03/30/2026
Nonprofit has leased building to perform low-cost spay, neutering
By Erica Smith Staff Writer, Decatur Daily Mar 12, 2026
An Athens nonprofit has secured a building where it plans to perform low-cost spay and neuter surgeries on cats and dogs for shelters, rescues and members of the general public from area counties in hopes of decreasing the number of unwanted animals.
“The bathtub is running over, and the only thing shelters and rescues do is mop up the spilled water. What spay and neuter do is turn off the tap. We stop the water from going into the bathtub,” said Partnership for Animals in Athens/Limestone (PAALS) President Beverly Ashton.
“How do you save 250 pit bulls? You neuter one. How do you save 800 cats? You spay one. … It’s a problem that is getting exponentially worse and will continue until we turn that tap off and stop the birth of unwanted dogs and cats.”
Ashton said there is a formula for how PAALS can be effective.
“If we can spay and neuter about 900 a year, more than what is currently being done, every year for five years, we’ll cut the shelter intake in half,” she said. “That’s a huge help financially for the community, and for people who love animals. It’s such a huge benefit.”
Ashton said when Athens and Limestone County shared an animal shelter, it took in about 4,000 animals in 2022.
“I don’t have recent numbers, but the numbers don’t go down, they go up,” she said.
PAALS recently leased a 1,920-square-foot building at 15495 East Limestone Road in Harvest, 1½ miles north of U.S. 72 in Limestone County. The building will be remodeled soon, with work work on installation of a new HVAC unit completed. Ashton hopes the facility will open by June.
“There are literally thousands of homeless animals in Limestone County and surrounding communities,” she said. “Limestone in particular has a high number of homeless animals and the reason we care about that is because it’s a dangerous situation when animals run loose. They can cause horrible accidents, they can bite and spread disease, or they could attack people.”
By state law, cities and counties with higher populations are required to have an animal shelter.
“It costs the community money; they don’t have a choice about that,” Ashton said. “The last figures I had, the city and county, Athens and Limestone were spending $650,000 a year. They had a combined shelter. That would have been in 2022. Since they split up and the county runs its own shelter and the city pays someone to run their shelter, I’ve heard the costs have gone up considerably. That’s a really high cost to the community.
“And all they’re doing is catching a percentage of the homeless animals.”
Limestone County now operates its own animal shelter. Limestone County Commission Chairman Collin Daly said Limestone County Animal Care & Control is interested in possibly having its shelter pets spayed and neutered by PAALS.
“We will use them if they’re reasonable,” he said. “We’d love to use them if they’re more efficient.” Daly said PAALS’ facility will be a tremendous help to the community.
“If you do the spay and neuter thing, after a period of years it will alleviate the numbers in shelters, and I think that’s something the county needs to look into,” he said. “To make a difference tomorrow, you’ve got to make a change today. If you save a dog from having puppies today, you save having to worry about seven or eight adoptions tomorrow.”
Ashton said PAALS will provide services not only to shelters and rescues, but also to individuals, regardless of ZIP code.
“There are absolutely no restrictions,” she said. “No matter where you live, no matter how much you make, everybody gets the same low price.”
The average price of a spay or neuter will be $100, Ashton said. It will vary slightly depending on whether the animal is a dog or cat, male or female, and its size. Ashton said the average price of a spay or neuter at a veterinarian is generally between $300 and $700.
PAALS has been chosen by the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals to participate in its mentorship clinic program. The ASPCA is providing advice and guidance for all aspects of the clinic, including awarding an $85,000 grant to pay for medical supplies and equipment needed for the facility.
