Princess Mushroom at Cherryland Humane Society seeks Traverse City home

Princess Mushroom has finished raising her three kittens and is now one of the Traverse City-area animals looking for a home at Cherryland Humane Society. The mama cat is the local face of a countywide adoption push that comes as Cherryland says its kennels are full and it cannot take owner-surrender dog or cat requests.

Cherryland Humane Society, founded in 1956, says it is the only animal shelter serving Grand Traverse and Leelanau Counties and cares for nearly 600 animals each year. The shelter has already reached its $3 million capital campaign goal and has broken ground on a 9,000-square-foot expansion, but its immediate challenge is more basic: moving animals into homes fast enough to keep pace with demand.

That makes Princess Mushroom especially important for local adopters who want to keep an animal close to home. Cherryland says it only accepts surrendered pets from Grand Traverse and Leelanau Counties, and Grand Traverse County Health Department Animal Control Division says it works with area rescues, fosters and Cherryland to place dogs in homes. For residents looking to adopt this week, the path runs directly through Traverse City.

The shelter’s adoption resources include counseling, free training sessions and guidance on dog licenses. Cherryland’s dog adoption fee is $250 and includes spay or neuter surgery, vaccinations, flea, tick and deworming treatment, a heartworm test, a microchip, and post-adoption support and training. Grand Traverse County residents also must buy a $15 dog license. While Princess Mushroom is a cat, the same shelter network is handling both cats and dogs as it tries to keep pets moving out of kennels and into permanent care.

Princess Mushroom was one of several animals featured in the June 12 Adoption Options roundup, which also highlighted Cru, a three-year-old Australian Shepherd-Retriever mix in Lake City; Jill, a cat in Grayling described as affectionate, curious, gentle and playful; and Lane, Dash and Miles, a bonded trio found abandoned together in a plastic tote. The weekly feature, sponsored by Pet Supplies Plus, underscored the same point across Northern Michigan: the right home is often what stands between an animal and a second chance.