Britten's Champion American Bulldogs
Home Of The Big And Bully
100% Johnson American Bulldogs
Britten's American Bulldogs
Johnathan and Ashley Britten
Located in Gulfport, Mississippi
(228)-860-3245 OR (228)-860-0956
seabeesscw@yahoo.com

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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. The Pit was later removed from the name to eliminate
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.  John D. Johnson LLC kennel is run
and managed by Scott Weaver. Scott Weaver still holds one spring show a year.   
     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.   However, as with any
large dog, children should be supervised when in their presence. They do have a stubborn streak,
so obedience training is strongly recommended. The courage of the American Bulldog is
unparralled, 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 Ferrel
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 registery.  The Backwoods Bulldog Club
(BBC), formerly the Backwoods Bulldog Confederation, came along in the mid 1990's, holding their
first show in May 1997, but only formed a registry in 2002.  The BBC still holds at the least 16 shows
a year. The American Bulldog Registry & Archives (ABRA) which was established in 1999 still holds
shows also.  Not to be left outdone, the United Kennel Club also recognised the American Bulldog,
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 (UABA), The American
Bulldog National Alliance, the Heart of Dixie American Bulldog Club, the Working American Bulldog
Association, 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.