I too an am a dog lover. WE have always had a dog.
Every breed has its pluses and minuses. Unfortunately the negative with the PitBull breed is the propensity to kill. They may not mean to do it, however when they do finally attack, their nature is to clamp down and never let go. Sure you can train any dog to be mean. When I was growing up the feared dog was Dobbermen Pinchers. Today you don't hear about them, and rarely see them.
If your after a great family dog, Labs are hard to beat. They are very loving, friendly, athletic, etc. My personal favorite was our Austrialian Sheppard. Smartest dog I ever meet. I took him every where, and I mean everywhere. One time while coaching my sons little league team, my youngest son and a couple of his buddies went off to play. One of the parents commented to teh wife, hey look, your dog is hearding the kids back to us. Sure enough, the dog was slowely working the boys back to the parents. The kids had no clue tehy were being worked, however it was great to see.
Point beining, there are plenty of intellegent, family friendly dogs available. If you want the Pit, go for it, you may never have problems. However if you do, I pray its not fatal.
Currently we have two Shih-tzus, wifes choice. I want an English Bulldog next.