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Rick and Matt Johnson – the owners of Southwest Bulldogs -- are unscrupulous scam artists. Do not believe anything that they tell you! They are doing the bulldog breeding industry a great disservice and must be "outed" for the unethical breeders that they are.
We purchased a female bulldog from Rick and Matt Johnson of Southwest Bulldogs for $4850 on January 7, 2007. We were told that our puppy was born in Scotland on October 12, 2006. We purchased her with the intent of breeding and were assured that we were receiving a high quality animal that we could breed to Southwest Bulldogs' prized "Limited Edition".
Soon after our puppy arrived, she developed severe demodectic mange and "cherry" eye. We were told by two veterinarians that she should never be bred because of genetic deficiencies. (Matt Johnson told us that ours was the "only" puppy that they'd ever had that exhibited these qualities and suggested that we were somehow mistreating her!)
Our contract with Southwest Bulldogs clearly states that if a veterinarian identifies any serious problems with the puppy sold to us and if the puppy can’t be cured that Southwest Bulldogs will provide a FULL REFUND of the purchase price. Although we have repeatedly contacted Southwest Bulldogs with offers to find a mutual remedy, they have failed to live up to their contract and now are not responding to us at all.
And to add insult to injury, after over a year, we STILL HAVE NO AKC REGISTRATION PAPERWORK! We love our puppy dearly and will cherish her as a beloved pet BUT... we're convinced at this point that she is – and will remain -- unpapered.
We've accepted that we were taken in by these men but we want to let others know to BEWARE SOUTHWEST BULLDOGS OF FLAGSTAFF!
If anyone wants more details, feel free to email us. Everything that we've said is absolutely factual.
If you want proof, I can provide photos of our dog's cherry eye and her mange. I can also provide a letter from a veterinarian saying that she should not be bred because of genetic defects. In addition, I can refer you to another veterinarian who verbally told me the same thing.
Where there's smoke... there's fire and Rick Johnson and Southwest Bulldogs (now www.ArizonaBulldog.com) is ablaze! The list of complants against them continues to grow!
Buyer beware!
First of all, I applaud your effort to out the people responsible for the bad dealings you've had in the bulldog world! I am a bulldog breeder and would never consider importing and selling any dog! As most bully breeders do, I am proud of the puppies I produce and do not think any finer dog could be imported!
I was shocked to read this about these two men. Their website is full of self-righteous jargan discrediting people like myself, who breed and do not own a kennel or rely on this for a living. I am also a nurse and do not depend on my dogs to make a living for me. Their site casts a negative light on LOTS of breeders that I know personally and think alot of. I am so glad to finally hear the truth about these two guys.
I hate that you've had such a bad experience with a bulldog breeder. They are not the norm!
Good luck with the papers!
How do we know the complaint is real and not part of the ongoing vendetta the puppymills have against them.I paid for 1st pick of a 2 mos old white male bull in JAN 2008 and as of now 6 mos later have a quality dog in looks and temperant.I am a RN and stand by this family who have been nothing but good to me.
We also bought a $3500 bulldog from Southwest Bulldogs... imported from Hungary.. developed Mange within days of arrival as well as other health problems. Told Rick about the problems, he even went so far as to say thet the 2 vets we took him to were wrong and that there was nothing wrong with the dog. After almost 6 months and thousands of dollars worth of treatments he was fine. When we had him nutered because we were told he was unfit to breed because of his genetic defects Rick became extreemly angry and continued to insist that all the vets were wrong. We spent thousands on training and eventually he had to be put down at the age of 2 because of temperment problems. We loved that dog and hope no one else has to suffer the way we did.
I purchased Bubba in 2005 from Southwest. I agree with all the comments here. After one week with me Bubba developed a severe pneumonia and was in emergency care for two weeks. Rick accused me of mis-treatment and told me I would not get Bubba's papers because Rick assumed Bubba would die. The vet who has worked on several bulldogs said that Bubba's trachea is the smallest he has ever worked with. He asked me to please neuter him so no other dog would suffer as Bubba did to recover from his pneumonia. Bubba is a happy healthy boy now...but Rick and his business are both Shady and heartless. I hate what happened but I am happy to have Bubba as long as he lives!