Your guide to finding and caring for a Smooth Collie in Allentown
A Smooth Collie suits the leashed creekside walks around Lehigh Parkway. It's a lean, short-coated herding dog that wants about an hour of activity a day, and the trails along Little Lehigh Creek give it room to stretch out. At home it likes to stay close to its people, whether that's a detached house in Midway Manor or a rowhouse in Union Terrace. Expect a gentle, sensitive dog that barks to announce visitors.
Your Smooth Collie is waiting
While we don't have enough dogs near Allentown, keep in mind that many rescues may offer transport.
The Smooth Collie is the short-coated variety of the Collie, a Scottish sheepdog that became fashionable after Queen Victoria took an interest around 1860. In the US it's judged by the same standard as the Rough Collie, and it comes in sable, tricolor, blue merle or white. Smooths are less common than Roughs, so many people have never met one.
Under the sleek coat is the same sensitive, devoted, quick-learning dog. Smooths respond best to calm, reward-based training, and many nip at running kids or bark at every knock. In Allentown's close-set rowhouse blocks, early quiet training helps with neighbors. The dense double coat sheds moderately and heavily with the seasons, but it never needs a haircut.
Having a Smooth Collie in Allentown
A Smooth Collie packs a collie's quick mind and loyalty into a sleeker coat. In Allentown, its herding instincts, daily exercise needs and inherited health risks matter most, and each dog varies in how strongly these show.
Smooth Collies tend to be affectionate, gentle with children and friendly or politely reserved with strangers. They're sensitive and respond best to calm, positive handling. Herding habits like circling or nudging can appear, and many bark at arrivals, which is worth planning for on busy city streets.
Plan on about an hour a day of walking, play and training games. Lehigh Parkway's creekside trails work well on a leash of six feet or less. Dixon Street Dog Park offers a fenced large-dog area for off-leash running, though unneutered males and dogs under six months can't enter.
Collie eye anomaly, progressive retinal atrophy and the MDR1 drug-sensitivity mutation are common concerns, along with bloat and epilepsy. A veterinarian can run eye exams and MDR1 testing, and should know about drug sensitivity before any treatment. Ticks are widespread in Pennsylvania, so year-round prevention matters.
A Smooth Collie can live in a rowhouse, twin or apartment in Allentown if its exercise and companionship needs are met, though a fenced yard helps. It does best indoors with its family, not alone outside. Some barking at street noise is likely, and seasonal shedding follows it around the home.
| Expense | Typical cost | Per year |
|---|---|---|
| Adoption fee | $523, one time | $523 in year one |
| Food | $55 to $110 per month | $660 to $1,320 |
| Pet insurance | $65 to $130 per month | $780 to $1,560 |
| Routine vet care | $250 to $500 per year | $250 to $500 |
| Other* | $586 to $1,503 per year | $586 to $1,503 |
| Estimated yearly total (after year one) | $2,276 to $4,883 | |
| First-year total (with adoption fee) | $2,799 to $5,406 | |
Adoption fee is the fee on Smooth Collie listings in Allentown on GetBuddy today. Other costs are estimates and vary with size, age and health.
* The Lehigh County dog license ($10.80 a year or $52.80 for a lifetime license), flea, tick and heartworm prevention, a yearly dental cleaning, supplies, and brushing and baths for seasonal shedding.
Now that you know more, let’s find you a new best friend. These rescues and shelters below currently have Smooth Collies available.
Allentown's shelters and rescues care for local strays and surrendered dogs, and the listings here change as new pets arrive. Here are the rescues & shelters in the Allentown area where you can find Smooth Collies and other dogs available for adoption.
Yes, you can own a Smooth Collie in Allentown. Pennsylvania law doesn't allow local breed bans, so the city can't prohibit the breed. You'll need a Lehigh County dog license once the dog is three months old, a current rabies vaccination, and a leash of six feet or less on public property. Landlords can still set their own breed or size rules.
Yes, if its daily exercise is covered. A Smooth Collie can live in an Allentown apartment or rowhouse, but it's a 50-to-75-pound dog that barks at noises, so early quiet training matters with shared walls. Plan on about an hour of activity each day, and get your landlord's approval, including any weight limit, in writing.
A Smooth Collie fits Allentown well if you're home a fair amount and enjoy daily walks. The city's parkways give you leashed routes, and the dense double coat handles cold winters. It's less suited to long days alone, since collies are devoted and may bark when bored. Each dog varies, so weigh your own routine honestly.
Dixon Street Dog Park is Allentown's only fenced off-leash area, with a separate area for dogs over 30 pounds. It's members-only, and unneutered males and dogs under six months can't enter. For leashed walks, try Lehigh Parkway's creekside trails, Trexler Park or the D&L Trail. Dogs aren't allowed in the Rose Garden at Cedar Creek Parkway.
Yes, a Smooth Collie's dense double coat handles Allentown winters well. Freezing nights and regular snow are normal from December through February, so rinse road salt off its paws after walks, towel it dry and keep outdoor time short on the coldest days. State law also limits tethering an unattended dog to 30 minutes below 32°F.
Plan on weekly brushing, and more often during the heavy spring and fall sheds. Baths are only occasionally needed, and a Smooth Collie never needs a haircut or shaving. In Allentown winters, wipe off salt and slush after walks. Brushing and bath supplies fall under the Other line in the cost table, since most owners groom at home.
Probably not easily. Allentown's LANta buses generally require pets to ride in a carrier, which a 50-to-75-pound Smooth Collie won't fit, and only service animals are typically welcome without one. Check current LANta rules before planning a trip. For vet visits and park outings, most owners rely on a car or walk.
Sometimes, on patios whose owners allow dogs. Indoors, only service animals are permitted, and Pennsylvania restaurants that serve dogs must use an outdoor or separate area. Patio policies vary by venue, and patio season runs from spring through fall. A Smooth Collie needs to lie quietly, since barking at passersby can bother other diners.
We have 1 rescue with Smooth Collies available: Lehigh Valley Humane Society. You can see every rescue with Smooth Collies available in the list above these questions, or scroll to the top to see the Smooth Collies near Allentown.
A Smooth Collie typically costs about $55–$110 a month for food and $65–$130 a month for pet insurance. Routine vet care runs about $250–$500 a year, and other yearly costs, such as prevention, dental care, license and grooming supplies, add roughly $586–$1,503. Winter salt and tick prevention are worth budgeting for.
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