Should we move our family to Dusseldorf Germany from Atlanta?

Dear Dana, 
we are not American and cannot speak therefore for how Americaexperience DE, but we are South African. If you will/can find work here depends much on what you can do or are qualified for. One thing about DE is that they are all about "Papers"... much more than if you can do a job well. Diplomas, degrees etc counts very much here.
To give some feedback - DE is in  general, very safe, (rules are there for everything you can think of.,.!), the social system is very good, unemployment is quite low, foods are mostly labled re. what in it (re. MSG, colourants, and other poisons,.. now still anyway), I read, which is not the case in USA. And schoolfees in public schools are free. There are international (English) schools in many big cities but they cost a bit. The infrastructure (planes, trains and busses), are very relayable on time.
The biggest challange for people new in the German/Swiss/Austria countries  is to get used to the  mentallity...   One must be very "flexable". This is not about better/worse or, good vs bad, but about a very different mentality for people from more "Open" countries..They are, just not that open, or direct, exept maybe, when say, you do something wrong in traffic....or brake a rule somewhere.. OK,... This is just the way it is. I should know... My wife is one (German) but even she, finds it very difficult to adapt to the German mentallity after, 10 years away from DE.
ut at the same time tthere are many things pro Germany. As the saying goes, pros and cons in every country.. It helps sometimes to connect before coming to American families living here. Another good website to join is "www.internations.org" - website. This helps a lot.  Here one can learn a lot even before coming.

DanaAtlanta wrote:

We have a sweet little rescue dog we could not leave behind.

Lots of paperwork required. Plan this well in advance. For details see:

http://dogtime.com/transporting-pets-europe.html

DanaAtlanta wrote:

My 6 year old just wants to know if he can have a basketball hoop at his Germany house (Can he??)

Of course. Basketball is actually a world sport these days:

http://www.eurobasket.com/Germany/basketball.asp

DanaAtlanta wrote:

I suspect I will not be able to work, but would love to - at least part time.  Can you let me know how difficult it is to find employment as an American not sponsored by a company?

Your ability to work will first depend on if your visa allows you to work. Simply because your husband will get a work visa does not necessarily mean you will by default. So ask if you can also get a work visa. After that, finding work will depend on what type of work you want to do. If you do not speak German, your options are more limited (many Germans actually speak English, but that does not mean they prefer to hire English only speakers). But this should not dissuade you from seeking work, just be aware of the challenges.