Without a doubt. You could take a perfectly wonderful Irish terrier and ruin it with bad treatment or bad training or total spoiling. Like any terrier, they're stubborn and have "selective deafness" (just like a teenager)
In fact, Pippin, our female IT, was food abused in her first home and was very, VERY messed up when she came to us. It took several years of intensive love and "therapy" with me to turn her into the wonderful pet she is now (although she still to this day has some food issues). Still, an IT would have to be abused repeatedly, and by a child, to be unsafe with that child, I think. They have that built in guarding/nanny instinct, just like a Kuvasz has a built in herding instinct.
One word on shelter dogs... all the shelter dogs (or rescue dogs, not always the same, as with our two) tend to be grateful to their rescuer. I've never had a shelter dog with a behavior problem with people. Piddling on carpets, yes...chewing up shoes, you bet...even had one that had a thing for eating underwear. Used. But never a people problem. They are deeply affected by being abandoned, and are yours to their toenails when they are adopted and loved again.
If anybody wants a non-shelter dog that is still a dog NEEDING a home, contact the breed rescue group of the breed of dog you're interested in.
But yes, do your homework and know what you're getting, for sure.
Springmom the well-guarded
