Well, after seeing Nikki's picture, I can't imagine why anyone would think that she's a mean dog! She looks like such a sweetheart I just want to reach out and hug her.

I do also believe that kids should be trained better. In my training club we always say that it is easier to teach a child manners than it is to train a dog off of it's instincts. The following normal child behaviors mean different things in dog language:

Child Behavior: What it means to a dog:
Yelling Viscious barking
Screeching Hurt potential prey
Running around Hurt Potential prey
waving arms trying to escape
Quick, jerky Agression
movement
Riding the doggie Dominance mounting
Chasing the doggie Agression (or play)
Roughousing Dominance challenge
Staring Dominance challenge
Fear Potential prey

It shouldn't be too difficult to teach a child that these behaviors can make the doggie mad but that, if they learn not to do them, that the doggie will usually be nice.

My mother has a dog that will forever be fearful of children because a pack of evil ones (her former boss's neices and nephews) chased him, cornered him, and scared him so much that he pooped. I can't imagine what could have happened if he was a fear biter; after all, he is just eleven pounds and probably thought that they were going to eat him! Even so, it scarred his perceptions for a long time and it took several years to get him to willingly go near new people. He would probably be a much more social dog if that hadn't have happened.