The latest numbers of animal abuse and neglect in Mesa County are down and officials say residents are to thank for that.

2012's animal cruelty and neglect numbers in Mesa County have been released and across the board, improvements are being made.

"Our in-pounds were down, lower than they've been for the past 10 years," said Penny McCarty, Director of Mesa County Animal Services.

This means more people are keeping their pets instead of giving them up, and taking good care of them.  Another positive sign, even though the number of calls to Mesa County Animal Services went up, officials say it shows people care about animal's well-being.

"People have set higher standards for pet care; and when they see something, they give us a call," she said.

McCarty says in 2012 they received more than 1,200 calls regarding animal cruelty, the department only had to take action on 68 of those cases.

"We've domesticated them, and it's our responsibility to keep them safe and to keep them in our homes," she said.

McCarty is quick to add recently Mesa County residents have done a good job at keeping our pets safe, and she looks forward to keeping this trend going.