Given the recent controversy about Crufts and some of the conformation breeding practices causing cruelty to dogs, is it about time the BBC replaced its coverage of Crufts with a more modern, constructive portrayal of dogs?

Personally, as a dog lover, I don't tend to feel like I get much out of Crufts. I'd much rather my licence fee was spent on programmes that featured interesting coverage of dogs.

A quick example:

Crufts gets 2.3m viewers at peak. The recent Martin Clunes documentary 'One man and his dogs' got more than 5m. And I'll bet any money at all that the Martin Clunes documentary was cheaper to make.

Personally, I'm not interested in watching beauty contests on TV - be they dogs or people - and I feel in 2008 its time the BBC got with the times and invested my licence fee in dog programmes that teach, entertain, inform and give a more rounded portrayal of ALL dogs, not just the show ones.

I would love to see Crufts replaced with dog programming that celebrated dogs for what they are and what they do, NOT what they look like.

Hate crufts. Just a snobs outing for people to prance about with things that if you took for a walk at night the rats would run off with.

Hate it when they have the boder collies pratting about doing twirls etc. Its a sheepdog for gods sake , it rounds things up , show the dogs doing what they do best round sheep up!

Would love to take my sheepdog on crufts & see the 'Capt Mainwaring' esque judge scuttling off to the toilets to change their undies after poking & proding the dog & getting a nip for thier trouble.

I won't be watching. I'm a poodle lover but I can't bear the horrendous show cuts.

isnt there a scrufts competition or something where you can enter mongrels?

I won't be watching Crufts and I hope the BBC pulls coverage in due course.

I really do believe that the rigid ideas we have about dog 'breeds' will come to be seen as the very worst kind of animal husbandry.

A comparison (for me) is to imagine human fertility clinics offering children with dwarfism or albinism etc to parents on the grounds of looks rather than thinking of the health implications....only dog breeders have taken this much further.

There is so much the BBC could cover instead of a dog show. I'd love to see intelligent programming about dogs and their shared history with people.

It needs to go. It is more elitist, snobbish, glamourised crap described or fabricated as hidden minority arts, intelligence and health tests, or "a deeper insight into society".

They should bring back one man and his dog.

I won't be watching it too.

I loved Crufts but the health of the dogs is more important. I think the showing of animals is fine as long as they are fit and healthy and that is a priority over their looks.

It's sad that a dog that is suffering is allowed to live because they look good, whereas perfectly healthy dogs are put down because they won't win a prize.

They wont as for some it promotes a type of dog that as a pet is very hard work. The number of border collies in dogs homes is shocking , as yes they are dead clever , but do need lots of physical & mental exercise to keep them in good form.

Plus the BBC cant be showing a entertaining programme, no money to be made on the votes! Can you imagine if they had a phone vote for the contest & some national bore like Klass or Norton hosting it

I used to love watching the dogs mental battle with the sheep especially if the dog had no option but to get hold of the thicko to get it into line! Fascinating battle of wits between the dog & sheep.