Shortly after returning stateside from Vietnam, 19-year-old Norm received a hardship discharge from the army. His father had suffered a debilitating heart attack and could not work to support Norm’s disabled mother and younger sister. Norm moved back home, got a job, and became the family provider.
Realizing how difficult the adjustment was for him, Norm’s girlfriend showed up one day with a German Shepherd puppy, hoping the dog would be a positive distraction. She was right. Norm named the pup Layla after one of his favorite Eric Clapton songs. Small enough to cup in his two hands, she grew to be sweet, loyal, and enormously intelligent.
Employing many of the dog training skills he had learned in the military, Layla learned quickly. The two went everywhere together when Norm was not working, including frequent camping trips in his VW bus or jaunts to the ocean where Norm liked to scuba dive.
A few years later, Norm married and Layla reluctantly adapted to sharing him with a wife. One evening the couple’s pilot light blew out after they had gone to bed. The house began to fill with gas and Layla nudged the couple until they awoke and realized something was terribly wrong. Thanks to Layla’s persistence, the young newlyweds survived the night.
With the arrival of two children, Layla assumed added responsibilities. She would lie beneath the children's cribs and immediately alert the parents if one started to cry during the night. When Norm’s toddler daughter was learning to ride a tricycle, Layla instinctively positioned herself between the child and the street.
Layla had large soulful brown eyes and when she stared into his face, Norm often felt that she literally understood his words, not just his tone and body language. He had never felt that way about a dog - before or since. She lived to be 17 and was a part of Norm’s world for half his life.
She comforted the former soldier suffering from PTSD, supported the young man who had taken on burdens beyond his years. She was witness to his growing maturity in marriage and fatherhood. She was friend, family and devoted companion through anything that came Norm’s way.
She was Layla.
Realizing how difficult the adjustment was for him, Norm’s girlfriend showed up one day with a German Shepherd puppy, hoping the dog would be a positive distraction. She was right. Norm named the pup Layla after one of his favorite Eric Clapton songs. Small enough to cup in his two hands, she grew to be sweet, loyal, and enormously intelligent.
Employing many of the dog training skills he had learned in the military, Layla learned quickly. The two went everywhere together when Norm was not working, including frequent camping trips in his VW bus or jaunts to the ocean where Norm liked to scuba dive.
Layla had large soulful brown eyes and when she stared into his face, Norm often felt that she literally understood his words, not just his tone and body language. He had never felt that way about a dog - before or since. She lived to be 17 and was a part of Norm’s world for half his life.
She comforted the former soldier suffering from PTSD, supported the young man who had taken on burdens beyond his years. She was witness to his growing maturity in marriage and fatherhood. She was friend, family and devoted companion through anything that came Norm’s way.
She was Layla.
Norm and Layla, circa 1973
by Elizabeth Sundstrom
I have pictures of Norm and Layla too. She and Norm were 2 of my favorite memories of our family trip to California around the time this photo was taken.
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