'I struggled to find my perfect dog breed - so I just made a new one instead'

In the quest for the perfect canine companion, Vicki Spencer from Palm Bay, Florida, took matters into her own hands, embarking on a journey to create a breed that perfectly aligned with her vision.

Frustrated by the inability to find an existing breed that matched her criteria, Vicki set out to design a dog that combined the striking silhouette of a wolf with the temperament of an affectionate and easygoing family pet.

She began developing her perfect dog breed in 2011 when her first litter arrived.

However, Vicki's inspiration for this unique breed had been 17 years in the making when she first had the idea while working with wolfdogs. 

Her time working with wolfdogs proved very important in developing the new breed. 

Speaking to Newsweek, she said: "I worked with my wolfdogs trying to produce the sweetest, friendliest and wolfiest-looking dogs that I could."

After producing her first litter of Southern Breeze blue coat wolfdogs, she started bringing German shepherds into the mix, hoping their loyal and loving nature would shine through in the next litter.

By carefully selecting and breeding, she successfully developed a novel breed known as the blue bay shepherd, combining the best qualities, in her opinion, of both wolfdogs and German shepherds.

Vicki explained: "I wanted to develop this new breed because I wanted something myself that I couldn't find in any breed of dog. The beauty of the wolf can't be surpassed by any other breed but looks only go so far.

"I found that the wolf and wolfdogs were an animal that had almost everything you could want, but the timid nature that was necessary for them to survive in the wild does not serve them well in the human world.

"Wolfdogs have been around for many years as well, but I think most people just wanted to breed them to get the look of the wolf and just didn't have a specific vision or a goal for anything else."

The large dogs are much bigger than the average dog with female blue bay shepherds weighing around 85 pounds and males around 105 pounds.

These majestic canines exude a wolf-like allure, adorned in a coat of striking blue or slate grey. 

Vicki said they could make perfect pets thanks to their "superior intelligence and beauty", claiming they take well to training and are eager to please.

She added: I do honestly believe I have been blessed in this venture. 

"The blue bays right from the first litters on the ground have met and exceeded all expectations. And I just don't think that can happen by luck."

She hopes that once development is completed, the dog breed will soon join households across the world as loving and loyal pets.

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