UPDATE: LANSING - "The State of Michigan allows you to donate to things such as the Children's Trust Fund and other types of things like that, Wildlife Funds and others, by checking a box on those returns," says Tom Johnson, owner of Eastside Tax & Accounting and a tax professional. "Most people aren't even aware that they can do that on the state return."

One of those tax check offs is the Companion Animal Welfare Fund. This was created by the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development and signed into existence by former Michigan Governor Jennifer Granholm. The fund exists to help shelters afford spay and neutering for the animals they care for.

According to State Veterinarian Dr. Steve Halstead the companion animal welfare fund goes back to the legislative year of 2009 when there was a lot of interest from both the department and the animal shelter groups in Michigan to find ways to provide funds to animal shelters for spaying and neutering programs.

"It helps to manage the burden that we all bear through funding animal control efforts across the state and all of the things that are attached to that," says Dr. Halstead. Those things include medical concerns that result from stray animals, as well as controlling the population which could mean less animals that the shelter would have to care for or euthanize due to over-capacity.

Since the program began in 2010, the department has granted out more than half a million dollars to animal control and shelter groups across Michigan.

ORIGINAL STORY: LANSING - The Companion Animal Welfare Fund is a fund dedicated to easing the costs that shelters bear for caring for animals and controlling Michigan's animal population.