Unless the trees contain some type of fungi, I would leave them as an insulator and mulch. Ditto for any mulch that you have added (maintain 3-4" of mulch up to the drip line) or for any snow that has fallen (it is a good insulator). Your pooch may move them around though, if he/she sees any of those pesky squirrels found in some places as they love fences. Hee hee hee!

I go out of my way to mulch my camellias with oak leaves. Pine staw is also good, but we have oaks in our yard, not pines...

As Luis says, they provide some insulation to protect a bit from cold temps, and the leaves will provide nutrients as they slowly break down. Camellias are woodland plants in their native habitats, so leaf mulch is not going to hurt them.

The yard's starting to look good, btw...

Virginia

Keep it from burying the trunks. Ideally you would put wood chips (kept off the fence) over the top to trap the oak leaves and produce a more durable and effective covering of the rooting area.

Mulch is a wonderful thing. As they decompose, they provide a lot of great plant benefits such as weed preventative, cold/heat damage, and moisture retention. We recommend 3-5 inches of mulch around camellias.

don't move the leaves they will retain moisture help with insulation and decompose right there by worms and other critters feeding the camellia's good health top soil and microbe populations. nothing wrong with oak leaves they are very good for composting and such.