school

That realtor never should have discouraged you. (Was it Calypso?) I used Marsha Maynes at Remax when I moved here and she was great. Public schools here are not considered very good. The high schools lost accredidation last year. The private schools are Antilles (they have a web site), All Saints, St. Peter and Paul and Montessori. Montessori only goes up to 8th grade but they are planning on adding a high school. There is also Coral Bay High School in St. John which I have heard is very good (know some people whose children attend). Places to rent are usually found in the Island Trader and some do take dogs. You will want to be here to look at the place. I am sure someone else can answer questions about bringing pets. I do have a short term rental - a place to stay while looking for a place (www.stthomasvirginisland.com). Feel free to email me with any questions about moving.

Hello Kim & Joe,
Being an animal-lover and an advocate of relocating WITH your pets, I will try to provide as much info. as I can on the pet issue.
First, because of the architectural design of most of the homes on the island, it is very unlikely that you will be able to rent a free-standing home all to yourself. Most of the houses here have an apt. below that is also rented out. There are free-standing homes for rent but they tend to be VERY expensive (e.g. $4000/mo) or totally trashed and in not-so-good neighborhoods--very little in-between. You might have to consider renting a 2 or 3-brdm apt. instead.
Second, it is a challenge finding dog-friendly rentals, but not impossible. I moved here with 3 cats and 1 dog and found housing and I have met many people who have dogs, so it can be done. You will need to be aggressive about calling every ad in the Island Trader and/or Daily News that does not expressly exclude dogs. I.E. No dogs. Also, I notice that some landlords seem to be more concerned about reliable, financially secure tenants then whether or not they have pets. So, I would suggest that you stress how quiet and well-trained your pooches are AND that you have guaranteed steady employment and are looking to sign a long-term lease. If you still have them on the phone after you have asked whether they accept pets or they seem wishy-washy about not wanting dogs, there is hope. Keep pushing, don't give up.
That is about all I can suggest. When are you planning on moving? I know it can be hard to rent something long-distance, so if it is soon and you need someone to look at any dog-friendly apts/homes you have lined up, feel free to ask me...I'll try to take a look and give you my opinion. Someone was kind enough to do this for me and karma dictates that I return the favor.
Good luck!

Web sites for schools;

We have a Montessori school here on St. Thomas visit them at http://www.vimontessori.org/

Antilles School at
http://www.antilles.k12.vi.us/

On St. Croix you can look at

http://www.islands.vi/~sjhs/
http://www.stxcountryday.com/
http://www.goodhope.k12.vi/birthday.php

--Islander

HI!!! Thanks Soooo much for your reply. Yes, it was Calypso and she was very upsetting. How did you know that is who it was? We are very interested in your short term rental. Possibly for 1-2 months??? We are both nurses and would have no problem with that rental price and it sure would help us out untill we could find a house to rent. It sure is great to find some nice islanders!!! THANKS!!!!!!!---------Kim & Joe

THANK YOU< THANK YOU THANK YOU!!!! We just may ask for our help if you dont mind. Thanks soooo much dfor your wonderful advice and words of encoragement, we sure needed it. We have planned this move for over 6 years now and need all the help we can get. --------------Kim & Joe

Good Morning Kim & Joe,

First, I have been on island since the middle of August because I started to work sooner that my husband or I had planned. My husband (Al), dixie(our dog) and Sammie (our cat) just arrived yesterday afternoon. PLEASE do not give up on relocating with the canine members of your family. Yes, we also encountered some discouraging dialog about having a dog, but we finally found Marna Green with Stout Realty, her office phone # 340 776 7653 she had a 3 bed 2 bath home for rental which would accept our outside dog. The strange thing down here is that an inside cat does not appear to be of issue, it is the dogs, especially the outside dogs that are in question. Some of the reasons we encountered were: Alot of people seem to be affraid of dogs in general, secondly, goat farmers will poison a dog who chases or attacks their goats. Here most goats are free range (they go where ever they wish) you have to have the fencing to keep them out if you don't want them in your yard.

Second, we do not have any children on island but as a previous post mentioned the private schools would be the best option.

Please email me if you need any help of any kind!!!

Good Luck and Hang In There,
Hope to see you soon in STT

Missy