> I still remember having to give up our collie when I was about 9, I missed her, but collie's aren't the smartest dogs in the world so it was no big deal to me really, not like when our german shepherds died...

I can't make sense of this post.

For one, who told you that collies aren't intelligent? They're actually *bred* for their quick learning abilities and good memories and tend to turn up at the *top* of dog intelligence listings. I'll grant you that German Shepherds are also high on those lists, usually hovering around the third slot or so, but collies generally outperform them. Further, I own one, and she's pretty smart.

More importantly, though, I understand that it's less traumatic to give up a dog than it is to have one die, but what does the dog's intelligence (or lack thereof) have to do with how much one misses him/her? One of our dogs was an absolute idiot, but I still cried buckets when she died.

Essentially, if you care about your pet, losing it will be a big deal, no matter how smart it isn't.

-Cynthia