SAN MARCOS — As one of the only low-cost pet facilities in Hays County, Prevent A Litter (PALS) has grown tremendously over its more than two decades of service, said president and director Lauren Foye, so much so that it was desperate for a new location. Its wish was granted, following the purchase of a facility off of Ranch Road 12.
According to Foye, the nonprofit organization began in 1988 as the Friends of the San Marcos Animal Shelter from the dedication of four women hoping to aid in the overcrowding and understaffing. Then, 25 years ago, it started a festival with music, vendors, booths and more: “Once that festival started, we decided that it wasn’t good enough to just support the animals that were in the shelter. We were trying to figure out a way to help prevent them from getting there in they first place and the first line of defense is spaying and neutering. That’s where it kind of shifted from solely being the Friends of the San Marcos Animal Shelter into Prevent A Litter.”
The organization has become known for its promotion of responsible pet ownership through spay and neutering, vaccination, low-cost opportunities and wellness and microchip vouchers, the pet food pantry and the Trap-Neuter-Release (TNR) program.
“About 11 years ago, we got into this building on San Antonio Street [In San Marcos],” explained Foye.
The former location was originally a 1960s house, she said, with a closed floor plan, leaving the staff members and volunteers to work in crowded spaces, practically on top of each other. Despite the attempt to adapt to the space over the years, the nonprofit reached its maximum in 2024. The facility was spaying and neutering approximately 250 cats a year when it first moved into this facility, while in 2024, the number of cats and dogs was 6,375.
“Last year, we maxed out everything we were able to do in this one facility,” Foye stressed. “It’s not designed or set up to be an animal hospital at all. We were just basically busting at the seams, as far as space, and we just honestly could not do one more thing other than what we did last year. We were full; we couldn’t squeeze out another surgery to save our life because we just don’t have any room.”
The new space, located at 8401 Ranch Road 12, San Marcos, officially opened its doors April 8, but Foye noted that the process was long.
She originally saw the facility in 2023 when it was up for lease, but the price was out of the nonprofit’s budget. Then, when it was put up for sale in 2024, she and the team were determined to find a way to make it work.
Without aid from the city or the county, PALS cashed out its savings over the years and asked for the support of community members to purchase the property. Through generous donations, the nonprofit was able to secure a loan for the property and closed on the same day it found out that the landlord at the current San Antonio Street building would be not renewing the lease.
“The property didn’t sell; it didn’t lease. It was just waiting for us to be ready, which is just the universe,” she emphasized.
The 3,134 square-foot single story building sits on five acres and is double the size of the previous location. The facility is built to be an animal hospital, said Foye, which is a huge advantage. While discussing the new headquarters of PALS, Foye was in awe: “We’ve gone from a small little house to the Taj Mahal … We walk in and we’re like, ‘Oh my God.’ If you can only imagine what we were [dealing with] — everybody on top of each other, with animals all over the floors — we just made it work. Now, we have beautiful rooms. It’s just a waiting room that you could only dream of.”
She explained that previously, when community members would attend its monthly low-cost vaccination clinic, they would have to wait out in the elements, whether rain, cold or 100-degree heat, so the difference is stark.
The space was already in use two days prior to the opening, said Foye, as the San Marcos Animal Shelter reached out, following overflow from a hoarder case, which brought in approximately 40 to 46 dogs. The nursing mothers and the small babies are at-risk in the shelter, so PALS immediately jumped to action and took them in, said the director.
“That’s part of why we love this place so much. It’s not just what we can do for the public, it’s [also] how we can support the shelter,” Foye said.
The organization hopes to use the five acres of land in the future to provide pet reunification programs through a behaviorist, said Foye.
These are the new opportunities PALS hopes to expand, said the director, beginning with offering its low-cost vaccinations more often. Currently, it occurs once a month, but now, as it has extra exam rooms, it hopes to offer these services five days a week, where community members can get a full yearly exam with products for less than $150, she said.
Additionally, the nonprofit is going to offer life-saving specialty surgeries, such as amputations, removing eye enucleations — bad or rotten eyes — and treating distichia, which is a birth defect that causes eyelashes to grow on the edge of the eyelid. These and low-cost dental treatments, as the facility has x-ray machines and dental x-rays, are hoped to be available in the near future.
“We just would love to have more support from the county and the city because we desperately need more funds,” she explained.
For community members interested in supporting the nonprofit, PALS will be hosting a Just for the Claws fundraiser from 3-10 p.m. April 26 at 301 Deertrail Drive in San Marcos. The admission is free, but donations are appreciated, according to the nonprofit’s website, and will feature a silent auction, potluck lunch and live music from The Outlaws, The Belgraves, Austin Gilliam, Ty Dillon, Grant Ewing, Jorge Gallegos, DJ Clark Steger and more.
“Anyone can use our services in the county, outside of the county, no matter what your income is, you can come use us,” said Foye. “We’re kind of getting started, almost like starting all over, but we have an amazing staff; we have gorgeous volunteers [and] a ton of doctors that are committed to this project ... [This new building] means that we have the capability to serve our community in a better and more robust fashion …"
For more information on vouchers, TNR, low-cost vaccinations, the pet food pantry and more, visit www.preventalitter.com.
