AUSTIN, Texas -- Austin Animal Services is celebrating a new life-saving record.

The Austin Animal Center saved 97.9 percent of lives last year. It is a new record, improving upon the previous year's record-breaking number of 96.4 percent.

More than 8,000 pets were adopted and more than 3,000 pets were returned to their owners. Center leaders say the numbers could be credited to providing owners with free services.

"We have community base animal protection and outreach, so that's really getting into the community, figuring out what the barriers are for owners keeping their pets and figuring ways around that and how to help the community. So it's a little bit of luck and its a little bit of strategy,” said Jennifer Olohan, with the Austin Animal Center.

Austin Animal Services operates the Austin Animal Center, which is the largest no-kill municipal animal center in the nation.