I'm not tryng to talk you out of a Smooth Collie. If you want another Smooth Collie, I say go for it! And whether you end up rescung or buying from a breeder, I am sure that dog will have a wonderful life with you.

And here comes the but ...

You got a wonderful dog in Oz, but then you are generalizing the whole breed based on him. If you think that every dog you get from a Smooth Collie breeder will be as wonderful as him, you'd be wrong. I'm sure you don't assume that, but I'm pointing it out for argument's sake. Dogs have personalities like people and even if a litter is carefully bred, it can still produce some little stinkers. Also, when you buy (or adopt) an 8 week old puppy, you can't truly see the dog's true personality since they are still babies. MOST of it depends on how you raise them, socialize them, and train them, but there are those exceptions.

The reason Oz is so wonderful is because of how you brought him up. I am confident you could do the same for a shelter puppy.

With that said, if you're drawn to the breed and want another, then thats what you should get for sure! I'm not trying to convince you of anything other than the fact that there are wonderful dogs in shelters and a majority of them don't come with the baggage it seems everyone is thinking they do.