When did dogs stop being loved pets and companions, and start being trophys and comodities?

I can not understand why some people breed dogs and sell them for thousands of dollars. My husband met this at a mechanic shop, who was in a large RV. He had a litter of some type of small dog, Pomaranian or something like that, and he said that he sells his puppys for $40,000.00! He claimed that he drove all over the country delivering these puppies to people like celebraties and such. Whatever happened to a dog simply being a pet and a valuable member of a family? I know that the majority of dog owners do not care if their dog came from champion bloodlines, or if its grandfather was the Eukanuba champion. I can understand a breeder charging enough to cover vet bills for the mom, the cost of shots for the pups and for the food, but why are some charging thousands for their pups? It is people who do this, who are causing people to be what they call backyard breeders. Most people, who want a purebred dog, cant afford to pay thousands, so they turn to these backyard breeders to get them.