Ayla is the runt of a large litter (large in size and siblings). Jessica's father purchased the puppy for a pittance during a delivery trip to an orchard. A fluffy snowball with eyes, Jessica and Jacob showered her with adulation. In the Hall home, family stability was hard to come by—Ayla offered empathy and loyalty.
In the ruins of Nome she is Jessica's eyes, ears and nose, detecting threats before they surprise her friend and master. Between her senses and agility, Ayla is rarely at risk and confronts the catastrophe with a tail-wagging enthusiasm.
American Eskimos are an uncommonly pure breed that survived the world's end two millennium prior. Cold-weather animals were successful at adapting to nuclear winter. Most warm-weather breeds became extinct and exist now only through Artificial Life Science.
Fun Fact — Afraid of thunder.