UPDATE: LANSING - With April 17th quickly approaching people are scrambling to get their taxes done. But at the very end right when you are about to file them an option pops up to donate to charities, animal shelters among them.

"Gov. Granholm signed into law a few years ago a bill became a law that allowed people to donate on their Michigan Tax Forms any amount that they wanted so they could contribute from their refund or their own resources to go specifically to a fund that's carried over from year to the next that is meant to granted out to animal shelters and animal control agencies for population control and a few other things so the bill was very specific for what it could be used for," says state veterinarian Dr. Steven Halstead.

Even though any animal shelter that is registered with the Michigan Departement of Agriculture and Rural Development can apply not everyone is qualified, like the Capital Area Humane Society. But why exactly is that?

"Unfortunately they do such a great job and I really admire what they do and they have a great program. What some shelters are doing are using this money that comes through this grant program and bringing all that surgery back in house and so they're doing it before the animals ever leave the shelter that way it's 100%. Well that's what Capital Area Humane already does."

With the grant the sterilization of pre-adoption pets has gone up and will hopefully get these animals into their forever homes more quickly.

Since the program began, $356,454 has been collected and funded 30 projects across the state.


ORIGINAL STORY: LANSING - Michigan animal shelters are to revive more that one hundred and thirty-four thousand dollars through Tax Donations as part of the 2012 Companion animal Welfare tax check-off funds.