Significantly fewer dogs are beingeuthanized in Winnipeg at a time when the numberof owners registering their pets continues tosoar.

"There are less animals coming in, but there's a massive decrease as far as euthanizations,"said Leland Gordon, chief operating officer for the city'sAnimal Services Agency.

The agency continues to take inabout 1,000 pets each year, but that's down from closer to 1,500 in 2008,Gordon said. Twenty-eightdogs were euthanized in 2016, compared to 359 in 2008.

"The residents of Winnipeg, the taxpayers can be really happy to hear a stat like that," Gordon said.

One big reason for the decline, Gordon says, is a rise in dog and cat licences in the city.

Fifty per cent more owners registered their dogs with the city in 2016 than in 2008.

More than 54,000 dog and 28,900 cat owners licensed their pets last year, compared to in 2015when 48,600 dog and 22,900 cat licenses were issued.

Thanks to that uptick in licensing, Gordon said 311 operators have been able to help about 600 lost pets find their way back home in recent years.

But the drop ineuthanasiafor pets isn't just from a rise in licensing, Gordon said.

"We've been doing a lot ofprogressivethings in the past few years to try and save really as many animals as possible," Gordon said.

Public awareness campaigns on social media andcommunity outreach initiatives about responsible pet ownershiphave also helped, he said.

"We go to over 30 community events a year," Gordon said."I think people are seeing more of animal services in the community and they're becoming more responsible."

Gordon previously said the agency was only able to find homes for 75 per cent of the dogs it rescued in 2008. Posting cuddly photos of adoptable dogs online a few years ago has helped change that, he said.

All of the agency's social media accounts are maintained by volunteers, Gordon says, and they often work with groups such as Winnipeg Lost Dog Alerts to reunitepups withtheir rightful owners.

Euthanasia will always be used in the case ofaggressive or terminally ill dogs that are brought into animal services and can't be released back into the community, Gordon said.

"Willnever be zero, but we can work as a team to keep that number as low as possible," hesaid.

Dramatic decrease in euthanized dogs0:55

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'Massive decrease': Dog euthanasia cases drop 92% as number of pooch licences soars - CBC.ca