A mere anecdote, but we had an Australian shepherd that was the sweetest most gentle dog. We ended up using him as a therapy dog at Children's hospitals, university campuses, elementary schools and started a "paws to Read" program at the local library. We were fortunate to rescue his mom and she too, was sweet and gentle. When she passed we were able to get one of her granddaughters and the first dogs, niece hoping to get the same personality. Nope. She was all spit and vinegar and although she loved people (against (breed type"), she was aggressive toward other dogs. No way we could use here as a therapy dog. But she was somehow more endearing to us than the first two.
