If that allegation sounds extreme, consider that the Pekingese dog who won top honors in 2003 at Crufts, Britain's most prestigious dog show, had to be photographed afterwards while lying on an icepack because he couldn't breathe well enough to efficiently cool his own over-heated body.

In response to the BBC documentary, Britain's Kennel Club undertook some aggressive housekeeping, warning breed clubs that the most extreme traits wouldn't be tolerated any more. It was too little, too late, however; the BBC decided they were going to stop airing Crufts, and the show lost the support of its longtime pet food sponsor as well.

That was chum in the water for the sharks at PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals), who demanded that the USA Network stop airing the Westminster Kennel Club, the counterpart of Crufts here in the United States. The animal rights group was rebuffed, however, and the show will go on as usual. It airs Monday and Tuesday, February 9-10, from 8-11 p.m.

But should it? Are purebred dogs really in that much trouble? And if so, are dog shows behind the genetic and other health problems that plague our pets?

Unfortunately, yes, purebred dogs really are in a lot of trouble. By restricting breeding pools, which is how you create and maintain "pure" breeds in the first place, you limit genetic diversity. Selecting dogs for a single set of characteristics that help them win at dog shows instead of, for instance, how healthy, happy and long-lived they are, limits it even further.

This in turn can lead to a population that's weaker, less fertile and in poorer health. Given that many breeds have high rates of certain types of cancer, joint deformities, heart and eye problems, aggression, nervousness and other conditions known to have a strong genetic component, the evidence that's happening now is clear.

But limiting criticism of purebred dog breeding to show dogs misses the bulk of the problem. Hundreds of thousands of purebred dogs are born every year that never step into a show ring. In fact, only the tiniest fraction of purebred dogs are produced by show breeders.

Even if the impact of dog shows on purebred dogs were entirely negative, eliminating them would do virtually nothing to reduce genetic problems in purebred dogs.

That's because churning out puppies for profit leads to bad breeding decisions, too, because most genetic conditions don't manifest themselves until adulthood, long after the commercial breeders that produced those puppies have forgotten they existed.

In addition, most litters registered with the American Kennel Club come from people who never breed another dog. Some of them certainly make their breeding decisions carefully, but it's likely that many do so without a clear understanding of the genetics of the dogs whose genes they are uniting.

The predominant cultural norm among show breeders is quite different. The best among them do genetic testing on their dogs, sell them with contracts guaranteeing against certain health problems and provide a lifelong safety net if the buyer is unable to keep the dog in the future.

David Frei, the Westminster Kennel Club spokesman known to the show's millions of television viewers as the "voice of Westminster," recently told me: "I always used to say to people, 'When you buy one of my dogs from me, you're buying me, too. I'm going to be there for the lifetime of your dog.'"

Not all show breeders live up to that ideal, but almost no one dares to oppose it publicly. True, some show breeders are scum, but, depending on the breed they're interested in, if I'm advising a friend about where to find a nice purebred puppy, I usually tell them to start with a show breeder.

An improved chance of finding a conscientious breeder who is knowledgeable about the genetics of the dogs he's producing and who provides lifelong support to his puppy buyers, isn't the only reason I recommend show breeders. Show dogs don't just need to be "pretty" to win at dog shows; they usually have to at least appear to be healthy and fairly adaptable temperamentally.

While trotting around a show ring isn't physically stressful, being out and about among all the other dogs and people is a fairly good laboratory for finding out if your dog's glued together well or not. After all, if a dog is a bundle of nerves, starts fights with other dogs, bites his handler and has diarrhea every time you give him unfamiliar water, he's not likely to be a successful show dog. That's why good show breeders try to select for everything at once -- health, vigor, steady nerves and the physical characteristics that win ribbons.

With that in mind, let's look at another big winning show dog, one at the opposite end of the spectrum from that over-heated little Pekingese who won Crufts: Uno, the champion Beagle who went Best in Show at Westminster last year.

Uno doesn't need to sleep on a cooling pad. He can catch 40 winks just about anywhere, including airport waiting areas or even in front of reporters' flashing lights and cameras. He likes kids, howling on cue and parades. In short, he gives all appearances of being exactly what supporters of purebred dogs strive for: happy, healthy and a good example of his breed. And clearly, he wins in the show ring.

Frei has spent a year traveling the country with Uno. He told me the little dog has thrown out the pitch at baseball games (okay, chased the pitch), met with the President of the United States and the Mayor of New York City and visited children with cancer and other life-threatening diseases as part of the Westminster Kennel Club's "Angel on a Leash" therapy dog program.

"He's been a great ambassador for dogs in general," Frei said. "And he never misses a beat; he's the same every day. He's happy, the tail's wagging É "

If the same dog show system resulting in animals that can't even regulate their body temperature after taking a short turn around the show ring also produces an unflappable, cheerful little dog like Uno, it's not the system that's at fault. It's that the system is in need of reform.

And I would like to see that reform. In fact, despite my overall positive feelings about the dog show world, I'd like to see revolutionary change come to it.

I want to abandon the concept of "purebred dogs" and return to the day when we bred dogs for their function and type, not their "looks" and ability to win in the show ring, and certainly not based on a piece of paper that indicates both parents are of the same "breed."

Hunting dogs should be able to hunt, herding dogs should be able to herd and companion dogs should be temperamentally sound and happy.

That's not to say that such dogs can't still have a certain look that is readily identifiable as the kind of dog we love. But an emphasis on the most detailed points of physical conformation, the idea that "breed type" requires tails be set "just so" or eyes have some precise shape, is incompatible with the health and well-being of dogs.

I think any breed where the majority of the members cannot give birth to puppies or mate naturally, where the dogs can't run around the yard without collapsing in exhaustion or where the physical conformation of the dog leads to pain, suffering and a short lifespan is in the worst trouble of all, and those who purport to love that breed need to pull their craniums out of their posteriors and change that tomorrow.

That said, I don't want to eliminate dog breeds or dog shows, and I think the world would be poorer without them. They're part of our heritage, and just because we might want to reform them doesn't mean we want to eradicate them.

I want to live in a world that continues to have Scottish Deerhounds in it. I want to keep watching Westminster on television every year. I want to see things like the WKC's "Angel on a Leash" therapy dog program and the AKC's Companion Animal Recovery Disaster Relief Fund continue. I want purebred dog clubs to continue to be the major donors to canine health research.

Some of the kindest and most compassionate people I've ever known are dog show people; I don't want to see any of that end.

But I'm not willing to pay for any of that with the suffering of purebred dogs. If we truly believe we can have them both, it's up to those of us who love dogs to make that happen.

Note: My mother and I used to show and, very rarely, breed Scottish Deerhounds. We have not bred a litter in over 10 years, and no longer even own intact dogs. I can't recall the last time I was in the show ring, but it was years ago. I still maintain my membership in the Scottish Deerhound Club of America and I served two terms on its Board of Directors, where my primary contribution was to advocate on behalf of genetic health research in the breed.

My complete interview with David Frei of the Westminster Kennel Club can be read at www.petconnection.com/blog/david-frei.

Christie Keith is a contributing editor for Universal Press Syndicate's Pet Connection and past director of the Pet Care Forum on America Online. She lives in San Francisco.