Some dogs get a bad rap just because they are of a particular breed. This includes pit bulls, but many pitbull owners will tell you they are the sweetest dogs.
Many people at the Richmond Animal Care and Control would agree. It has been their experience that pit bulls that find their way into their shelter have the sweetest disposition.
That was the case with one particular pitbull named Waffle Sizzli. Not only does she have a sweet disposition, but she also has a lot of stuffed toys that she is very attached to.
According to The Dodo, Waffle came to the shelter in November 2022. It wasn’t long before the staff fell in love with her. They could tell that she was also a very kind and sweet dog, especially since she always carried around some of her stuffed animals.
When Waffle visited the shelter director, Christie Peters, for the first time, she also fell in love with her. She began to collect some of her stuffed toys, and each time she found a new one, she would take it to Peters to show her.
Waffle also makes sure that her stuffed animals are always close. She snuggles with them every night in bed.
Although she has a lot of stuffed toys, she has taken a particular shine to her stuffed bone. In speaking with the Dodo, Peters said: “Her absolute favorite was a red plush bone. The runner-up was the frog, but his legs dangle, and sometimes she’d trip on them. The third in the lineup was the bird – she carried that one around a bunch.”
She even had the red bone with her when she was adopted. Although she will be missed at the shelter, it’s nice to see that she has a loving forever home.
I am broadly interested in how human activities influence the ability of wildlife to persist in the modified environments that we create.
Specifically, my research investigates how the configuration and composition of landscapes influence the movement and population dynamics of forest birds. Both natural and human-derived fragmenting of habitat can influence where birds settle, how they access the resources they need to survive and reproduce, and these factors in turn affect population demographics. Most recently, I have been studying the ability of individuals to move through and utilize forested areas which have been modified through timber harvest as they seek out resources for the breeding and postfledging phases. As well I am working in collaboration with Parks Canada scientists to examine in the influence of high density moose populations on forest bird communities in Gros Morne National Park. Many of my projects are conducted in collaboration or consultation with representatives of industry and government agencies, seeking to improve the management and sustainability of natural resource extraction.
