Six weeks ago, he was lost and alone — another pit bull abandoned in Ontario where it’s illegal to adopt a dog like him and humane societies sometimes left no choice but to put them down.

But things turned around for Chopper who was found by a stranger and brought to the London Animal Care Centre.

He was living the high life Thursday on a WestJet flight to his new foster family in Medicine Hat, Alta.

The “good news story,” according to city staff, happened after an historic year for London’s stray and abandoned animals, a year in which no healthy animal was euthanized.

“It’s all to implement council’s direction to be a pro-adoption, no-kill community,” bylaw manager Orest Katolyk said.

“Years ago we were euthanizing hundreds of animals. Last year we euthanized 92 wild and feral cats, but no healthy animals were euthanized for space. We hit a no-kill threshold,” he said.

By comparison, in 2014, the city euthanized 94 healthy animals due to lack of space to keep them and there were “no adoption opportunities,” said Katolyk.

To meet the no-kill direction from city council, London Animal Care and Control “transferred” (or adopted out) 463 animals within the city and 364 to communities outside London, said Katolyk.

For years, animal activists had complained London could do more to find shelter for healthy strays being euthanized. In December 2013, council agreed to a no-kill, or 90 per cent live release rate for strays mandate.

The strategy included work by the London Animal Care Centre, hiring of a municipal veterinarian and addition of a city-run cat adoption centre.

Chopper, a gigantic pit bull-mastiff mixed breed, was found wandering in the Pond Mills area Christmas Eve. After London Animal Care Centre put his picture and information on lost and found with no results, staff sought a rescue agency to take him.

Ontario’s pit bull ban went into effect in 2005. Existing pit bulls were allowed to remain in province, but breeding is banned as is adopting younger ones.

As a result, animal welfare agencies in Ontario have been working to build networks with rescue agencies willing to take abandoned pit bulls.

What happened with Chopper — headed to Prairie Pit bull Rescue — has happened many times the past 10 years, said Kent Lattanzio of Animal Care Centre. “We have built networking relationships across the country, including in Ontario that allows transfers of animals for adoption.”