HUTCHINSON, Kan. — The Hutchinson Animal Shelter’s numbers continue to rise as more and more animals are brought in. The good news is that more of them are either being reclaimed or adopted.

The number of animals brought into the shelter increased in 2017 to 2,069 animals compared with 1,990 in 2016. The shelter’s statistics show 1,491 of those animals were picked up as strays and 578 were surrendered.

The positive side of things shows that more animals are being adopted and fewer are being euthanized.

In 2017, nearly 800 animals were adopted and just under 400 were returned to their owners — both higher numbers than 2016. It also shows that 693 animals were put down, although that number is lower than the previous year when 754 animals were euthanized.

The shelter has been increasing the number of animals being transferred to other shelters or other agencies over the past three years. The shelter also started a barn cat program that allows farmers to adopt feral cats to be used in barns and outbuildings for rodent control.