Last year, the BBC aired Pedigree Dogs: Exposed, an hour long documentary on how breeding for dog show standards has created an unhealthy "parade of mutants." Recently, the documentary aired in the United States, exposing US audiences to the horrible price dogs pay to meet "breed standards."

Pedigree Dogs: Exposed looks at a number of breeds and the way breeding to meet conformation standards moves away from healthy animals once bred to do a job, and creates dogs barely healthy enough to live a full life. You can watch the full documentary included here and read more reactions (and leave your own) on the Animal Welfare blog at Pedigree Dogs: The Cruelty Behind Conformation.

The UK Kennel Club initially protested the documentary, claiming it was unfairly edited and inaccurate. Yet a few months later, they started making changes.So far, the American Kennel Club (AKC) is ignoring the documentary, pretending as if their breed standards don't cause the same crippling deformities in once-healthy breeds.

The AKC needs to get with the program. Send an email to the Chairman of the Board, demanding a review of breed standards, a greater emphasis on health over looks, and an independent investigation into purebred dog breeding. At the very least, they should be taking the same steps to improving the welfare of their dogs as the UK Kennel Club is.