I have ferrets, domestic baby skunks, cats, shelties and collies. These two dog breeds are among the gentlest you can find. They are wonderful with small animals and children. I never leave my dogs with my small animals unsupervised, because you can never be too careful, but I do trust the dogs to be in the room with them with me there. They are very tolerant and patient and I strongly recommend either of these breeds.As a final note, the collie tends to be more laid back - some shelties can be quite hyper, although still very gentle. [Posted in FML issue 1641]