Manatee County is being recognized as the first county in Florida to establish a no-kill shelter.
The honor was handed out at a recent conference in Washington D.C.
More than 200 counties or cities nationwide have recently become no-kill facilities.
Manatee County commissioners voted last year to approve the no-kill policy at the county's animal shelter.
Miami-Dade and Broward counties have followed Manatee in becoming no-kill counties.