Americans of a certain age associate collie dogs with the TV show "Lassie," a series in which one dog (the dog was supposedly female but was actually played by males) did all the clever, helpful things large dogs have been known to do. A sarcastic summary of the show's episodes was "Once again dog shows self to be smarter than humans."
Many collies have answered to the names "Lad" or "Laddie" and "Lass" or "Lassie," but why did the TV series insist on using the female name while showing the world male dogs? Probably in honor of the popular children's book Lassie Come Home, about a dog who reportedly sniffed her way through most of the length of Britain to find her human family. Lad, a Dog was also popular, but it was about the ordinary adventures of a more normal dog. Both books presented collies as especially intelligent and devoted dogs.
So, are they? Sometimes; not always. Collies bred to help humans herd sheep tended to be intelligent and loyal; collies bred for looks alone can suffer from hereditary diseases that prevent whatever intelligence the poor dogs have from developing. Border collies, which are smaller and less distinctive looking, are sometimes thought to be smarter than the gold-and-white, shaggy, distinctive looking breed to which Lassie belonged. Healthy dogs of either type are likely to become someone's best friend and working partner. All dogs can swim, all collies are strong enough to help prevent humans from drowning, and most of them would tow you back to land if you developed sudden cramps while swimming, but this web site does not recommend expecting any dog to find its way home from a thousand miles away, or even one mile away. Collies are big enough that they should be kept on a leash when they're outdoors. They are usually among the friendliest, most lovable of dogs, but they can be dangerous if sick or hungry. The long-haired ones need regular human help to keep their coats looking magnificent.
Zipcode 10101: Kayla from Pennsylvania
No question about her being the most photogenic collie on the Petfinder page. Their listing includes several mixed breeds supposed to have some collie ancestry but showing no noticeable evidence of it. However, there are some serious concerns about this 65-pound beauty. She has Lyme Disease. She's not allowed to travel very far from the town called King of Prussia, Pennsylvania. She will shed copiously, and you'll need to groom that coat with a fine-toothed comb and destroy all fleas and ticks that have bitten her at least once a day. She needs a big yard where she can run and play, preferably with another friendly dog, and that yard needs to be surrounded by a fence at least six feet high. It will take a special kind of human to adopt this dog, lovable though she is. This web site figures she needs all the publicity she can get to find that human. If you can't adopt, you can share the picture and web link.
Zipcode 20202: Monty from Chantilly
His web page: https://www.petfinder.com/dog/monty-56481562/va/chantilly/collie-rescue-inc-va369/
Zipcode 30303: Garth from Anniston
His web page: https://www.petfinder.com/dog/garth-59212954/al/anniston/the-animal-shelter-calhoun-county-humane-society-al75/
I think it's actually reassuring that Atlanta dog shelters don't have adoptable dogs that look like collies. Garth from Anniston, Alabama, is a Border Collie mix. Smart and sensitive to humans' nonverbal cues, he's learned to pose for cute pictures, which the shelter staff in this area are notoriously not adept at taking. Garth is young, and really deserves a rural home where he'd have a job in which he could live up to his potential, but he is reportedly friendly and adaptable to almost any situation.
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