HAZARD, Ky. (WYMT) - Stray dogs in one eastern Kentucky county could soon have a better chance at finding a loving home.

Officials at one local animal shelter are using grant money to help save the lives of some of man's best friends.

Ninety-five percent of the animals at the Kentucky River Regional Animal Shelter last year were euthanized. But, so far this year, that number has dropped to 73 percent.

“That could actually change the whole image of our shelter and change it from more or less a dumping station or a disposal site to actually a shelter,” Tammy Noble said.

Noble attributes part of the drop to a grant from the Carroll Petrie Foundation. The money is already being put to use.

Noble could not say exactly how much the grant was worth to this animal shelter, but we do know that one million dollars in total was given out to 50 animal shelters across the country.

The goal is to save more than 16,000 dogs nationwide.

“A lot of these animals are not getting adopted. The majority of them are not. A lot of people bring them into the shelter and think oh my puppies and kitties are prettier than all the others and they'll get adopted and the true story is that most of the time that doesn't happen,” Noble said.

One thing is happening, dogs at this shelter have a better chance being rescued than ever before.