| Our Mission Welcome to Britten's American Bulldogs. At our house we continue Mr John D Johnson's (RIP) American Bulldog legacy, producing 100% Johnson American Bulldogs. We strive for conformation, health, working ability, tenacity, and over all temperment. Our American Bulldogs are the perfect family pet, and guardian. American Bulldogs are also my families' passion. All of our dogs are pets and part of the family. They are not treated like livestock. We do not puppy mill or breed dogs for a living. I have served active duty in the United States Navy as a Seabee for the past 11 years while my wife is a high school history teacher. I am the third generation in my family to produce American Bulldogs. American bulldogs have been in my family since 1945. I grew up listening to my fathers stories of the American Bulldogs my grandparents raised when he was a boy on the family farm. I knew one day I would have some of my own. So when my wife and I decided to get a dog I already had the breed picked out. My wife and I bought our first American Bulldog for home protection, and after seeing how smart, trainable, and protective the American Bulldog was, we were hooked and fell into the family tradition. If your looking for a dog that the neighborhood children can play with, but will stand it's ground to protect it's family and home, we have the American Bulldog you are looking for. We only have one or two litters a year. All of our puppies are family raised, and socialized with children, other dogs, and cats from birth. So if you are interested you can call us, or stop by anytime. Phil Allen (RIP) said "100% Johnson American Bulldogs are like potato chips, you can't have just one" Johnathan and Ashley Britten Britten's American Bulldogs Located in Gulfport, Mississippi (228)-860-3245 OR (228)-860-0956 seabeesscw@yahoo.com |
| Britten's Champion American Bulldogs Home Of The Champion Johnson American Bulldogs |
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UABA Classic 4/10,11/2010 Check our events page |
| American Bulldog History The Bulldog was brought by immigrants from England in the late 1700's and early 1800's. They settled in what is now the Southeastern United States. This Bulldog has gone by many names, Old Southern White, White English and just plain Bulldog. He was used on farms and plantations throughout the South. His main job was guarding the homestead. He was also used as a catch dog to round up free ranging livestock such as hogs and cattle. By the late 1940's, due to the decline in the number of family farms and the migration of people to the cities, these Bulldogs had declined greatly in numbers and could only be found in small pockets in areas of Northern Florida, Northern Georgia and the Sand Mountain area of Northeastern Alabama. After returning from World War II, John D. Johnson of Summerville, Georgia, remembering the bulldogs his family had owned in his youth, began collecting the best representations of these bulldogs. Until the early 1970's, this bulldog had never been registered as a breed. By this time, John D. Johnson and Alan Scott near Fort Payne, Alabama had joined forces. Having decided to begin registering their dogs, they chose the National Kennel Club for their registry, called their dogs American Pit Bulldogs, and wrote the first American Bulldog Breed Standard. On July 7, 1970 the National Kennel Club approved the breed standard and started registering the first American Pit Bulldogs. Johnson and Scott began promoting their dogs and influencing others to register their dogs. They also began holding shows. Joe Painter came up with the idea to remove the Pit from the American Pit Bulldog name to eliminate the confusion with the Pit Bull Terrier, and the breed became known as American Bulldogs. At some point Scott and Johnson had a disagreement and quit holding shows and using each other's dogs in their breeding programs. Gradually their idea of what type of dog they wanted changed. Scott wanted a smaller, more agile dog and bred for those traits. Due to personal problems, Alan Scott eventually sold most of his dogs and quit breeding for more than a decade. Though untrue, at one point some even thought him to be dead. Later Scott was able to retrieve some of his line and rebuild his Owl Hollow Kennel. He has a farm just north of Fort Payne where he raises Percheron Horses and American Bulldogs. John D. Johnson changed his choice of registry to the Animal Research Foundation and continued to breed his dogs. His dogs gradually evolved into a tall big boned bulldog with a noticeably broad head and short muzzle. He and his wife, Mildred, raised bulldogs for many years. To distinguish his dogs from other Johnson type American Bulldogs, Johnson recently started calling his dogs "John D. Johnson Bulldogs". A registry for the John D. Johnson Bulldog was started by Mike and Joan Farley, but is apparently now defunct. Although Mildred passed away in 2001, Mr. Johnson still has a few of his bulldogs at his home in Summerville, Georgia before his passing in 2008, while the majority of his better dogs are at the new kennel managed by Scott Weaver. They have formed a partnership and trademarked the new kennel, calling it the Johnson Kennels llc. American Bulldog enthusiasts all over the world owe a debt of gratitude to Alan Scott and John D. Johnson. It was through their foresight in establishing a named breed that we have the dogs of today. Lest we forget others of note, like Cel Ashley, W. C. Bailey, Lance Kettles and his father, The Williamsons, Rayburn Stover, Darin Jones, and Joe Painter, should be also considered founding fathers of the American Bulldog. For surely, you can still see their names in some of the old pedigrees of that early time. American Bulldogs are powerful dogs bred for versatility. They are loyal, bold and fearless. They make an excellent family companion, bonding strongly with their owners. They do have a stubborn streak, so obedience training is strongly recommended. The courage of the American Bulldog is unparallel, with stories of heroism abounding in areas of the South where the "Bulldog" was first found. They are still used as guardians of the home and on farms to catch escaped cattle and hogs. They are also adept at driving cattle. They make excellent dogs to hunt and catch destructive feral hogs or the feared razorback both of which are regarded as destructive pests who destroy farm land and subdivision landscaping with equal abandon. Although once considered only as guardians of the farm, American Bulldogs have enjoyed a surge in popularity. They excel at Canine Sporting Events such as Weight Pulling and in protection work such as Schutzhund. As their popularity has grown, so have the registries. In the years since Johnson and Scott started registering American Bulldogs, many registries have come along. The National Kennel Club (NKC) was the founding registry for the breed in 1970, with the Animal Research Foundation (ARF) not far behind. Some twenty years later, in the early 1990's, Cayce Couturier founded the American Bulldog Association (ABA) and started registering American Bulldogs and holding shows. He also produced a magazine he called the American Bulldog Review. He sold the magazine to Gary Fuller in 2007. Fuller has since opened the magazine up for advertising to all breeders, regardless of their choice of registry. The Backwoods Bulldog Club (BBC) came along in the mid 1990's, holding their first show in May 1997, but only formed a registry in 2002. They still hold BBC shows, as does The American Bulldog Registry & Archives (ABRA) which was established in 1999. Not to be left outdone, the United Kennel Club also recognized the American Bulldog, and then started registering American Bulldogs in 1999. Each of the afore named registries, except United Kennel Club (UKC), have separate standards and show rings for the two American Bulldog types, Scott Type (Standard/ Performance) and Bully Type (Classic/Johnson). The UKC standard is more of a hybrid of the two types of American Bulldogs, with all dogs showing in the same ring. Although the NKC once practiced this one ring format, they have since recognized the necessity of the two separate rings for different types. There are several breed clubs, The United American Bulldog Association, Southern American Bulldog Coalition, and the All American Bulldog Club. These breed clubs sponsor events such as conformation and working shows. They are dedicated to the preservation of the American Bulldog and serve as ambassadors to the world to show the many and varied attributes of the American Bulldog. |
