Jeb is a 7 year old miniature horse that does in fact live in West Seattle. He's the pet of the Miles family and their two daughters Celeste and Hope are in charge of his care.

Owning a horse is a dream for many girls and in this case they were able to make it come true. The Miles have a very large back yard that happens to be adjacent to a large green belt in West Seattle. Jeb is not a true miniature horse, but he's a combination of Welsh and Icelandic bloodlines. But he is small, standing only 36 inches tall at the "withers" (shoulders). Jeb enjoys routine so the girls take him for a walk every day either near their home or in the greenbelts in Schmitz Park or above Alki.

Jeb is very smart and is something of an escape artist. Recently, the family went on vacation and took Jeb to stay with Manny Ventoza, long time White Center horse owner who has a large corralled area next to his home. Jeb somehow got out through the gate, and wandered four miles east on his own, winding up at a horse ranch four miles away. To get there he had to cross four major roads with a lot of traffic but he made his way without incident.

When they first brought Jeb home, he was so tiny that they just removed a seat in their Vanagon and drove home from a horse farm in Mt. Vernon where they bought him.

No one rides Jeb, he can only handle 62 pounds, but he does pull a cart from time to time. The family takes Jeb out for certain events and once they thought it would be good for him to see other animals like himself, so, at Christmas they brought him up to see the mules pulling a cart around the Junction. Instead of feeling kinship, Jeb was unfortunately frightened, so much so that "it scared the tar out of him, literally" said Mimi Miles, the girls mother.

How to nominate your pet:

Want to nominate your pet for Pet of the Week? Stop by the VCA West Seattle Veterinary Hospital at 5261 California Ave. S.W. and just ask for a form. A nomination is not a guarantee of appearance and your name and photo may appear in our newspaper and online.

Photos may or may not be used and our "Pet Reporter" may be in touch with you to arrange to take a photo. Pets nominated will be chosen on the basis of uniqueness of the pet and the quality of the story and information submitted.