RUPERT, Idaho (AP) — South-central Idaho officials say they have slashed the number of dogs euthanized at an animal control shelter. The Times-News reports that the Minidoka Joint Powers Animal Control only put down one out of the 548 dogs brought into the existing shelter in Paul this fiscal year. Last year, nearly 60 percent of dogs placed in the shelter were euthanized. Officials say the drop in numbers can be attributed to stricter rules surrounding putting animals down.

Rupert Administrator Kelly Anthon says the region has come a long way from when officials used to euthanize dogs at a landfill using carbon monoxide from vehicle exhaust. Today, the region relies on an interagency agreement developed in 1995 to help humanely house and take care of animals in the region.

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