(1) THE BORDER COLLIE :—-( A brilliant mind and a big heart)—-OXFORD or CAMBRIDGE dog ? It is believed to be the WORLD’S SMARTEST POOCH, yet it did not originate from either the University of Oxford or Cambridge. Rather, it originated from the borders of England, Scotland and Wales——hence the name.
(2) WORKS HARD FOR THE MONEY. It is bred for farming—Best sheep-herding dog in the world. It is known for loving hard work, and is extremely hard-working. Not suitable for tiny NYC apartments.
(3) CIRCUS STAR——Not quite, but it needs careful training with lots of mental and physical exercise. Definitely not a couch-potato. If it had thumbs, it would probably help with the New York Times Crosswords puzzles.
(4) IS THAT LASSIE ?–No, but since it is a working dog, he’s at his happiest doing work. you will never find him in the UNEMPLOYMENT LINE. He will step upto HERDING, DANCING, FLYING DISCS SPORTS even SEARCH and RESCUE. Don’t be surprised if he herds the kids, other animals and even you to keep a sense of order in the house.
(5) CONTROL FREAK—-Lassie, the world’s most famous dog, is a member of the Collie family ; she is not a Border Collie. There are many types of Collies—BEARDED, SCOTCH or BORDER COLLIE.
SPEAKZEASY 
I had a sort hair border collie up until about a year ago when I moved into town and was forced to find anew home for Her. I couldn’t have put Her in a apartment after running free on 50 plus acres it would have killed her spirit. Everything you said about theses dogs and more is very true !