Who do you think is MOST responsible for the dog overpopulation problem?

You pretty much covered it all yourself ! :-) One of the most important contributors to dog overpopulation are your typical mom and dad. When their kids ask for a dog as a pet, they get one. Quite often, the overhead of caring for a pup is never considered. Many of those pets are either returned of put up for adoption. Of course, there are many kids who genuinely care for a puppy and become responsible pet owners. But this whimsical buying of dogs creates a huge demand and where there is demand there is money and where there is money there will be supply. Backyard breeders and puppy mills will cease to exist if the demand for pups come down.

Irresponsible people who don't spay or neuter. Puppy mills and BYB at least have someone willing to buy those dogs. They don't go straight from the puppy mill or backyard breeder to the shelter. The people who let their dogs breed with the neighborhood mutt because they can't be bothered to get them to a vet dump the puppies in a shelter without a thought.

As much as people harp on the fact that purebred dogs end up in shelters too the majority of the dogs are mixed breeds. Those are the fault of the average shmoe who can't be bothered to do the responsible thing.

I'd definitely say all of the above with another one added...the media that glamorizes dog ownership. Think about it, many people on TV are shown as having a dog. And they always show the great parts of dog ownership--the unconditional love, the games of fetch in the park, the cute things they do to make you laugh...rarely do they ever show the picking up poop, training the dog to be a good doggy citizen, trips to the vet, when the dog is young and so hyper nothing you do makes them calm down...so people get this idea a dog is all roses and people forget that with the roses come the thorns.

Oh, and those celebrities who use their dogs as fashion accessories. EW.

P.S. Boycott Michael Kors...here's his quote from Marie Claire magazine "For fall, we layered shapely coats over chiffon tops and sophisticated below-the-knee skirts. It's no longer about looking like baby dolls. Add a sleek pet greyhound as accessory, and the look says fast and rich..." Once again, EW.

*EDIT* Okay I have to comment on the part you added. I am a college student. I own 2 dogs. Both of them get the best care money can buy. They eat top quality food (Wellness), see one of the best vets in town. I have a part-time job, therefore I pay for it all (my part-time job happens to actually pay pretty decent). I do not rely on my parents. Actually *most* college students nowadays work and go to school and don't rely on their parents all that much, at least where I go to school. I know plenty of people who are in college and have dogs, all of which are very well taken care of. The only thing I do rely on my parents for is they watch my dogs when I'm gone.

And as far as senior citizens go, the one thing I have to say is I see quite a few show breeders who are considered experts in their breed and have been breeding for like 40 years and are in their 70's. But they're still breeding more puppies. Some of those puppies they'll probably keep as show prospects...so why aren't these people held in the same contempt as other elderly people who acquire puppies?

I'd have to say irresponsible people who don't spay/neuter. Yes, puppy mills and irresponsible breeders are also to blame...but if the new owners of those poor pets would just spay and neuter overpopulation would be a thing of the past. The sheer number of owners who refuse for whatever reason to spay/neuter their pets far outweighs the number of operating puppy mills and breeders.

:) And I think "Irresponsible people who buy dogs and aren't prepared for the commitment of pet ownership/aren't willing to train/don't research the breed" kinda falls into the exact same category as "Irresponsible people who don't spay/neuter". Still irresponsible owners.

All of them, plus some shelters for not advertising enough.

If I want to buy a dog in my area, I have several options- every local newspaper has purebred puppies for sale.You look, see what you want, and call them. Otherwise the vet's office has notices about dogs which are being given away (not sold), mixed breed or otherwise, puppy or adult. If I want to go to my local shelter... that's a bit harder. I know who runs it, and that's about it. They don't have a website, they aren't in the phonebook, they don't have any information on the ISPCA website as most other shelters do. Shelters need better advertising, and they need to emphasise the benefits of their service (spayed or neutered, often microchipped, vaccinated etc). Most people here don't even realise it's an option, they don't even know there's a shelter in their area.

Here are some other reasons:

People who are trying to develop new breeds and then the puppies don't have the desired characteristics so they are abandoned

People who abandon them because they don't fit in with their lifestyle or they have a new baby. Another reason is they're moving to a place that doesn't allow pets

Edit: another problem is in areas that allow greyhound racing. The dogs that don't win are worthless and are often dumped or killed. Then there is the problem with breeding pit bulls for dog fighting. The dogs are bred to be aggressive and often don't make suitable pets

I think pet stores are to blame. They buy animals in large numbers not caring where they came from or who they go to.

I think backyard breeders would probably be the best option (other than a real breeder) to buy a pet. You can go and see the parents and how well they are taken care of. And you can report them if they are misstreated.

I do think people need to neuter their pets because a lot of animals get knocked up accidently.

Recent statistics indicate there is not a dog overpopulation in most areas. Dogs are being brought in from other countries to fill demand from general public.

At our boarding kennel, the vast majority of our clients are spayed and neutered. I don't see many 'accidental' puppies anymore - seems there are a lot of people deliberately breeding mutts with cute names. And if Joe Consumer didn't keep buying, the mills would soon go out of business.

I think it's a combo of everything but if I have to pick. I think uneducated people who purchase from mills, petstores, or BYB's instead of rescues or quality breeders are the biggest problem. If everyone was educated and stopped buying these dogs then mills, petstores, and BYB's would not make money and would stop breeding.

the government there should be a law that all mixed breeds should be spayed/neutered and that people should have a license to breed puppies and that the b*tches should only have a max of three pups