It’s been a good year for the Golden Belt Humane Society, Director Heather Acheson told the Great Bend City Council Monday night.

“Things are always changing,” she said. “We are always trying to make things better.”

The Golden Belt Humane Society serves all of Barton County. A large share of its funding comes from a monthly payment from Great Bend and a quarterly payment from the county.

In the past year, donations have made it possible for a privacy fence has been completed and a pergola to be built over the picnic tables to provide shade, and an Eagle Scout project included the planting of donated trees.

Inside, there  has been a lot of repainting to make the facility colorful look less institutional. There are also plans to do remodeling inside and resurface the parking lot.

As for the numbers, in 2015, the shelter has taken in 321 dogs and 100 cats have been surrendered by owners, 636 dogs and 351 cats have been impounded, 484 dogs and 191 cats have been adopted, and 344 dogs and 17 cats have been reclaimed. Of those, roughly half came from within the Great Bend city limits. 

“In all the years the city staff has been involved (with the society), Heather is the best we’ve worked with,” City Administrator Howard Partington said. Prior to her tenure, the shelter had gone through several years of problems and funding issues.

“It takes an army of people,” Acheson said.