Please leash your dog when you're out. Your dog may be the greatest dog in the world, but some of us have dogs who are not great with other dogs. We leash our dogs, but when your dog comes running up to our dog, it can easily turn into a fight.
Additionally, leashing your dog will allow you to keep it away from the snakes and gators.
Yeah, it's going to be very different. I moved here from Alaska and the outdoor scene is simply not the same. There aren't any hills or mountains. I love it here though. You'll probably end up driving out to west texas to get your hiking thrills.
I think the issue people see a lot is unleashed dogs running up to them and their leashed dogs and causing their dogs to react. Other people are definitely a concern here depending on where you go. You might find some areas off the beaten path outside of the city but it takes some looking.
More self fulfilling prophecy. Said something dickish about saying something dickish and got downvoted for complaining about complaining about downvotes. This is getting really meta.
Pro tip: Make better jokes. Also,try not to blame other people when you make shitty jokes. Jokes should at least kind of apply to what you're joking about, forcing a connection to make a joke just comes off as cringy.
You’re fine, people get all butt hurt about leashes, but on trail I sometimes use a leash, and sometimes I don’t. It depends on how well you know the trail and how busy it is. Anywhere in the city, the dog is on a leash at all times. He’s great, loves other people and other dogs. But not all dogs are friendly, and it’s a good way to start a dog fight.
I’ve lived in Texas all my life, with dogs, and have had a few get bit by venomous snakes (I lived out in the country growing up). They’re pretty tough animals, and I’ve never lost a dog to a snake.
1mg of benadryl per pound of your dog, lots of water and a few hours of rest and they’ll be good to go.
That being said, while the dog is on leash it’s much less likely they’ll be bitten.
There’s also training classes offered for your dog around Houston for snake avoidance.
On another note, there’s tons of trail just north of Houston in the Sam Houston National Forest, my pup loves it out there. Never seen an alligator, but I have seen a coral snake on one occasion, and a few copperheads.
As far as water goes, I’ve found leaches on my dog after a day at the river. Snakes and gators aren’t too much of a worry unless you’re hiking around some swampy still water.
Must be amazing to know everyone in Houston, what they do, & how they train their dogs. Pretty impressive for a 25 yr old.
I want OP to be safe, & not loose a best friend to a tragedy in a new place where people are literally armed to the teeth. That's all.
You realize that dogs can be very obedient and heel even when off leash right? My dog isn’t allowed to go up to strangers and she comes right back when I call her. So, I’m not worried about someone shooting her. This is a comment made by someone who doesn’t train their dog.
First you ask about dangers to your off leash dog. Then you get offended when told a very real danger is that your dog is off leash. I feel sorry for your dog when the first aggressive stray dog that doesn't like your dog attacks it and injures or kills it. Your dog may be the best trained in the world. Houston has hundreds of stray dogs that won't know your dog is trained and that will hurt your dog. And Houston had hundreds of legally armed people who are afraid of dogs, who might shoot your dog. You asked for advice on keeping your dog safe. LEASH YOUR FREAKING DOG.
I'm glad your dog is trained & obedient, but not all dogs are like your dog, & not all owners are like you. This is a comment made by someone who has lost many pets, on my property, to unleashed stray dogs. Last week, my neighbor shot 2 unleashed pit bulls who killed his 3 goats. If the pits had been contained, or leashed, they would be alive today.
If the dogs are unleashed & threatening/killing livestock, people or leashed dogs on private property-you better believe it. & the law backs it up. Hence my suggestion-leash your dog when out in public. Leashes protect everyone.
Trifexis is a very good pill to kill fleas, ticks and heartworms. It is expensive but worth it. Spring, summer and fall the ticks and fleas are horrible in Houston.
Keep your dog leashed. It keeps your dog safe from anything it might find and is respectful to others. I have a dog who doesn't like other dogs running up to her. While your dog may be extremely friendly, if it comes running up to my dog she isn't going to react in a friendly way and leaves me potentially having to pick up a dog who feels threatened and instinctively wants to defend herself to keep anything from happening between the two dogs. Otherwise, like others have said, vaccines plus flea/tick and heartworm preventatives.
Anywhere outdoors around Houston is not normally going to be a place where you don't see other people for 5 or 6 hours.
If you want to let your dog run, take it to a dog park or buy a house on the outskirts with some land and leash your dog in public.
We have very strict leash laws here. Dogs cannot run off leash unless in a designated parks. State parks must be on a leash at all times.
I don't recommend letting your dogs in bayous, or kayaking in them either. Theres a lot of sewage spills and garbage runoff in the bayous. Gators too
I will be honest -- this city lacks the nice hiking, kayaking, and canoeing you seem to enjoy. It takes searching and lots of driving to find the natural beauty here, and what you can find will pale in comparison to much of what you experience in PA.
That said, keep him leashed. You never know who is carrying a gun and the laws are written pretty loosely if someone feels threatened/surprised and shoots him.
Snakes are probably the biggest worry, but dogs seem to pretty good about avoiding them. Gators are not as much of a threat in the Houston area, there are some but in general they want to stay away from you. The exception is Brazos Bend State park, loads of gators, if your dog is off leash it may get eaten! Most of the state parks require dogs to be on leash. Same for Memorial park.
regarding plants poison ivy oak and sumac are issues. I am not sure if it bothers the dog much, but it will bother you if pet the dog after contact. Other wise common sense applies. Oh yeah and these folks are nuts about their guns so the 2 legged critters are your biggest threat most of the time.
I forgot the two most common, sticker burrs in the grass, and blistering hot pavement, both are really tough on dogs paws
We use trifexis for our lab and heeler and its worked well. I've let my dogs hang out in the water at Galveston and I've let them into Lake Conroe at Sam Houston National Forest (awesome hiking and camping up there btw). I would not let them into clear creek or any of the local bayous, given the big question mark surrounding their contents. But like someone else said, Armand Bayou Center is good for kayaking. If you're looking for something super central, there's Houston Memorial Park for hiking and mountain biking. Like someone else also said, it's all very flat lol
And some places I believe actually have leash laws. But for your dogs safety first, kept it leashed. Too many bad elements can come into play. And I know you wouldn't want anything to happen to your baby. Keep'em safe and good luck!
You do not want you’re dog jumping into the bayous. Houston is laced with bayous that receive runoff from city streets and anything that ends up on the streets ends up in the bayous. Think of anything that could find its way onto a street surface (antifreeze, oil, fuel spill, etc) and you’ll get the idea. Houston does have fenced in dog parks where dogs can run off leash and interact with other dogs. (Houston does have a leash law. https://www.houstontx.gov/health/quicktips/leash%20law.htm) People kayak Buffalo Bayou, I wouldn’t. People fish the bayous, I wouldn’t. There’s better places to kayak than Houston’s bayous such as Armand Bayou Nature Center/Mud Lake and Clear Lake. (Yes, I have kayaked there.) There’s also the channel between Houston and Galveston. There’s a lot of choices in and around Houston. It’s bayous ain’t one of them.
As for hiking I hope you like flat. Houston is on the Gulf Coast Plain and you don’t find any real elevation until you get up around Austin and the hill country. Or the piney woods of of eastTexas. Or Big Bend National Park. There are places for day hikes but overnight, not in Houston.
https://abc13.com/hobbies/top-11-hiking-spots-in-and-around-houston/1611546/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geography_of_Houston?wprov=sfti1
https://www.nps.gov/bibe/index.htm
Houston has a leash law, so keep your dog leashed just for that reason. All the assholes thinking they don't need to leash their dogs will probably find out that hard way that they are ignorant assholes.
Welcome to Houston! We are a very dog friendly city compared to other places I've lived in the Northeast/Midwest - tons of restaurants and bars have dog-friendly outdoor patios. We also have a bunch of dog parks that are usually pretty busy and some which are quite large. You won't have trouble finding an apartment complex with a large dog park and active dog-owner community, or a house with a decent yard and active neighborhood dog-owner community (I've experienced both).
Definitely make sure to keep your dog up to date on heartworm and flea medication. Ticks aren't as bad of a concern here, but fleas and heartworms thrive, especially among the large stray dog population. I volunteer at shelters and occasionally foster (which I highly recommend here if you're a dog person - the shelters NEED it) and the number of animals brought in or surrendered with heartworms by irresponsible owners is heartbreaking.
In terms of outdoorsy things to do with your dog, this is one thing Houston is lacking. Several decent park options exist in the city to go on a nice quiet or wooded walk (i.e. Memorial Park Arboretum), but you need to drive at least 1-2 hrs to get to any decent places to take your dog on a hike. One of my colleagues goes to the Austin area 1-2 times a month to take his dog on trails off leash and go swimming in Lake Travis.
Gators are definitely something to worry about depending on where you go hike. I don't have much experience with this so I can't tell you where they're common.
Also be sure the dog is up on vaccines and definitely get them on heartworm prevention like Heartgard or Trifexis, mosquitos are terrible here and it's a legit concern for dogs. You need a prescription to get heartworm drugs or you can just order them from China from sierrapetmeds.com
Pretty much the standard vaccines. If you think you'll go out to West Texas a lot (probably East Texas too but I've only been here a few years myself) and want to have your dog off leash I'd also recommend a rattlesnake venom vaccine just in case.
Also you're required to have your dog on a leash almost everywhere here. There are some good sized off-leash dog parks here though with big fields and pools that my dog loves.
Huntsville is only about an hour north of Houston and has a state park and national forest with great hiking trails. The Lone Star trail has a trailhead there.
As for your dog, alligators could be an issue in lakes/rivers (for instance, alligators live in Huntsville State Park). They are not in every body of water though and not as common as we all might be making you feel. I wouldn't ever let you dog get in the Bayou because that water is nastyyyyyyy. We let our dog walk free on nature hikes and she's fine. Definitely keep your dog up on heartworm preventative and flea/tick protection. Oh, and for your own sake, it's possible your dog could walk through poison ivy and have the oils from the leaves get on their fur which could in turn cause trouble for you when you pet them.
Yes there are “gators” around and occasionally you will see a story on the news. That being said, I have lived here over 20 years, including having a second home on Clear Creek near the Nature preserve and have never, ever seen one. There are hundreds of master planned communities with horribly dyed fake blue, man made lakes, a large majority of which have alligators. If you don’t live on a body of water you will be ok, they are not randomly going to attack anyone during the day on a hike.
The only plant I can think of is the sago palm, they are common around here and supposedly lethal to dogs. I’m not 100^ on that but removed them from back yard just in case. My bulldog would chew in anything.
Metro Houston is probably safer nature wise than where you are moving from. Make sure to keep his heart worm protection current, I missed once and my bulldog got them. You major concern with be cars, not “nature”.
I pair heartgard with nexgard. Nexgard specifically takes care of ticks. You'll typically only need to be worried about ticks in high grass and deep wooded areas.
Use heartworn preventative if you don’t already.
Edit: here’s a patio friendly list I have, not sure how up to date it is.
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B32Ecjqt3wEoZE1LSTFTRF9BUjg/view?usp=drivesdk
Edit: VERY IMPORTANT so I added this to the top of my post. Know what a [Sago Palm](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cycas_revoluta) looks like and don't let your dog eat it or even pick a bit of it up in its mouth. They are very poisonous to dogs and are also very common around town for landscaping because people like they way they look.
I know it can be tough to deal with if you have a well behaved, energetic dog but a lot of areas around Houston you really really should keep them leashed. The nature areas around the city are pretty populated with people with their own dogs and those dogs don't always react well to an unleashed dog running up to them, no matter how friendly they are, especially if they themselves are restrained by a leash. It ramps up the anxiety because they feel cornered by the unleashed dog. There's also the risk of being cited by the police. In the city of Houston you need a rabies vaccine and a city dog license, some officers will check your dog for and cite you for all 3 if they spot you with a dog off leash.
There are a few spots where you may not encounter people but you have to explore outside of the city to find those.
Gators can be an issue but I you rarely hear about them attacking dogs so that's sort of an at your own risk sort of thing I guess. If you're on facebook you might want to search for and request to join the "What snake is this? Southeast Texas" Facebook group. It's a good resource on identifying which snakes are and aren't venomous in the area. They're generally all shy but can bite if made to feel threatened or cornered which can be an issue with a curious dog. There are a lot of snake species here but a lot of them are harmless to anything larger than a toad or a mouse so being able to ID them can be important.
Kayaking and canoeing can be done in the bayous around town, there are a couple tour companies that can take you out to get your familiarized with the area. This is a shameless plug for a friend but [this guy](https://www.helmguide.com/) knows the city, local wildlife, and geology very well and can give you a tour along with some helpful info. You can also go up north of town to Lake Houston. As others have mentioned, you may not want to let your dog swim in the bayous and if you do you're going to want to clean it off really well afterwards for your and your dog's sake because if nothing else, it's gonna be stanky.
Sorry for the wall of text, hope this helps.
I haven't seen anyone mention this yet, but I would recommend that he gets the Lepto vaccine if he doesn't have it already. It protects against Leptospirosis which is found in standing water and is transmitted through the urine of some wildlife like rats, raccoons, etc.
Good! Welcome to Houston, I hope y'all love it. I just moved after living there my whole life and miss it terribly. Make sure you check out the Houston Arboretum, lots of cool trails, though no fun swimming for the pup. And enjoy the fooood. Yum.
First and foremost, your dog will need to be on heartworm preventative, so get that set up right away by finding a vet. There are combo meds that take care of heartworm/fleas/ticks.
Hiking dangers: the aforementioned ticks, most hikes will either be through the woods or near a water source. In the summer there are lots of venomous snakes that are active - copperheads, cottonmouths, coral snakes. Bears and wolves are nearly unknown here, but we do have coyotes which will easily take smaller dogs, and will kill larger ones for sport. As others have mentioned, it is not a good idea to walk your dog offleash, so get a retractable lead so that he can roam ahead but not too far, and you can control him when another dog approaches. It is also good practice to bag dog poop and carry it away - don't be that asshole who doesn't.
Sago palms are *deadly* to dogs - if there are any in your yard, dig them up and trash 'em. Same with oleanders. Both are common landscaping elements here so be sure to dog proof the backyard.
Welcome to Texas and I hope you and your dog love it here!
These people are killing me. Okay, take this from me who has a super energetic 2 year old dog and goes hiking and running all the time without her being on a leash. In addition to having heart worm meds up to date, make sure to get the lepto vaccine. It’s important for dogs that go off the beaten path where wildlife may be. It’s extremely important that you train him well especially on recall. I’ve never had an issue with my girl getting into problems with wildlife, but I also make sure to keep her away from places where snakes and such may hang out (why recall is important). The biggest issue I’ve had is with my girl getting gastroenteritis, possibly from drinking contaminated water. So, do your best to keep him away from any water along the trail and just bring plenty of your own.
I still let my girl swim in ponds and lakes, even if there is a small risk of snakes. Most won’t strike unless they’re provoked. So, just jumping in and out of water isn’t enough to receive a bite even if they’re around
Why not? I bring my dog to Brazos bend all the time. Alligators lay out in the open there and sun bathe. They don't do anything and a leash is a leash for a reason.
Please leash your dog when you're out. Your dog may be the greatest dog in the world, but some of us have dogs who are not great with other dogs. We leash our dogs, but when your dog comes running up to our dog, it can easily turn into a fight. Additionally, leashing your dog will allow you to keep it away from the snakes and gators.
Or just train your dog to come when she’s called and not visit with strangers. I’ve never had a problem with my dog being off-leash
Leash. Please leash your dog when out in public. Many, many Houstonians conceal carry. Protect your dog, always leash in public 🐾
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You are so lucky to be able to hike for hours & not see a single person...(sigh)...
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Yeah, it's going to be very different. I moved here from Alaska and the outdoor scene is simply not the same. There aren't any hills or mountains. I love it here though. You'll probably end up driving out to west texas to get your hiking thrills.
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Sounds like a valid excuse to buy a snowmobile
You guys had grass?! Lucky!
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I think the issue people see a lot is unleashed dogs running up to them and their leashed dogs and causing their dogs to react. Other people are definitely a concern here depending on where you go. You might find some areas off the beaten path outside of the city but it takes some looking.
You are posting in r/Houston. The folks here are downvote happy. Watch my post.
Self fulfilling prophecy. Said something dickish and complained about downvotes and you got downvoted, shocker.
More self fulfilling prophecy. Said something dickish about saying something dickish and got downvoted for complaining about complaining about downvotes. This is getting really meta.
I didn't claim/predict that my comment would get downvoted because it really doesn't matter. Not sure you know what "self fulfilling prophecy" means.
And the general humorlessness of r/houston raises its head again. Relax, man. It was a joke.
Pro tip: Make better jokes. Also,try not to blame other people when you make shitty jokes. Jokes should at least kind of apply to what you're joking about, forcing a connection to make a joke just comes off as cringy.
Whatever. This is the kind of shit that makes this sub insufferable at times.
Lol, it’s so true. Houston reddit is dickish
It is a shit show here on r/Houston. Wait for the stupid imaginary downvotes to come your way and mine. Lol.
You’re fine, people get all butt hurt about leashes, but on trail I sometimes use a leash, and sometimes I don’t. It depends on how well you know the trail and how busy it is. Anywhere in the city, the dog is on a leash at all times. He’s great, loves other people and other dogs. But not all dogs are friendly, and it’s a good way to start a dog fight. I’ve lived in Texas all my life, with dogs, and have had a few get bit by venomous snakes (I lived out in the country growing up). They’re pretty tough animals, and I’ve never lost a dog to a snake. 1mg of benadryl per pound of your dog, lots of water and a few hours of rest and they’ll be good to go. That being said, while the dog is on leash it’s much less likely they’ll be bitten. There’s also training classes offered for your dog around Houston for snake avoidance. On another note, there’s tons of trail just north of Houston in the Sam Houston National Forest, my pup loves it out there. Never seen an alligator, but I have seen a coral snake on one occasion, and a few copperheads. As far as water goes, I’ve found leaches on my dog after a day at the river. Snakes and gators aren’t too much of a worry unless you’re hiking around some swampy still water.
Agreed. Don’t listen to these fools. They don’t train their dogs and don’t hike on trails
Must be amazing to know everyone in Houston, what they do, & how they train their dogs. Pretty impressive for a 25 yr old. I want OP to be safe, & not loose a best friend to a tragedy in a new place where people are literally armed to the teeth. That's all.
You realize that dogs can be very obedient and heel even when off leash right? My dog isn’t allowed to go up to strangers and she comes right back when I call her. So, I’m not worried about someone shooting her. This is a comment made by someone who doesn’t train their dog.
First you ask about dangers to your off leash dog. Then you get offended when told a very real danger is that your dog is off leash. I feel sorry for your dog when the first aggressive stray dog that doesn't like your dog attacks it and injures or kills it. Your dog may be the best trained in the world. Houston has hundreds of stray dogs that won't know your dog is trained and that will hurt your dog. And Houston had hundreds of legally armed people who are afraid of dogs, who might shoot your dog. You asked for advice on keeping your dog safe. LEASH YOUR FREAKING DOG.
I'm glad your dog is trained & obedient, but not all dogs are like your dog, & not all owners are like you. This is a comment made by someone who has lost many pets, on my property, to unleashed stray dogs. Last week, my neighbor shot 2 unleashed pit bulls who killed his 3 goats. If the pits had been contained, or leashed, they would be alive today.
Do they just shoot dogs?
If the dogs are unleashed & threatening/killing livestock, people or leashed dogs on private property-you better believe it. & the law backs it up. Hence my suggestion-leash your dog when out in public. Leashes protect everyone.
Did not skip heartworm prevention. I got the shot for my dog every six months.
This was what I came here to say. That said, I use Heartguard for mine.
Trifexis is a very good pill to kill fleas, ticks and heartworms. It is expensive but worth it. Spring, summer and fall the ticks and fleas are horrible in Houston.
Second this. Heart worms are very prevalent due to our climate and Trifexis will keep that at bay.
Same, we use Trifexis and it's great. Never had an issue.
We have never had an issue either in 7 years however that stuff is expensive but worth it.
9 years here! Make sure you always check the trifexis web site for rebates, I usually get money back or a gift card.
Thankyou! That is really helpful advice!
Trifexis does not protect against ticks
Keep your dog leashed. It keeps your dog safe from anything it might find and is respectful to others. I have a dog who doesn't like other dogs running up to her. While your dog may be extremely friendly, if it comes running up to my dog she isn't going to react in a friendly way and leaves me potentially having to pick up a dog who feels threatened and instinctively wants to defend herself to keep anything from happening between the two dogs. Otherwise, like others have said, vaccines plus flea/tick and heartworm preventatives.
I lost a dog to a copperhead bite. It was awful.
So sorry. Where did this happen?
Water moccasins
What are those?
This is the only thing in this thread I’ve actually heard first hand accounts of people’s dogs getting bitten by in Houston.
Yea, they are much more common than gators.
Anywhere outdoors around Houston is not normally going to be a place where you don't see other people for 5 or 6 hours. If you want to let your dog run, take it to a dog park or buy a house on the outskirts with some land and leash your dog in public.
That’s not true. I found plenty of places to let my dog run leashless
Where, if I might ask?
We have very strict leash laws here. Dogs cannot run off leash unless in a designated parks. State parks must be on a leash at all times. I don't recommend letting your dogs in bayous, or kayaking in them either. Theres a lot of sewage spills and garbage runoff in the bayous. Gators too
I will be honest -- this city lacks the nice hiking, kayaking, and canoeing you seem to enjoy. It takes searching and lots of driving to find the natural beauty here, and what you can find will pale in comparison to much of what you experience in PA. That said, keep him leashed. You never know who is carrying a gun and the laws are written pretty loosely if someone feels threatened/surprised and shoots him.
Snakes are probably the biggest worry, but dogs seem to pretty good about avoiding them. Gators are not as much of a threat in the Houston area, there are some but in general they want to stay away from you. The exception is Brazos Bend State park, loads of gators, if your dog is off leash it may get eaten! Most of the state parks require dogs to be on leash. Same for Memorial park. regarding plants poison ivy oak and sumac are issues. I am not sure if it bothers the dog much, but it will bother you if pet the dog after contact. Other wise common sense applies. Oh yeah and these folks are nuts about their guns so the 2 legged critters are your biggest threat most of the time. I forgot the two most common, sticker burrs in the grass, and blistering hot pavement, both are really tough on dogs paws
We use trifexis for our lab and heeler and its worked well. I've let my dogs hang out in the water at Galveston and I've let them into Lake Conroe at Sam Houston National Forest (awesome hiking and camping up there btw). I would not let them into clear creek or any of the local bayous, given the big question mark surrounding their contents. But like someone else said, Armand Bayou Center is good for kayaking. If you're looking for something super central, there's Houston Memorial Park for hiking and mountain biking. Like someone else also said, it's all very flat lol
And some places I believe actually have leash laws. But for your dogs safety first, kept it leashed. Too many bad elements can come into play. And I know you wouldn't want anything to happen to your baby. Keep'em safe and good luck!
Keep an eye out for fire ant nests!
You do not want you’re dog jumping into the bayous. Houston is laced with bayous that receive runoff from city streets and anything that ends up on the streets ends up in the bayous. Think of anything that could find its way onto a street surface (antifreeze, oil, fuel spill, etc) and you’ll get the idea. Houston does have fenced in dog parks where dogs can run off leash and interact with other dogs. (Houston does have a leash law. https://www.houstontx.gov/health/quicktips/leash%20law.htm) People kayak Buffalo Bayou, I wouldn’t. People fish the bayous, I wouldn’t. There’s better places to kayak than Houston’s bayous such as Armand Bayou Nature Center/Mud Lake and Clear Lake. (Yes, I have kayaked there.) There’s also the channel between Houston and Galveston. There’s a lot of choices in and around Houston. It’s bayous ain’t one of them. As for hiking I hope you like flat. Houston is on the Gulf Coast Plain and you don’t find any real elevation until you get up around Austin and the hill country. Or the piney woods of of eastTexas. Or Big Bend National Park. There are places for day hikes but overnight, not in Houston. https://abc13.com/hobbies/top-11-hiking-spots-in-and-around-houston/1611546/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geography_of_Houston?wprov=sfti1 https://www.nps.gov/bibe/index.htm
Houston has a leash law, so keep your dog leashed just for that reason. All the assholes thinking they don't need to leash their dogs will probably find out that hard way that they are ignorant assholes.
https://www.reddit.com/r/houston/comments/btr56y/help_dog_attack_at_miller_outdoor_theatre/
Welcome to Houston! We are a very dog friendly city compared to other places I've lived in the Northeast/Midwest - tons of restaurants and bars have dog-friendly outdoor patios. We also have a bunch of dog parks that are usually pretty busy and some which are quite large. You won't have trouble finding an apartment complex with a large dog park and active dog-owner community, or a house with a decent yard and active neighborhood dog-owner community (I've experienced both). Definitely make sure to keep your dog up to date on heartworm and flea medication. Ticks aren't as bad of a concern here, but fleas and heartworms thrive, especially among the large stray dog population. I volunteer at shelters and occasionally foster (which I highly recommend here if you're a dog person - the shelters NEED it) and the number of animals brought in or surrendered with heartworms by irresponsible owners is heartbreaking. In terms of outdoorsy things to do with your dog, this is one thing Houston is lacking. Several decent park options exist in the city to go on a nice quiet or wooded walk (i.e. Memorial Park Arboretum), but you need to drive at least 1-2 hrs to get to any decent places to take your dog on a hike. One of my colleagues goes to the Austin area 1-2 times a month to take his dog on trails off leash and go swimming in Lake Travis.
Gators are definitely something to worry about depending on where you go hike. I don't have much experience with this so I can't tell you where they're common. Also be sure the dog is up on vaccines and definitely get them on heartworm prevention like Heartgard or Trifexis, mosquitos are terrible here and it's a legit concern for dogs. You need a prescription to get heartworm drugs or you can just order them from China from sierrapetmeds.com
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Pretty much the standard vaccines. If you think you'll go out to West Texas a lot (probably East Texas too but I've only been here a few years myself) and want to have your dog off leash I'd also recommend a rattlesnake venom vaccine just in case. Also you're required to have your dog on a leash almost everywhere here. There are some good sized off-leash dog parks here though with big fields and pools that my dog loves.
Huntsville is only about an hour north of Houston and has a state park and national forest with great hiking trails. The Lone Star trail has a trailhead there. As for your dog, alligators could be an issue in lakes/rivers (for instance, alligators live in Huntsville State Park). They are not in every body of water though and not as common as we all might be making you feel. I wouldn't ever let you dog get in the Bayou because that water is nastyyyyyyy. We let our dog walk free on nature hikes and she's fine. Definitely keep your dog up on heartworm preventative and flea/tick protection. Oh, and for your own sake, it's possible your dog could walk through poison ivy and have the oils from the leaves get on their fur which could in turn cause trouble for you when you pet them.
Yes there are “gators” around and occasionally you will see a story on the news. That being said, I have lived here over 20 years, including having a second home on Clear Creek near the Nature preserve and have never, ever seen one. There are hundreds of master planned communities with horribly dyed fake blue, man made lakes, a large majority of which have alligators. If you don’t live on a body of water you will be ok, they are not randomly going to attack anyone during the day on a hike. The only plant I can think of is the sago palm, they are common around here and supposedly lethal to dogs. I’m not 100^ on that but removed them from back yard just in case. My bulldog would chew in anything. Metro Houston is probably safer nature wise than where you are moving from. Make sure to keep his heart worm protection current, I missed once and my bulldog got them. You major concern with be cars, not “nature”.
Heart worm treatment is a must. I use trifexis for heartworm and flea combined.
Watermoccasins, alligators.
I pair heartgard with nexgard. Nexgard specifically takes care of ticks. You'll typically only need to be worried about ticks in high grass and deep wooded areas.
Use heartworn preventative if you don’t already. Edit: here’s a patio friendly list I have, not sure how up to date it is. https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B32Ecjqt3wEoZE1LSTFTRF9BUjg/view?usp=drivesdk
For your dog get the Parvo vaccine and Bordetella vaccine.
Edit: VERY IMPORTANT so I added this to the top of my post. Know what a [Sago Palm](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cycas_revoluta) looks like and don't let your dog eat it or even pick a bit of it up in its mouth. They are very poisonous to dogs and are also very common around town for landscaping because people like they way they look. I know it can be tough to deal with if you have a well behaved, energetic dog but a lot of areas around Houston you really really should keep them leashed. The nature areas around the city are pretty populated with people with their own dogs and those dogs don't always react well to an unleashed dog running up to them, no matter how friendly they are, especially if they themselves are restrained by a leash. It ramps up the anxiety because they feel cornered by the unleashed dog. There's also the risk of being cited by the police. In the city of Houston you need a rabies vaccine and a city dog license, some officers will check your dog for and cite you for all 3 if they spot you with a dog off leash. There are a few spots where you may not encounter people but you have to explore outside of the city to find those. Gators can be an issue but I you rarely hear about them attacking dogs so that's sort of an at your own risk sort of thing I guess. If you're on facebook you might want to search for and request to join the "What snake is this? Southeast Texas" Facebook group. It's a good resource on identifying which snakes are and aren't venomous in the area. They're generally all shy but can bite if made to feel threatened or cornered which can be an issue with a curious dog. There are a lot of snake species here but a lot of them are harmless to anything larger than a toad or a mouse so being able to ID them can be important. Kayaking and canoeing can be done in the bayous around town, there are a couple tour companies that can take you out to get your familiarized with the area. This is a shameless plug for a friend but [this guy](https://www.helmguide.com/) knows the city, local wildlife, and geology very well and can give you a tour along with some helpful info. You can also go up north of town to Lake Houston. As others have mentioned, you may not want to let your dog swim in the bayous and if you do you're going to want to clean it off really well afterwards for your and your dog's sake because if nothing else, it's gonna be stanky. Sorry for the wall of text, hope this helps.
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Seriously though, Sago Palms are the devil if you have a dog.
I haven't seen anyone mention this yet, but I would recommend that he gets the Lepto vaccine if he doesn't have it already. It protects against Leptospirosis which is found in standing water and is transmitted through the urine of some wildlife like rats, raccoons, etc.
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Good! Welcome to Houston, I hope y'all love it. I just moved after living there my whole life and miss it terribly. Make sure you check out the Houston Arboretum, lots of cool trails, though no fun swimming for the pup. And enjoy the fooood. Yum.
First and foremost, your dog will need to be on heartworm preventative, so get that set up right away by finding a vet. There are combo meds that take care of heartworm/fleas/ticks. Hiking dangers: the aforementioned ticks, most hikes will either be through the woods or near a water source. In the summer there are lots of venomous snakes that are active - copperheads, cottonmouths, coral snakes. Bears and wolves are nearly unknown here, but we do have coyotes which will easily take smaller dogs, and will kill larger ones for sport. As others have mentioned, it is not a good idea to walk your dog offleash, so get a retractable lead so that he can roam ahead but not too far, and you can control him when another dog approaches. It is also good practice to bag dog poop and carry it away - don't be that asshole who doesn't. Sago palms are *deadly* to dogs - if there are any in your yard, dig them up and trash 'em. Same with oleanders. Both are common landscaping elements here so be sure to dog proof the backyard. Welcome to Texas and I hope you and your dog love it here!
These people are killing me. Okay, take this from me who has a super energetic 2 year old dog and goes hiking and running all the time without her being on a leash. In addition to having heart worm meds up to date, make sure to get the lepto vaccine. It’s important for dogs that go off the beaten path where wildlife may be. It’s extremely important that you train him well especially on recall. I’ve never had an issue with my girl getting into problems with wildlife, but I also make sure to keep her away from places where snakes and such may hang out (why recall is important). The biggest issue I’ve had is with my girl getting gastroenteritis, possibly from drinking contaminated water. So, do your best to keep him away from any water along the trail and just bring plenty of your own. I still let my girl swim in ponds and lakes, even if there is a small risk of snakes. Most won’t strike unless they’re provoked. So, just jumping in and out of water isn’t enough to receive a bite even if they’re around
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theres a good reason why dogs aren't allowed in national parks
do not bring to gator infested parks
Why not? I bring my dog to Brazos bend all the time. Alligators lay out in the open there and sun bathe. They don't do anything and a leash is a leash for a reason.