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History

Breed History Page Top

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The American Bulldog is a descendant of the Old English Bulldog.  It is believed that the bulldog was in America as early as the 17th century.  They came to the United States in the 1800s, with immigrants who brought their working bulldogs with them.  Small farmers and ranchers used this all-around working dog for many tasks including farm guardians, stock dogs and catch dogs; they even engaged bull-and bear-baiting, with the added exotic sport of American buffalo-baiting adding to its fame.  The breed largely survived, particularly in the Southern States, due to its ability to bring down and catch feral pigs.

 

The breed we know as the American Bulldog was originally known by many different names before the name American Bulldog became the standard.  In different parts of the South he was known as the White English, Southern Bulldog, but most commonly just "bulldog." The breed was not called a bulldog because of a certain look, but because they did real bulldog work. 

 

Before World War II, the American Bulldog was popular in the deep South as a working dog of farmers and ranchers.  The breed almost died out during the war years, with the only surviving dogs kept on farms primarily in the south-east.  The two men who are recognized as the pioneers of bringing the breed back from possible extinction are John D Johnson and Alan Scott.  

The American Bulldog became noticed by the public in the late 1970's and began to increase in popularity. A good all-around family pet and guard dog was a thing to be desired.

 

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