Big Paws Only Dog Forums

So, I've been looking at my new family member Dinger and he's got some graying going on around his whiskers.  He's supposedly only 2 years old, but I've noticed that the older some dogs get, they gray....what do you think? I haven't checked out his background yet and if he's older than 2, that's ok, I just wish we weren't lied to. 

Oh - my avatar isn't Dinger, that's a look-a-like until I get my pics uploaded...

  My husband and I have been searching for the right dog for our growing family.  We're looking for a big dog that can serve as a deterrant when I am out and about and a calm, gentle dog when we're home.  We have a 5 year old son and a baby due in May, so the dog would need to be child-friendly as well.  After visiting several shelters for the last month, we came across a fila and seeing the way he was with the vet, both my husband and I thought that he would be the one.  We are taking our son to meet him tomorrow night.  This fila is a male, a year and half and 145 lbs. that can use to put on at least another 20 lbs.  His previous owner gave him up because his landlord found out about the fila and told him it's unacceptable to have this dog there. 

Anyhow, I've been doing my homework and have concerns about the aggressiveness of filas toward strangers or anyone outside of its family.  Ideally, I would like to take this fila w/me on walks with my children in our neighborhood, to the park, and to my parents house when we visit on Sunday's.  He is so adorable looking, I want to take him everywhere! But reading these websites, I don't know if that would be a smart move.  How aggressive and obedient are filas? Are you able to walk yours in your neighborhood? How do I get my fila to be familiar with my extended family that I visit once a week? How does your fila react when friends come to visit? Any insight that you would like to share would be most helpful for us in making the right decision.  I was encouraged by another fila owner to take our son to the shelter tomorrow and see how things go w/our son and the fila and if we do adopt him, to keep a watchful eye on the two until they are completely comfortable with each other.  My son is not hyper boy (which is why we're looking for a calm dog) and I don't believe he will do anything to annoy the dog.  How do my husband and I get comfortable with the fila ourselves?

Any input you can give would be a great help in making the right decision for both my family and the fila waiting to be adopted by the right person and/or family.