Backstreet Boy and dog to be together again

BROOKSVILLE -- Hernando County's celebrity has left the building - the County Animal Services shelter, that is.

Layla, the pit bull mix belonging to former Backstreet Boy Nick Carter, was expected to be reunited with the pop idol sooner than later after transporters came to pick her up in Brooksville Thursday afternoon.

"She's going back to California," said county Animal Services manager Liana Teague. "She was a pleasure while she was here, and the staff really enjoyed her. We made sure she got exercise."

Layla was in lockdown with other doggies at the Oliver Street facility since Aug. 26. The friendly light-brown-and-white pooch was found wagging her tail in one of the night drop cages the agency has for unwanted animals.

With no visible identification, Teague said a microchip in the dog's neck led them to a Los Angeles woman from whom Carter had purchased Layla. From there, they were eventually able to confirm who the owner was.

The mystery over how Layla ended up in Hernando still hadn't been solved Friday, when Teague commented on the canine's departure. Carter's publicist, Juliette Harris, said last week that the dog was with family members while Carter was out on a promotional trip. The family is from Hillsborough County.

On Friday, Harris declined to further comment on the mission to get Layla out of Florida. Last week she said she was having difficulty figuring out how reunite Layla and Carter.

"It's complicated," Harris said, noting that some airlines don't accept certain dog breeds.

Chandra Broadwater, Times staff writer