Satisfied Customer
Doug
from Texas

Gator
Ruckus / Possum pup




      Gator at 6 weeks old




14 August 2001

To Whom It May Concern:

Back in the early part of the year 2000, I was working out with a
good friend of mine when our “between sets” conversation turned to
dogs. I was raised on a working ranch and so I had a great deal
of experience with hounds and herding dogs. I grew up with tough
working dogs that had to earn their keep. My friend had a great
deal of practical experience with Pit Bulls, English Bulldogs, and
American Bulldogs. While I was familiar with the first two
breeds, I knew very little about the American Bulldog. My friend
explained that they were perhaps the ultimate member of the “bull
breeds” and he gave me an impromptu American Bulldog history
lesson right then and there. He gave a near scholarly lecture on
the foundation dogs from the bull and bear-baiting arenas of
England as well as the hog catching strains here in the Southern
colonies of the New World. I resolved then to learn more about
this breed and, because I was looking for another dog, to begin
looking for breeders of American Bulldogs.

I spent weeks reading everything I could about this breed and I
found quite a few breeders that caught my attention.. I purchased
and read every known book in print about the American Bulldog. I
even ordered videotapes that showed these dogs being used in hog
hunting and in protection work. I used my professional training
and common sense to sift through the hype, misconceptions, and
falsehoods about this breed and focused instead on the practical
form of American Bulldogs which were descended from the true “Old
Time” bulldogs. Mr. Lem Miller of Joshua Kennels authored one of
the books that most helped me with this endeavor. Through this
book and the Joshua Kennels website, I was able to learn even more
about the American Bulldog. It was through this same website that
I found Laura Kennels in Florida. During my research and
investigation, I began to narrow my selections for potential
breeders from whom I might purchase an American Bulldog puppy.
After even more research, multiple emails, and several phone
calls, I selected Laura Kennels as the kennels I wished to buy my
puppy from.

Mr. Tom Farmer and Ms. Lynn Hall have proven themselves to be
polite, decent, and caring people. In my profession, I encounter
every type of personality and I have to be able to quickly discern
what kind of people I am dealing with. In every instance I found
Mr. Farmer and Ms. Hall to be down-to-earth, honest people of the
same type that I grew up with. Despite the fact that I am from
Texas and they are from Florida, both Mr. Farmer and Ms. Hall
proved to be the same as the traditional Southern ladies and
gentlemen from my own hometown. I am not exaggerating when I say
that it felt as if though I was dealing with family while we made
arrangements for my selecting and buying a puppy. They proved to
be extremely honest about their dogs and even warned me away from
one particular puppy that was beginning to exhibit characteristics
which were less than satisfactory. This kind of brutal honesty
even further confirmed my belief that I had picked the right breeder.

Through a series of photographs and videotapes, I was able to
choose the puppy I wanted. I was nervous about buying a dog I had
never actually seen but Ms. Hall made the process easier as she
walked me through the details involved in shipping and delivery.
Again, I felt like my own Aunt was on the other end of the line
reassuring me that everything was going to work out fine.
Finally, in August of 2000, I took delivery of my puppy at DFW
airport here in Texas. He was a small white puppy and he proved
to be exactly what I had ordered. Everything had indeed worked
out just as Ms. Hall had assured me it would.




My dog’s full name is “Laura’s Devastator Texagator” but I just
call him “Gator.” Of course “Gator” is one of the more common
bulldog names. However, at the time, I thought it was a very
original name since he had come from Florida and, like alligators,
American Bulldogs have a reputation for tenacious biting ability.
Gator has proven to be a very intelligent dog and he was very easy
to train. He learned to sit after only one session and he learned
to “down” after only two sessions



Gator now understands and obeys many different commands to
include: Sit, Stay, Down, Up-Sit, Wait, Out, Off, Heel, Get Him
(as in “get” the rope and other things- not people), and Watch
Him. My friends and family often comment on how well behaved
Gator is. He has a very calm disposition until a true stranger
approaches the fence or until it’s time to play on the spring-
pole. He is proving to be absolutely tenacious on the spring-pole
I have set up for him. I have a thick cotton rope I braided
together on a 165 lb. garage door spring. He can literally hang
in the air by his teeth from that rope and he loves to attack it
and shake it in earnest.



My neighbor's children can play with him though and he obeys their
commands to sit, down, etc. The neighbors told me that they had
some other kids over to spend the night about three weeks ago and
that all the boys were playing "War" at night. The two brothers
who live next door were sneaking around and lay down along my
fence. They said that Gator came up to them and quietly lay down
beside them. The two neighbor boys ran off and Gator stayed by
the fence. A few minutes later, the other two boys came to that
same spot and tried to hide there but Gator jumped up and started
barking at them. They couldn't stay there because he gave them
away and he wouldn't do what they told him to. The neighbors have
been very impressed with Gator and they tell me that they have
seen him "woof" at strangers who approach our properties. The man
next door says that he knows to go check outside if Gator starts
barking because he knows that Gator only barks when he needs to.



Gator weighed 65 lbs at one year old and he must weigh close to 70
pounds at 14 months old. He is still growing and I think he has
yet to reach his full potential. He is starting to look very
muscular and powerful. You can see the muscles bulging in his
legs and shoulders when he walks. His head is getting bigger
again and he is starting to closely resemble some of the photos I
have seen of old-time legendary bulldogs. He looks like a larger,
more heavily muscled, male-version of his mother, Possum. At the
right angle, he also looks a lot like the photo of Sandman the
Great from the Joshua Kennels website. After I got Gator, I did
even more research into his pedigree and found many truly
legendary American Bulldogs in his background. I have spoken with
some of the other breeders of Gator’s ancestors and they have
expressed extreme interest in seeing how he is going to turn out
as a fully developed adult dog.





I am very satisfied with the both the service and the final
product that I received from Laura Kennels. During Gator’s first
visit to the Veterinarian, the vet said that he had never seen
such professional and complete healthcare documentation for any
dog from any other breeder. Laura Kennels has provided me with
exactly the kind of dog I was looking for and more. I
unhesitatingly recommend Laura Kennels to any prospective buyer of
a true and traditional Old-Time American Bulldog.