My ex-hubby tells of growing up in the 40s with a pit bull as a family pet. Tells of one time he toddled off too close to the arroyo near his house and fell in, whereby the pit bull jumped in after him and dragged his scrawny soggy diapered butt back to his mother, where she promptly tanned his bee-hind for wandering off.
Obviously the breed has changed since the forties.
Actually, I've found that black and yellow labs will protect loved ones while being great with kids.
And there's that hunting thing, too!