When Judy rescued Sugar Cane, an American Bulldog, and her litter of four puppies, I sent out an SOS for fosters.  Chris and Hillary quickly responded and within a couple of days I had this wonderful update on their two new fosters, Hydra and Neptune:

7/14 Foster Update:
"Hydra and Neptune are the 2 female American Bulldog puppies from Cane. Hydra is brindle with white on her chest and white on all her toes, she also has light eyes. Neptune is a lighter brindle almost black with a spotted white chest and her feet are spotted white too, her eyes are darker. They both have white tips on their tails. They also have tons of personality although they are total opposites. Also a small added note I have known the American Bulldog breed for sometime and own one myself, in my strong opinion I believe these pups are full-blooded American Bulldogs.
 
Hydra is a little more laid back, although she has her moments of craziness. She has more of a tendency to cuddle and if you’re sitting on the floor she will lay as close as she can to you. Or if you’re sitting somewhere she will usually lay at your feet. She does not like to walk on the wet grass but with some persuasion will do so. She walks a lot better on the leash so far.
 
Neptune is definitely more feisty and playful. She likes to sleep with Hydra and has a little more guts when it comes to going after our older dogs. If you’re sitting on the floor she will crawl up on your lap and lay there. Neptune is reluctant to go outside since she has already crashed into the sliding glass door a couple times but if you walk through it first she will follow. She also doesn’t like to walk on the wet grass but also will with persuasion. She needs work with the whole leash thing, she will tug a bit but if you don’t let her win she will walk. She loves to chew anything and everything, softer chew toys are dying quickly.
 
Both of them love the sun and will often just lie down and chill out for a while. They are typical puppies play like crazy, drink, pee and sleep and then get up and do it all again. Surprisingly we’ve only had 2 pee accidents in the house and no poops. We do take them out fairly often both with our older bigger dogs and just the puppies. Sometimes they need extra time to do their business since they are still learning, so patience and walking fence line is working. They both are getting the hang of “no” and “down”, working on “sit” and “stay” which is going ok. They are both very smart and are even learning there names, sometimes (haha). They both sleep in a cage at night and have done great with that so far and we have even put them down for a nap during the day in the cage while other distractions are going on and they do great. They might whine for a minute or two but we tell them no and it’s ok and they just chill out or go to sleep. So far no messes in the cage and they even made it through the night.
 
We have attached some pictures. Hydra is a little more photogenic and Neptune does sit still much to get a great picture. In some of the pictures is our American Bulldog Venus. Are pit-mix Starr is on the older side and just likes to watch most of the time, so she is not in any pictures."

According to www.dogbreedinfo.com, early Bulldogs were used in the bloody sport of bull bating. Some of these dogs emigrated with their masters from England to America. Eventually the English Bulldog was bred down in size and his personality was softened, but the American version remained a larger, fiercer dog. The American version has longer legs and more speed and agility than the English show dog. Thanks to the efforts of John D. Johnson of Summerville, Georgia the American Bulldog exists today. After he returned from WW II he was disappointed to find that, like the English Mastiff, they were almost completely extinct. He then decided to gather the best he could find from all across the rural south and bring them back from the brink of extinction. He has been breeding these dogs longer than anyone else in the world and his father bred them before him. He is an old man now (in his 80's) and these dogs have always existed in his family. He is the sole reason why they exist today. If it were not for his efforts they surely would be gone. He has been breeding them non-stop since then. The American Bulldog has also been used as a guard and in hunting bear, wild boar, squirrel and raccoon. They have even been trained to drive cattle and guard stock from predators. Farmers prize these dogs for their stamina, protectiveness, intelligence and working abilities. Some of the American Bulldogs talents are hunting, watchdogging, tracking, weight pulling, and guarding. An American Bulldog should never be confused with uniquely different breeds such as the American Staffordshire Terrier or the American Pit Bull Terrier. The American Bulldog is a brave and determined, but not hostile dog. Alert and self-confident, this breed genuinely loves children. It is known for its acts of heroism towards its master. These dogs have fought wild dogs, bulls and even fire. It is said "fighting off one of these dogs is like fighting an animal that possesses an alligator's head and a python's body." Yet when called off by their handler, they immediately obey. No wonder they are said to have "true grit, true devotion and true love." Because of its strong protective instincts, the American Bulldog should be well-socialized and obedience trained at an early age. Some may be aggressive with other dogs and reserved with strangers. They need to be around people to be truly happy. This breed tends to drool and slobber. They have a life expectancy of up to 16 years.