregnant.

The court heard of one particular example where Ian Wilson had driven to Wales to obtain a German shepherd from an owner who had short term difficulties in caring for her.

“The Wilsons had told the owner a series of lies about how the dog would be part of their family, how it would be cared for and how it would spend time enjoying long walks on Cannock Chase,” a council spokesperson said.

“The horrifying reality was very different. During the raid, the dog was found lying in faeces and urine.

“The length of her nails suggested she had never left the house in the eight months she had been held there.

“Instead, the Wilsons had effectively imprisoned her in a small internal enclosure and had used her to breed puppies for them to sell.”