Since this thread has been here, I now own an English Mastiff. He is the absolute nicest dog, to us. He’s a big 150 pound lap dog. I literally have a picture of him sitting in the lap of my then 4 year old, who was sitting on the bottom of our slide.
We’ve learned he is different out and about. He is VERY protective of my family. When we take him anywhere, either me or my wife have to have hands on his leash at all times. He won’t take off to attack anyone or anything, but if someone approaches us, he’s very much in “I will destroy you” mode. He’s more like that when I’m not around, as he knows I’m the Alpha in the pack.