Sammy, a 2-month-old lab mix, needed months of veterinary care. Run over by one of his owners, his right front leg was broken, his left had severe nerve damage and his lungs and eyes were injured.

In the past, Sammy might have been euthanized. But the Humane Society for Southwest Washington found a veterinarian in Clackamas County who offered free specialized care, and a shelter consultant fostered the pup during his recovery.

Now Sammy is thriving at his permanent home in Northeast Portland, a bounding example of a milestone for a coalition of six metro area shelters. The Animal Shelter Alliance of Portland set a goal last year of ending euthanasia for all treatable animals. The alliance announced Tuesday that it succeeded and also set another record: 91 percent of the animals that entered the shelters left the facilities last year alive.

That so-called save rate is one of the highest in the country, said Britta Bavaresco, co-founder of the alliance.

"We're one of the safest if not the safest major metro area for animals," Bavaresco said.

The secret is cooperation, said Stacey Graham, president of the Humane Society for Southwest Washington.

"This is one of the highest-performing collaborative groups I've ever seen, Graham said. "We help each other out."

The six shelters – Oregon Humane Society, Multnomah County Animal Services, Clackamas County Dog Services, Bonnie L. Hays, Humane Society for Southwest Washington and the Cat Adoption Team in Sherwood – have worked on stemming euthanasia since 2006, when nearly 62 percent of the dogs and cats were saved.

They have transferred dogs and cats among each other to relieve overcrowding, reduced the cat population through the spay and save program, worked with veterinarians and rescue groups and reached out to the public for help.

"The shelters can't do it without the community," Bavaresco said. "There are a lot of great people stepping up."

They include volunteers at the shelters, foster parents who take in injured pets and people who adopt older, fragile or difficult animals.

It's fairly easy for the shelters to adopt out a puppy, but finding a home for a cat with diabetes, for example, is more difficult. Then there are animals with behavioral issues which make them less desirable.

A $1 million grant last year from Maddie's Fund, a California nonprofit trying to save all treatable animals, helped Clackamas County Dog Services and the Bonnie L. Hays shelter hire animal behaviorists. The alliance also sponsored a program to train shy dogs to come to the front of the kennel, making them more appealing.

Sammy had plenty of kennel appeal, with perky ears and a body that wagged, but he could not walk. His chances were not good.

"He would have been euthanized," said Amy VanCamp, a consultant for the Humane Society for Southwest Washington. "He needed so much work."

VanCamp had no intention of adopting an animal. She was helping the shelter with an auction. But when she saw Sammy, it was love, she said.

She took him home in July as a foster parent. Every night she had to change his dressings, and every few weeks she drove him to Clackamas for a vet appointment. Scott Lozier, a veterinary orthopedic surgeon at VCA Northwest Veterinary Specialists, treated Sammy for free.

Lozier tried to save both legs but nerve damage forced him to amputate Sammy's left leg to the shoulder.

Sammy now gets around with ease, romping after his ball or nuzzling for a walk. Still a puppy, he's 60 pounds of black lab and magic, VanCamp said.

This year the alliance aims for a repeat for animals like Sammy, saving all treatable pets and stemming euthanasia of cats and dogs with manageable conditions that require medication.

Increasing the save rate will be difficult, Bavaresco said.

"This year was a big stretch for a lot of the shelters," she said. But she's optimistic the community will help.

"These are our animals and we all share in the responsibility," Bavaresco said.

-- Lynne Terry