▁black ▁p ig ment ▁longer ▁as ▁they ▁age . ▁ ▁North ▁American ▁gray ▁w olf - dom estic ▁dog ▁ad mi xture ▁As ▁of ▁ 1 9 9 9 ▁in ▁the ▁United ▁States , ▁over ▁ 1 0 0 , 0 0 0 ▁w olf d ogs ▁exist . ▁In ▁first - gener ation ▁w olf d ogs , ▁gray ▁wol ves ▁are ▁most ▁often ▁crossed ▁with ▁w olf - like ▁dogs ▁( such ▁as ▁German ▁She ph erd ▁D ogs , ▁Si ber ian ▁H usk ies , ▁and ▁Al ask an ▁Mal am utes ) ▁for ▁an ▁appearance ▁most ▁appe aling ▁to ▁own ers ▁des iring ▁an ▁ex otic ▁pet . ▁ ▁Document ed ▁bre eding ▁ ▁The ▁first ▁record ▁of ▁w olf dog ▁bre eding ▁in ▁Great ▁Britain ▁comes ▁from ▁the ▁year ▁ 1 7 6 6 ▁when ▁what ▁is ▁thought ▁was ▁a ▁male ▁w olf ▁m ated ▁with ▁a ▁dog ▁identified ▁in ▁the ▁language ▁of ▁the ▁day ▁as ▁a ▁" P omer an ian ", ▁although ▁it ▁may ▁have ▁differ ed ▁from ▁the ▁modern ▁P omer an ian ▁bre ed . ▁ ▁The ▁union ▁resulted ▁in ▁a ▁l itter ▁of ▁nine ▁pu ps . ▁Wolf d ogs ▁were ▁occasionally ▁purchased ▁by ▁English ▁no blem en , ▁who ▁viewed ▁them ▁as ▁a ▁scientific ▁curiosity . ▁Wolf d ogs ▁were ▁popular ▁exhib its ▁in ▁British ▁men ager ies ▁and ▁zo os . ▁ ▁Six ▁bre eds ▁of ▁dog ▁exist ▁that ▁acknow ledge ▁a ▁significant ▁amount ▁of ▁recent ▁w olf - dog