May 20, 2016 — Memphis Animal Services director Alexis Pugh stops to visit with a canine resident while touring the facility after a Friday afternoon press conference where Mayor Jim Strickland introduced Pugh as the new director. She will take the position next month. (Stan Carroll/The Commercial Appeal)

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By Ryan Poe of The Commercial Appeal

Memphis Animal Services will begin this October working with a nonprofit to drastically improve the number of animals who survive the city's animal shelter.

Target Zero, a nonprofit that mentors cities at no cost on ending euthanasia for all healthy and treatable animals in three years, selected Memphis for its fellows program, and will send in a team of experts to review the city shelter in October. As part of the visit, the team and the city will participate in a town hall meeting.

Currently, the city shelter's live-release rate is 60-65 percent of all animals. Memphis and Target Zero hope to reach a 90 percent rate in three years.

"This is a great step toward making MAS a progressive shelter and saving as many animals as we can," Alexis Pugh, MAS director, said in a statement. "We are looking forward to working with Target Zero, and improving the quality of service at our facility."