Pima Animal Care Center (PACC) Director of Operations Jose Ocano has been selected by the Best Friends Animal Society to become part of a national effort to help shelters become no-kill facilities by 2025.

The society, a national animal welfare organization, chose Ocano to serve on a 10-member national steering committee aimed at saving thousands of animals a year through the initiative, a release on the Pima County website said.

The committee, comprising leaders in no-kill shelter efforts, will coordinate activities and exchange ideas about the 2025 initiative by Best Friends, the release said.

Last year, PACC saved 90 percent of animals in their shelter and is the only shelter that "helps every pet in need, which means it never turns away a pet for being sick, old, injured or scared," the release said.

Every day in shelters across the country, over 5,000 dogs and cats are killed while housed in shelters, the release said.

“It’s an honor for PACC and Pima County to be part of this huge initiative, which will completely change the country for homeless pets,” Ocano said in the release. “Reaching no-kill can be difficult, but it’s possible with coordination, compassion and community support.”