My Phone Call With John D. Johnson About His American Bulldogs

Back in the late 90's, I spoke with John D. Johnson about getting one of his American Bulldogs. He was very forthcoming and interesting. I can still hear him saying his dogs are "the finest guard dogs on the planet." 

I asked a lot of questions, and most of what he told me is reflected in an interview of him that can be found on Google (type in: "john johnson American bulldog interview"). There were some important tidbits that should be noted. He stated: 1.) You could only have two in the home, a male and a female. Not two males. Not two females. Any other formula was a setup for a fight. I have found this to be true of all of the original lines of American bulldogs; they didn't like other dogs, but could tolerate another bulldog of the opposite sex in the home. 2.) At the time, another line was becoming popular. He said that line was bred more for fighting, and his were more bred to be home companions and guardians. I didn't verify those claims, just giving you here what he told me. 3.) I wanted to meet his dogs. He said he had sold some breeding dogs to a woman in Port Townsend, WA. Since I lived in the Seattle area, I arranged to meet with her. I really liked her dog. I think her dog was from Dick The Bruiser. But she confirmed that the dog attacked one of her Neapolitan Mastiffs, so she had to make sure that she kept them separate. That also gave me an opportunity to meet some Neos and some Dogue de Bordeaux's, since she bred all three. They were all nice dogs. 

The American Bulldogs of today are different dogs than his foundation stock. Other breeds have been mixed in.