If anyone ever thinks they can’t make a difference in their community, they should take a look at the activities of 11 of their neighbors who are slowly transforming Vicksburg’s animal shelter into a better place for the animals housed there.

The activity of the group, called Passionate for Rescues, has its roots back in a September meeting between Darlene Hughes, one of the group’s members, and city officials over the condition of the shelter and the animals kept there. The meeting opened the door for the volunteer program, which began in early October.

Since the city began allowing volunteers to begin working at the shelter Oct. 4, the changes to the shelter have been staggering. The kennels and runs are cleaner. The animals for the most part look healthier and happier because volunteers have taken them out of their confines for walks, and special outdoor pens have been set up to let them run alone outside. Members have spent their own money to buy food, medicine and elevated pallets for the animals to sleep on instead of sleeping on the concrete floors of the kennels. Most importantly, animal adoptions are up. Way up.

“We’ve adopted 40 animals so far,” Hughes said. “People are coming here to the shelter to see the animals. Before, they wouldn’t come over here. It scared them.”

Passion for Rescues needs to be congratulated for their work and the improvements at the shelter, and while the group’s work has made the shelter a better place for the animals, but more is needed, and that’s up to the city and pet owners.

The city needs to hire a shelter director with experience and training dealing with animals who can recognize medical issues and knows how to properly care for animals. It needs to relocate and build a new and modern shelter and revise its animal ordinances to strengthen leash laws and require pets to have tags for better identification. Pet owners need to more responsible by spaying and neutering their pets and by taking steps to ensure their animals are not allowed to run loose where they can be a hazard to themselves and others.