Whippet Mix: Niles - Our Strange Boy

by Jeff Slocumb
(Houston,TX )

I want to tell you a little bit about our whippet mix dog Niles.

We adopted him from a shelter in Houston when he was 2 years old and my son was 7. He is now 9 years old and is an essential part of our family.

We crated him during the day for about a year and 1/2 due to his extreme separation anxiety. He would scratch whatever door we left from like crazy.

He slowly began to realize that we weren't leaving him and he is now inside the house all day while we are at work. He never has accidents in the house and sleeps in his bed downstairs in our bedroom or his sleeping bag in the study.

From day 1 he was perfect on a leash. I never had to teach him anything on that front.
I immediately started running on my bike and also on rollerblades. He prefers that to me or my wife running because the leash bouncing up and down scares him.

Oh, let me tell you a little about what he's afraid of, ok: hoola hoops, balls of any kind, vacuum cleaners, loud noises, fireworks, scary things like that.

He loves soft plush toys and has actually learned to fetch them. He loves to be stroked and petted and really loves to cuddle.

We also found out almost immediately that he really doesn't bark much but he loves to sing. When he gets excited or if we sing, he loves to join in and sing a little too!

He has been a great addition to our family! We love Niles!