Tuesday night's BBC programme, two years in the making, on the effects of pedigree dog breeding on the animals' welfare revealed what many animal lovers have known for decades.

That the interbreeding and/or selective breeding prevalent in parts of the pedigree world can be highly damaging to certain species of dog.

Pugs that spend their lives gasping for breath, Cavalier King Charles spaniels writhing in pain from syringomelia (a terribly painful disorder of the brain and spinal chord) are the result of certain people's obsession with how their animal appears, rather than its welfare.

Shows like Crufts insist that dogs, in order to win Best In Show, should exhibit physical traits that the programme assures us cause suffering in the poor animals.

The programme also claimed that the Kennel Club has its basis in Eugenics, whereby selective breeding can rid a species of the "worst" individuals.

It also continues to register animals bred from such disturbing couplings as mother-to-son and brother-to-sister - something experts know to be at the root of the genetic problems.

Genetics professor Steve Jones goes so far as to say "there is a universe of suffering waiting for many of these breeds".

So what to do? There's no doubt there are many breeders and animal lovers out there who don't wish their pets harm.

But there has to be a strong argument that anyone who really cares about dogs should not be buying them from such breeders, who are essentially designating the appearance of their animal above all else.

There are sanctuaries literally crammed full of animals (yes, many mongrels - beautiful, loyal, healthy mongrels) desperate for rehoming.

So why do animal lovers insist on paying these people to keep producing more?

Is it to keep "the breed" alive? For whose benefit? Certainly not the animals'.

Many of these breeders argue about pedigrees now being "traditional" shapes - disproved with the example of the bulldog, which used to bait bulls (hence its name) and can now barely run.

In its worst example, there are similarities to the world of dog fighting. Dog fighters could argue their animals are simply expressing their natural instincts, while they're actually using the animal for their own gains.

The same could be said of some of these breeders, gentically manipulating animals in order to win a rosette.

The fact that it goes on in middle class society doesn't make it right.