New to the forum and had some questions on American Bulldogs

Hi,
I posted a topic in the introduce yourself forum , but to summarize I am a 37 yr old male that has an 11 yr old English Springer Spaniel who used to be my jogging and biking companion until arthritis became a problem with him. I have always admired the aesthetic look of bulldogs and had it in the back of my mind if I ever was to get another dog. I have been doing alot of reading to determine if an American Bulldog would be a suitable companion and I really think it would fit into my lifestyle and family . My biggest question after finding this forum is in regards to who to purchase a puppy from .
I live in Wisconsin and haven't found alot of breeders in this area and was hesitant to think of purchasing one from far away due to travel distance and didn't think shipping a puppy would be very safe , but after reading a few posts here it seems some people advocate purchasing from a reputable dealer even in another state versus from an unknown breeder close by.

How safe is shipping a puppy and what is a common asking price for American bulldog puppies ? Obviously I don't want to overpay , but then again I don't want to " get what you pay for " and purchase a cheaper puppy that could have problems because the breeder was just out to make a buck . Thank you for taking the time to read this and any replies are welcome .

Mike