Few involved would deny that the Natchez-Adams County Humane Society has seen its share of dog scraps and cat fights in recent years — and no one involved has ever lapped water out of a bowl.

But thanks to the prompting from some animal lovers and an outside mediator, a new paw was turned just less than a year ago.

Squabbles over where to build a new building were, reportedly, forgotten, and plans to move forward without looking back any longer were made.

The fruits of that discussion were announced this week. The board has a plan to construct a new shelter on five acres off Liberty Road. The site is away from the current location and away from residential property.

The board — which contains several new members appointed after the fighting ended — is working with an architect who specialized in such animal-friendly buildings, and appears on track to finally get our area’s homeless critters into a better shelter.

The current animal living situation is beyond awful. No one would deny that a new structure is needed.

And despite what previously occurred that might have been right or wrong, we hope these new plans can result in a bigger, better facility for our four-legged friends.

We thank the board for their work on this effort, and urge them to continue the lines of open communication with the public. Natchez, thankfully, has many animal lovers.

We all have the best interest of our furry friends at heart.