The Kennel Club is lodging a complaint with TV regulator Ofcom about a BBC documentary exposing genetic illnesses in pedigree dogs.

The club, which runs Crufts dog show, said it was unfairly edited and did not properly reflect its "deep commitment to the health and welfare of dogs".

It also said it was reviewing its contract with the BBC to broadcast the famous show.

A spokesman for BBC Documentaries said it stood by the programme's content.

In a separate statement, the corporation said it was "seeking reassurance, on behalf of its viewers, that the objectives, practices and organisation of the breed competitions at Crufts have as a first priority the health and welfare of all dogs taking part in the competition".

An advisory panel would be set up to consider "what measures the Kennel Club should be expected to take now and commit to in the future".

It added: "The panel will be asked to give the BBC their advice quickly to enable the BBC to discuss the issues with the Kennel Club before planning begins for coverage of Crufts 2009."

Crufts has been transmitted on BBC Two since 1966.

The move comes after the RSPCA pulled out of the show over welfare concerns.

Pedigree Dogs Exposed, which aired last month, said physical traits required by the Kennel Club's breed standards, such as short faces and dwarfism, lead to inherent health problems.

The deliberate mating of close relatives, in particular, had left animals suffering from epilepsy, breathing problems and deformities, it claimed.

The documentary also said dogs suffering from such conditions were not prevented from competing in dog shows and had gone on to win "best in breed", despite their poor health.

Kennel Club spokeswoman Caroline Kisko told the BBC it was not "a tenable position" for the broadcaster to show Crufts - a programme "celebrating dogs" - when it had also aired a documentary "which was clearly so heavily biased against dogs".

"All of those dogs that were shown on the programme were taken to be to do with the Kennel Club," she said.

"The message put across by the programme was that all their disabilities, their illnesses, were caused by something which the Kennel Club had done, to the point where we were likened to Nazis."

Ms Kisko said the Kennel Club had recognised that "things had gone too far" with some breeds several years ago and was making efforts to address their health issues.

But she added: "The fact of the matter is that the large majority of pedigree dogs in the country are healthy."

In a separate interview, Ms Kisko told the BBC the Kennel Club currently allowed inbred dogs to be registered with them - a requirement for entry into Crufts.

But that position would be reviewed in the next few months following the expected publication of research, by scientists at Imperial College, into whether inbreeding had detrimental effects, she added.

Crufts sponsor

A second charity, Dogs Trust, has also announced that it is withdrawing from Crufts and the Westminster Dog Show.

In a statement, it said: "Dogs Trust believes that this removal of support is the strongest signal it can give to the Kennel Club and breeders to achieve immediate action to ensure that the health and wellbeing of pedigree dogs is ranked over appearance and artificial breed standards."

Crufts' sponsor, and dog food maker, Pedigree said it was "concerned at the findings of the BBC's recent documentary".

"Pet health and welfare is our primary concern at Pedigree and we are committed to continuing our work with all parties to promote responsible dog ownership."

The RSPCA is carrying out a scientific review of pedigree dogs and their care which will be released in January.

I feel disappointed that they are not accepting any responsibility for anything and are blaming everyone else.
If they are not seen to be making any changes, then good, ethical breeders may begin to dis-associate themselves from them and all that will be left is the bad breeders.

the problem is, they are trying to step forward, {ok poss not fast enough } but the programe decided not to cover any of the work they are doing into improving dogs in the UK,

They just seem to be saying the same thing over and over though.
- the programme was badly researched and made
- we have no power
- if we take a hard line, we will lose breeders support
- it is all the fault of the Victorians

Would good breeders actually leave the KC if they got tough?

I dont think good breeders would leave, It would be nice though if the KC reg was a mark of quality,

I feel Im stuck between a rock and a hard place with the whole thing,
People who buy rotties, want KC reg, I think its been drummed into them about BYB,, breeding dogs with bad tempraments,
Many people breeding rotties of bad quality dont reg them with the KC,
So I really dont want to walk away from the KC, But I do feel the money I pay them is for very little,
All I feel I gain from it at the moment is : when you buy a pup form me, the BVA results are on your pedigree so you know the parents have been hip/elbow scored and so on,
but without DNA testing, I guess even thats up to debate with some breeders,

Everyone that bought a pup from me felt that KC reg was improtant { as though they felt it was a quality stamp }

but of the 11 pups that I had only two transfered the reg after they bought there pups, one was Nero on the forum {because he shows his bitch} the other was gail my friend, but im a joint owner of that dog,

So even though they felt it important that the dog was KC reg, they have never transfered the ownership to there names,

the kc has a responsibility to people, who clearly feel its a sort of guarantee of quality, they are letting the GP down on so many fronts