jumping doris

I am nowhere near Houston but I can sympathise with the dog off lead thing. When we moved to Pittsburgh last year I was upset to find that the township I live in has only one park that even allows dogs and then they have to be leashed . However the reality has proved to be very different. The one park is more like a huge 450 acre woodland that noone really uses. It is just accross the road from my house so I take Alvin there sometimes and let him off leash when we are deep in the woods. The only downside was no other dogs.
Many people here have such huge gardens that they never take their dogs out!
BUt you soon find a doggie network and we discovered lots of local places where dogs can go off leash and my dogwalking crowd is very like my "dog "friends back in the UK.
They have been my saving grace. We have made our best friends here because of the dog.
It was too hot here this summer to go out in the main part of the day but we all just went at 7am instead. In the Winter it was too cold sometimes to take him out.

Don't forget the heartworm tablets though. I didn't know about them and so he didn't have them for the first few months.

ironporer

Odd... I have never considered my dog's defecation needs as being of great import in any job offer/move decision. I fell soo bad now... I always just put her out the back door and have her shlt in the yard.

Santolina

Depends how much you value your dog, I suppose.
Just part of the bigger picture, he's one of the family.
It's also really theraputic, walking the dog, you know.

Perhaps you should try a gerbil next time?

TruBrit

haha think you'll fit in just fine

lots of people here have what they call yard dogs, sometimes two or three big dogs confined to a yard come rain come shine ....dunno why they bother having them, sad but true

ladylisa

Daily I drive a 22 mile round trip to take my dog to the park...unfortunately an on leash park. The off leash park is a 70 mile round trip. I do that once at the weekends. No one would believe me back home.

My US colleague couldn't believe how much dogs were taken to places when he visited the UK a couple of months ago. He met one dog in the pub and one at the cricket game. He thought that was brilliant.

willmore

I would check with the city by-laws and see what they say. For example in Victoria, dogs are not allowed on beaches from may to september off-lease, but after September 1 - we are allowed to run our dogs free on the beach.

As well, although we have alot of no "off-lease" spaces, we also have a few areas by the ocean where dogs are allowed off lease.

Santolina

Yep,
our wee guy loves a day out in the city centre and his all time favourite is going to the Highland Games.......mind you, there is a rodeo in Houston !!!

Philgr

Keeps thieves out of the yard & gives the gators something to eat so they don't bother the home owners.

Santolina

Wow,
Houston REALLY is as good as everyone tells me.

Sounds like a classy place!!!

TouristTrap

I would do it for two years. It goes pretty fast, and you'd have experienced something of the US culture (Texas really ISN'T part of the US as they often like to tell us and I'm beginning to believe them.... lol). You can always go back for a month or so every few months

I adore Brazil. The people are truly the friendliest I've ever had the pleasure of dealing with, both personally and business. I want to go back down next year, this time with hubby and kids. I've only ever been on my own.

Philgr

Actually I lived there for 3 years in the 90s and loved it. There is plenty to do and plenty of people to do it with! The city has a very diverse population drawn from all over the world (even quite a few Scots!).

Of course, your experience will depend on your own circumstance but as an ex-pat for a few years I would be suprised if you couldn't find a lot to enjoy.

As for classy - my impression of Rio isn't that great - but it's solely based on the tabloid news stories that get reported so I'm sure there's a better side to it.

Santolina

We should really give it a go I suppose. Just that I'm not really into taking the car everywhere, walk whenever I can. That will have to change.
Yes, half of Aberdeen seems to be re-locating there.....last one out please turn off the lights.

Rio is fantastic if you are willing to embrace the lifestyle, speak to the locals (a smile and the odd massacred word in Portuguese works wonders) and leave the fancy watches and jewellery at home. The media is doing their usual thing.

Only thing is, since Messrs. Bush and Blair got 'stuck in' to putting the world to rights, we have taken to wearing lapel pins with the Brazilian flag and the St Andrews flag entwined. Can get a bad response when they think you are American. Do the same in Argentina.
Sean Connery and Rod Stewart (yes, I know, he's not a Scot), usually break the ice!

Try Rio, you will LOVE it

Santolina

Yes, that's why my husband fancies this job, he will be working with Brazilians, they are lovely, genuine people.- I'm a bit of a straight talker myself so may not fit in too well in Houston......

So glad you love Brazil. That's the light at the end of the tunnel....settling in Brazil once we have done stints in Houston and Dubai.

Hope your family enjoy it as much as ours did. If I can help with any tips etc. give me a shout.

peacelover

I thought that I could just pop a post in here to say.........I have a new Chihuahua, pic posted. I have had no time to come onto BE due to the house training, feeding and cuddling that is going on. Her name is Foxy Lady and she is 10 weeks old now.

bugman

[QUOTE=Santolina] Phew, yes thats quite a lot to consider.

Personally if i had the money i'd like back in the UK, somewhere really nice but i feel i'd need to win te lottery before that happened. I feel we get a good standard of living here in northern illinois and i love the four seasons, its like seasons on steroids!! It usually snows for xmas.

If i was living in Texas i'd be less happy, id start craving cool dewy mornings and mossy stone bridges!! I think if i was living on the US east coast i'd prefer it even more...hills!!

your situation in scotland sounds great, if i moved from there to texas sure the people will say 'hi' all the time but being stuck in hot humid stripmall hell would be nasty, you could get a huge house for your money but the feeling of sterlity isnt far away. It all horses for courses, i can understand why somebody might want to move from say London to new England for eg.

back to the uk. yes, you have city access often near to fantastic countryside.

I have visited once this year and really enjoyed the old hill haunts and pubs. I think its worth moving away sometimes just to appreciate the Uk if yu do move back, youll have a different perspective and wish everybody else did too. The only thing that bothers me in the UK are the house prices and the perceived social issues, I tried to ignore them but better work prospects back in the USA for my american wife brought us here. She agrees with me that natural UK is hard to beat.

bugman..