MESA COUNTY, COLO. (KKCO)_ Out of the thousands of adoptable animals at Mesa County Animal Services, almost 100 percent found new homes last year.

According to Mesa County Animal Service's 2009 Annual Report obtained by 11News, during the same time calls for services and responses increased 20 percent.

Penny McCarty with animal services says, "We were really excited because this year we got to the point were 98 percent of the animals that were adoptable did find a new home."

The 2009 Annual Report states that 56 percent of stray dogs brought into the animal shelter were reunited with their owners. That's more than 20 percent higher than the national average. McCarty says working with others shelters like the Roice Hurst Humane Society has helped boost those numbers.

But for cats, the numbers don't look good. Only four percent of stray cats were picked up by their owners. "And I do believe people often assume that if their cat is missing that something has happened and they look a little bit and assume that they fend for themselves and that's not always the case," McCarty says. The report says 1400 cats were euthanized in 2009 because they were classified as unadoptable.

Animal services also saw a 129 percent increase last year in citizen requests where a neighbor asks the county to check on the animal next door.

The report also says the number of barking dogs decreased 20 percent but the number of dead animals picked up by the shelter increased 60 percent.

For the most part, McCarty says the report and the numbers point to people taking more care of their pets which is a great thing.