CLINTON — The Clinton Humane Society has seen a significant increase in adoptions in December and the increase has continued into the beginning of January. Adoptions were at an all-time high for the month of December in 2011 with 37 adoptions compared to December 2010 with just nine adoptions.

At the same time the number of animals brought to the shelter in December 2011 stood at 61 animals. Ninety animals were brought to the shelter in December 2010.

“We have empty cages and we haven’t had that for a long time,” Operations Manager Sandi Bartels said. “This is a very good sign that things are going really well.”

The Humane Society has continued to see an increase in adoptions through the first week of January. In just the first week of January 2012 there have been eight adoptions. In January 2010 and January 2011 there were only 12 and 11 adoptions each for the entire month, respectively. The society also has many more adoption applications currently being worked on.

Bartels says that she was worried that they would see people bringing back animals that were adopted in December.

“We couldn’t believe how many people adopted in December,” Bartels said. “We worried that a lot of them were Christmas gifts and that there would be people bringing them back.”

The increase in adoptions has been steady and shows no sign of slowing down anytime soon, according to Bartels.

The Clinton Humane Society has also been forming partnerships with various animal rescue organizations, something that had been lacking in the fall. It was difficult to do rescues since information was lacking, so they are just beginning to build rescue contacts, according to Bartels. The rescue organizations provide foster homes for animals that have been at the shelter for a long amount of time without getting adopted. In December the Clinton Humane Society took its first six cats to a rescue in the Chicago area and 13 more will be going to the rescue today.

Bartels says the rescue contacts continue to grow.

The Humane Society has received support from the community in not only adoptions but also donations.

The Santa Paws event in December brought in $1,138 for the shelter.

Participants purchased Santa Paws, green and red paper paws, for $1 at local businesses. The donors would then fill out the paw with their name and the name of their pet to be posted in the windows of the participating businesses.

The society has also received lots of donations from elementary students on both sides of the river. Whittier Elementary School students along with Fulton Elementary School students donated carloads of supplies for the animals, according to Bartels.

Clinton Humane Society Fundraiser Coordinator Jessica Bielema says the amount of donations has been amazing.

“ We were running low on blankets, because many had been chewed up by the animals, so we put a post on facebook asking for donations,” Bielema said. “The response was overwhelming. We received so many donations.”

The Clinton Humane Society has several other fund-raising events coming up. On Feb. 11 they will host their third annual “Art from the Heart” silent auction at the River Bend Senior Center in Fulton, Ill. The event features local artwork and handmade jewelry. One of the featured items this year will be diamond and ruby earrings. The society will also host its first bingo night on April 25 at the Moose Lodge.

Bartels says that overall things are looking up at the Clinton Humane Society.

“Adoptions and rescues are increasing and we have received a lot of support from the community,” Bartels said. “Things just keep getting better.”