We have had some ups and downs with our dog, Haley. We got her from a rescue shelter almost four years ago. We don't know a lot about the first 12 weeks of her life, or her breed. Early on, we realized she was very afraid of certain people, especially tall men with glasses. She never acted outwardly aggressive, but she would growl and walk or run away. We took her to puppy training school and did everything we could to socialize her. She isn't the kind of dog you would let roam around without a leash, but she fit in well with our family. She's well behaved, and if we were having a big group of people over, we'd just put her in another room. We've always just kind of dealt with her personality.

When I was pregnant, we worried about how she would act with the baby. Before we came home from the hospital, we sent home Hayden's little cap and blanket so she could get used to the scent. We were amazed at how good she was with Hayden when he was a baby. As he got bigger, he would pull up on her and poke her in the face. She never even reacted to it. Now that Hayden is bigger, she has growled at him a few times, and walked away. At first, I didn't read too much into it. I figured she was just letting him know she had had enough, and that was it. I made sure, as soon as I noticed her doing this, that he didn't pull her tail or get in her face. Lately, the growling has gotten a little more frequent. And, over the past two weeks, she will just run away from him, with her fur standing up at her neck. Hayden has never done anything serious to her, or given her a reason to have this type of reaction.

Today, I put Hayden down for a nap, let Haley out in the yard, and went to the laundry room to put some clothes in the dryer. All of a sudden, I could hear her barking. When she barks, it is loud and it sounds serious. I ran outside and saw her at the bottom of our driveway barking her head off at a kid walking home from school. It was a boy of about 12, wearing a big jacket with a hood on. I don't know if that matters or not. She sounded ferocious. She didn't leave our property, and she came right away when I called her. I don't know if that matters either. I think I may be making excuses for her. I really do love her.

We've almost lost her twice. Once to a rattlesnake bite, and last summer to a mysterious sickness/possible poisoning. I just have this feeling in the pit of my stomach that I have to do something and I don't know what to do. Do I hire a dog behaviorist? Do I ask my vet to medicate her? Do we just continue as we are, and just only let her outside on leash?

Do I have to find her a new home?

I love my dog, but if she ever did bite Hayden, I would hate myself for allowing the risk. At the same time, I can't imagine her biting anyone. I don't know what to do.