Hello, all!

My husband and I are about to become first-time dog owners, and are
considering a shelter dog described as a 1 1/2 year old male terrier
mix (medium sized). He sounds like he meets most of our criteria
(relaxed, low energy level, quiet), but we're concerned because he was
surrendered to the shelter because he nipped one of the children of
his former owners. The shelter staff believe that the nipping incident
occurred when the child was "bugging" the dog (possibly pulling on his
ears) - they don't know anything more than that. The staff have not
observed any further signs of aggressive behaviour in the dog in the
one month the dog has been at the shelter.

My husband and I do not have children, and do not typically have kids
in the house as visitors. Nevertheless, we want a very gentle, loving
dog, and the last thing we want is one who has the potential to be
aggressive or dominant - as first-time owners, we just don't have the
experience to handle such a dog. Should we be concerned that this dog
has that potential, or is a provoked nipping incident no real
reflection on the dog's aggression tendency? We will of course make
our own assessment of the dog's personality, but the shelter is a
four-hour drive from our remote town in northern Canada, and we're
wondering if it's worth the trip.

Thanks very much!
Jenn