Breeder Spotlight:
Blue Note Kennels and Molly Fooks
Breeding dogs is often considered a hobby, but truly breeding dogs at a high level is an art. It’s putting pieces together, it’s creating a puzzle by actually building the pieces yourself. A great breeder sees the picture before they see the pieces. In the case of Blue Note Bullies the picture has always been clear it was the process of acquiring the pieces that required painstaking patience.
The owner and creator of Blue Note kennels doesn’t look like your stereotypical bully breeder. There are no shiny chains, fancy trucks on big wheels, or a social media platform that brags of her accomplishments. She’s an unassuming woman that to the casual breed enthusiast may get overlooked and bypassed for the flashier breeders that come and go in an ever-turning world of sellers and buyers. Yet behind the mind of Blue Notes creator Molly Fooks, is a breeder that earned everything she had by respecting the dogs and breeders that came before her, and building to leave the breed better than she found it.
A lot of breeders talk about having mentors in the breeding world, they talk about their start, or a first Bully show as if it was a university that taught them the ropes. The simplistic way of most that graduate from this type of university is to buy a dog, breed a dog and then sell its puppies. Molly started differently, her background started with the American Pit Bull Terrier, where she saw some success and her passion grew for breeding initially. She was selling dogs to other states and sold a few to Canada, but life has a way of steering us from our passion. She married and started a life away from dogs and in that time the fire to breed was quelled by simply living life, it wasn’t until years later that she realized she missed what she loved... dogs.
Her mother Phyliss was an accomplished handler and breeder of Aussies and when Molly decided to get another dog it was a no brainer that she scoops up an Aussie from her mom. The thing about being a Bully Breed person is that no other breed changes that want for an impressive dog. The Aussie was the breed for her mom, but not for her and after a year she returned it and set her eyes on what she thought she wanted... another Pit Bull. It only took a moment on the internet to discover the American Bully, she was looking for a Pit, but the search engines kept bringing her to the Bully. She fell in love with the look, the build and the dog that was similar, yet so much more. The breed forever locked on her when she attended Bullypalooza and being blown away by the community, the atmosphere and the dogs… she was hooked, and the start of Blue Note was born.
Her time with her Aussie did bring a positive lesson to Molly, she learned about nutrition from her mom. The ends and outs of a raw diet for dogs, the BARF way and she loved how feeding raw benefitted the Aussies. It was then that she knew that nutrition would be huge in building her American Bullies. It was a call to a breeder that was getting out of the game and the purchase of her foundation female, Gracie that brought her into the Bully World. It wasn’t long before she was looking up legends in Georgia like Primetime and Rocky, befriending DJ of MoBetta, checking out Pitfall kennels and other legends in the South. She was loving the dogs and she had her start, but life hit her again and she went through her separation and eventual divorce. She was able to breed Gracie, but due to a pup being stuck and an emergency C-section , she spayed her at the advice of the vet and although she had a litter, she had lost her foundation female.
It would be almost 3 years of working doubles and providing for her dogs and self that would keep her away from a Bully show. Newly single, with a passion for the breed that wouldn’t allow for shortcuts, saw her create amazing Bulls, but without going to a show they were simply hidden just North of Atlanta. It wasn’t until she was promoted at her job that she would be able to free up a weekend and attend a show. That show was Bully independence in 2014 and the show was a coming out party for Blue Note which up until then hadn’t truly had a name yet. It was the start of winning as her bred by pups Fancy, Zep and Deja grabbed the attention of breeders in attendance. A young Tyler Corn handled Deja to a major, and at that point the show bug had officially bitten Molly and one of the top breeders in the south was born.
It would be moments of acknowledgment that would push her, a look from ABKC Judge
Kino Arroyos (RIP), to a word from Rolando Mata, or a comment from Bully the Kid that would let her know she was on the right track. These minor moments that clarified the thought process that her productions were damn good! It wasn’t just the structure, it was the overall health of her line. She was conscientious of breathing in her Bulls, muscle mass, and ability. A Blue Note dog was more than what was on the outside, but what was on the inside and what went into fueling the machine. Her dogs were well groomed, well-conditioned and the total package, enough so that when she started offering grooming services at shows it wasn’t unusual for her to have a line so long that she would miss watching her own bulls performing in the ring. It didn’t stop the ribbons from coming however…. Ribbons at multiple large events and competing and winning classes at Nationals only stoked the fire of her passion and her want to produce better and better.
The Blue Note list is long now… a long way away from purchasing Gracie for $500. A list of productions that include: GRCH OTIS, LeeLee, Doc, Beetle, Tyrone, and one of the baddest bitches ever built Badu, as well as many more, all carrying and representing the Blue Note name and frame. Blue Note is synonymous with quality pocket and standard built bulls. The difference is that Molly breeds with a love for the overall dog, it’s not money, or fame, it’s seeing her productions being better than her last productions. It’s recognizing that there is a responsibility in not only creating life, but creating dogs that can live long lives. It’s about breeding out anxiety, and bad temperaments and creating dogs that are sound in body as well as mind. It’s the creation of her own mix of raw food that is fed by breeders all over the southeast that is bringing her ideals on health in nutrition to the next generation of breeders, while still fueling the advancement of her own kennel.
Molly Fooks and Blue Note Bullies have come a long way from double shifts, and forgotten banners, it’s a staple in the community and a testament to breeders around the world that do it the right way, for the right reasons and the reward is in the dogs and reaping those rewards benefit the breed! There will always be setbacks, but for Molly and her Bulls the setbacks are simply setups for the future Bulls that will forever run the yard of excellence in Northern Georgia!
If you would like to get to know Molly Fooks and dive deeper into her program or learn about her raw dog food CLICK HERE.
As always leave a comment and let us know what you think......
Awesome and very consistent program.
Ayyyeee Molly is the GOAT 🏆 #bluenote #ATL
What a great loving and caring breeder. I can’t say enough about her and how much she truly loves and cares for all of her fur babies. Her breeding facility is top notch and very clean, with lot of activities for the puppies to play with and attempt to explore new things. My baby Darcy is so loving and kind and is absolutely beautiful. I wouldn’t hesitate one bit of doing business with Molly again, it would absolutely be a pleasure.
Molly's love, devotion and commitment shine through in each of her dogs and their pups! She is a pleasure to work with, patient with all of our questions and is extremely knowledgeable and loves to share that knowledge! She made bring GrCh Otis' daughter to California seamless for us and we're in love with our baby girl! 🐾💕
Great buissnes all across the board! I purchased a dog from her and am very pleased with my decision. Molly is very knowledgeable about thos industry and I only trust her for all my Bully needs.