DEKALB COUNTY, GA — Dekalb county officials say they’re making progress as they deal with animal shelter overcrowding.

Rebecca Guinn with Lifeline Animal Project says adoption rates are up this year.

They’ve also seen an uptick in lost animals being returned to their homes and made big progress with court-held animals. But says there have been more than 200 animals euthanized at the DeKalb Animal Shelter so far this year. A new “pet neighborhood” next to the shelter is set to open this summer and help alleviate overcrowding.

The county’s also looking at further regulating the sale of animals in the near future.

Matthew Welch, Deputy Attorney for DeKalb County Government, says a recent piece of legislation passed by the county commission takes aim at breeders.

The new rules limit breeding in the county to animals of certain ages, among other changes. But in the county’s annual State of DeKalb Animals Address, Welch says future legal changes could include, “the potential retail sales ban or at least regulation to further limit and control where and how animals are transferred in DeKalb County.”

He says the county’s also looking at changing regulations surrounding the tethering of animals and keeping them in confined spaces.