Tell our readers about Smokin Barrel Bullies!
Our names are Marcus Jose and Danice Discipulo, of Smokin Barrel Bullies California. You can find us in Sacramento, California.
What type of dogs do you breed?
I breed American Bully’s. Growing up I have always been around the American Pit Bull Terrier and Am Staffs. I’ve always wanted my dogs to have more muscle or to have the biggest head. Once introduced to the American Bully breed. I fell in love with it. This was about 5 years ago.
What type of diet do you keep your dogs on throughout the year?
Most of my animals are on a grain free diet. However, my animals that are currently showing during that season are on a 100% raw diet that I make myself.
What is your favorite bloodline?
I don’t have one. For me there isn’t one bloodline that completely embodies the breed type. Some are close but not exactly. I like a little bit of everything.
Do you currently show, any of your dogs?
I do. I’ve been actively showing more or less for the better part of 5 years.
What advice does Smokin Barrel Bullies have for any upcoming breeders?
Sift through the hype and BS, and have an objective view when you’re looking at a dog. Know your breed standards and apply those standards to every bully you are breaking down. That’s how we are going to be able to get this breed to be respected and consistent.
What do you think, is the most difficult thing for people in the bully game to overcome?
The hardest thing for people to overcome is to be able to definitively draw a line between hype and real. It’s seems like people hyping themselves, their dogs, and their kennels is running ramped, and they’ve got everyone fooled.
How do you think they can overcome this thing?
The first step is to be aware of it. Some dogs have no business being bred. However, that doesn’t occur to many people.
Who do you look up to in the bully game, and why?
I look up to two people in the game. The first is Honorable judge John Certeza. Literally, the first guy to give me any sort of advice when I first started out. To this day he is still someone I go to for advice often. The second is Honorable judge Ryan McCawley my friend, partner, and brother. There’s little to no topic that you can ask this man about the breed that he cannot break down in detail. He was and still is invaluable to my development as a breeder and advocate for this breed.
Tell us about one of Smokin Barrel Bullies most memorable moments, in 2017 so far.
I think the ultimate prize for a show goer and breeder is to win a Best in Breed and Best in Show. This year a bully I produced and own, won 2 shows and 3 Best in Breed’s. It was a very proud moment because the dog that did it had broken her leg 8 months prior, which stop us from showing again till late 2017. But we ended with a bang!
Describe how you would want things, in the bully Community, to be 10 years from now.
I don’t know if I can say how I want them to be because I truthfully do not know. Although I don’t believe in, nor like some of the things in the community, it’s still interesting. If anything, I’d like to see less politics in the community and less BS.
What separates Smokin Barrel Bullies from the competition?
My partners and I want to be known as fixed points. Through the ups and downs of the breed, the love and hate, the hype and the real. We want to be known as the guys who kept producing consistent, progressive bullies to the standard. That’s how we separate ourselves.
In your own words, what is an Exotic Bully?
I don’t believe it should be called a bully. From my understanding, once a dog gets a written standard that is accepted by a registry, it fly’s under that flag. Once you intentionally breed dogs outside of the standard, I don’t believe they should carry the title “Bully”. If you asked me what is an exotic bully I would answer, not my kind of dog.
What is your opinion on the new exotic breed movement?
I don’t understand it. I don’t understand what they stand for or what their trying to accomplish. If they don’t have a direction or reason for the dog to exist, can it really be called a movement? If they do have a reason, I don’t know it and can not have an opinion.
What other hobbies or interests do you take part in?
I like to shoot guns, drink alcohol, and drive fast. Not necessarily in that order though. I’m joking. My family is the most important thing in the world to me. When it’s not dogs or my career, my family gets all my time.
What do you think of Bully Girl Magazine?
I think that anyone that can develop a platform that can reach our community and affect it in a positive way is good with me.
