Allison Hardy's Not-So-Secret Diary: Meet Layla!!

The first time we met sweet Layla

Her favorite place to sit when I have the windows and doors open. She can see inside the house and out in the backyard where the boys are playing.

I want to take a few moments to introduce the newest member of our family...her name is Layla. We have wanted a dog for quite some time but decided to pray and wait for the right one. Not sure if you saw my post a few weeks back about a missing dog that we found, well it was this girl. We found the owners and took her home. About a week and a half ago she came back to our fence when we were out back playing. We played with her for about an hour and then sadly took her home again. That night the boys asked why we couldn’t keep her. I had to explain how sad we would be if someone kept our dog if it got out. They were as sad as me but understood. That night when we were all laying in the boys beds talking we each took a turn and prayed for the right dog for our family. One of them began to pray for Layla. When we were done I told them if Layla returns again I will ask the owners if we can keep her. 10am that very next morning guess who came right up to our fence again when we went out to our backyard?!? Yes, it was sweet Layla. We played with her for a bit and then this time instead of walking her home (she lives 2 minutes if we walk) I loaded her and the boys up in the car. This was because I wanted her to stay in the car while I talked to the owner and if she said we could keep her we were headed straight to the pet store to get a name tag, food, and all other supplies. I knocked on the door and immediately introduced myself to the mom who answered because I had yet to meet her. I told her that we have been praying for a dog for quite some time and that the night before we specifically prayed for Layla. We fell in love with her from the first moment we met her. I asked this woman if we could keep Layla. I told her we have a wonderful fenced in backyard, that I have 3 energetic boys that she is clearly great around, and we would take great care of her. She looked at me both shocked and heartfelt and said she needed to think about it. Asked me to leave my information and she would call me if she decided to let us have Layla. I will tell you I teared up for sure when I was sharing with her that we prayed for Layla last night, not guilt tears, these were the tears that were happy tears to share how God works in our lives. I walked to my car to get Layla and right down my information. Mateo looked at me and said, “why does it look like you are crying?” I told him because I may have been sad to let Layla go. But it was the right thing to do. I returned to their front door with Layla and my information (ALL OF IT!! NAME, ADDRESS, & PHONE NUMBER). The woman came back out of her house and said (with tears in her eyes), “I think God wants you to have this dog.” She handed me some dog food and her food dishes that she had just cleaned for us. I cried and asked her if I could hug her. And then asked her maybe 5 times if she was sure. She said yes, she was sure. I returned back to the car with Layla and tears down my face this time. Mateo said, “Mom, why are you crying again and why do you still have Layla?” I explained that she felt God wanted us to keep her. To say that the boys and I were over the moon would be an understatement.

She is a two year old boxer/pit mix. If ever we could find a dog that was the perfect fit for our family, she is it. She is loyal, loving, gentle, protective, and so many other great qualities. I wasn't sure how she would do so that first night I set up a crate in my room just until she was comfortable in our house and so I could make sure she was potty trained and wasn’t going to chew or destroy anything. We never used the crate. She was with me when I tucked the boys in and she made her spot right on the floor next to their beds. I put a blanket and pillow down for her and that has been her bedtime spot since we brought her home. She goes everywhere with us. She did great inside PetSmart. She did great when I took her to a friends backyard to socialize with their dogs. She has walked up to men and women alike and her tail wags the entire time. The boys left the gate open the other day and she could have ran, but she didn’t. I called her back into the yard, she came and we closed the gate. We love her, and I am sure you will too when you meet her.