Stray JRT

Question
Hello:  About 1.5 years now a Jack Russell has been running the neighborhood and survived two winters outside.  She would not come to anyone, she would run away if you took a step towards her and she was not even close to you.  A few months ago I got within 5' of her and so did two other neighbors.  Within the past 3 weeks I have been able to pet her and hold her and I do believe she has adopted me.  A lot of people have looked out for her and fed her but for some reason she took to me.  Here is the problem, we all think she had been abused when we first saw her, now I am wondering if it were by a man because she growls and barks at any man and almost took my boyfriends finger off tonight.  She is very aggressive towards men.  I told her "no" and she sat down and was fine with me when I went to her.  Can she be broken of this?  I have a black lab and a chow and they are fine with her, so far, I would not leave them alone, ever, I am just glad I can get her and she trust me so this coming winter I can put her in my family room downstairs so she can be warm.  But this thing with the barking and growling at men has me very upset.  Two other women in the neighborhood have been able to pet her also, and I do not have her inside with my other two, just for real quick little visits and then back out and she just stays on my porch.  I feed her, as others have but she very rarely ventures off my porch or out of my front yard like she use to, she would be gone for days then re-appear, not anymore. What should I do or can I do?  I don't mind hr adopting me, not at all, I gave her a bath and flea treatment and a vet friend is going to give her shots here at my house, a woman vet, she is great other than the men thing.  I am at a loss and as I said upset.  Thanks for the help and listening.

Answer
Hi Beverly,
What a great person you are and what a great neighborhood you have. It seems like the dog definitely feels safe and trusts you and your home. It's extremely hard to answer your question about if she can be broken of the aggression toward men. There really is no way to tell, except to try.
If you have a kind and patient man who is willing to work with her, very slowly, she might come around. Unfortunately, abuse is one of those things that is never forgotten. It has taken almost two years for her to come around to YOU, it might take another 2 years for her to trust men again. I guess it's really up to you and your boyfriend if you want to give it a try. You might have to get a muzzle for her while he helps to break her fear. Make sure he is calm and assertive, uses a quiet, even tone of voice and gentle hands that never go above the dogs head. It's going to take some time and lots of work. I'm sorry to say, but sometimes even after all the effort, she might always have that fear. It may alleviate a little bit, but abuse is a terrible thing to recover from.
Take it very slow, lots of praise and love, lots of special treats. Have your boyfriend sit still on a blanket or chair in the yard, make no movements or advances toward the dog. Just sit still and quiet. Then have him toss little pieces of cheese or some treat out to the dog to begin to earn her trust. Do this every day making her come a little closer each time until eventually she will take it from his hand. Make sure he NEVER raises his had over the dogs head, and that he never makes any quick movements, at least for now. He should keep his hands low and non threatening. Let the dog see that YOU trust the man too. You can try to sit out in the yard with him a few times to reassure her that he's an OK person. Keep it low key and quiet with no interruptions.  Again, this is going to take lots of time and patience, and even then there are no guarantees. I'm talking weeks here, not days.
Thank you for being such a wonderful and warm human being to this dog, she is a lucky girl. I wish you the very best of luck. Be careful. :)
Carol