A 47-year-old man has been jailed for six months for possessing fighting dogs and on animal cruelty charges.
David Brinley Braddon was sentenced by Caerphilly magistrates after previously admitting five offences.
The RSPCA welcomed the sentence over what it called “barbaric” dog fighting, and said it was a major breakthrough.
The dogs were discovered when police raided Braddon’s house in Llanbradach, Caerphilly county, last year following a tip-off.
The RSPCA said after the case that Braddon was named in several illegal magazines produced by the organised dog fighting fraternity.
The magazines were seized by covert inspectors from the RSPCA’s special operations unit.
Chair of Caerphilly magistrates Kathleen Starr said the offences were so serious that only a custodial sentence was appropriate.
Braddon was also told he could not appeal against a ban on keeping animals for 10 years. He must also pay £1,000 costs.
At a previous hearing Braddon was found guilty of keeping a dog for fighting and of causing unnecessary suffering to a dog by failing to seek veterinary care for its wounds.
He was also convicted of possessing equipment associated with dog fighting and admitted five counts of owning pit bull terrier-type dogs.
He was cleared of keeping another four dogs for fighting and found not guilty of causing unnecessary suffering to a second dog.
Members of the RSPCA’s special operations unit joined South Wales Police officers when they carried out a warrant at Braddon’s home in March 2009.
They found five pit bull terrier-type dogs living in Braddon’s garage, one of which had 42 scars.
Two treadmills with attachments for dog collars, which are commonly used to train animals for fighting, scales and a bottle of the penicillin Duplocillin – which is used to treat injured animals – were also discovered.
The RSPCA said Braddon was given the maximum possible custodial sentence.
RSPCA chief inspector Mike Butcher said: “It is a major breakthrough for us to successfully prosecute someone like David Braddon.
“He is a major figure among the British dog fighting community, making it all the more pleasing to see him brought to justice.
“Despite this horrific so-called ‘sport’ being banned as long ago as 1835, there remains a network of organised dog fighters still operating across Britain.
“These people are responsible for some of the most deliberate and barbaric acts of animal cruelty the society investigates.
“It remains a constant battle to find these elusive characters and bring them to justice, but the RSPCA remains entirely committed to doing just that.”
Source: BBC News