A former rescue dog has been crowned the pet slimming champion of the year after shedding a third of her bodyweight.

Ruby the Jack Russell terrier was morbidly obese after growing to 9.1kg, making her more than 50% overweight.

After a six-month diet and fitness regime run by charity PDSA, she has lost 7in from her waist and weighs in at just over 6kg.

"When Ruby first came to us, we all felt really sorry for her as she'd had such a tough start to life," said owner Angela Martin, from Sunderland.

"So to compensate, we used to give her a little treat here and there.

"The trouble was, the whole family was giving her 'a little treat' and over time, she started to get really big."

Along with 15 other fat pets, the fit club did the trick and Ruby has been given a new lease of life.

PDSA senior veterinary surgeon Elaine Pendlebury said: "This is a fantastic slimming success story, well done Ruby. Many people fall into the trap of overindulging their pet with food as a way of expressing their love.

"Angela and her family have worked really hard and have shown that it's never too late to make a positive change."

Some of the other top slimmers included Cookie the cat, from Middlesbrough, who shed 17cm from her waistline.