Satisfied Customer Profile
This letter is from Doug. He purchased a male puppy out of our Ruckus/Possum litter.
Doug is in a very sensitive career position and thus we have withheld his last name and address per his request.
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.
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Gator at six weeks old. |
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.
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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.
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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.
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