The founder of a new dog breed that is in development told Newsweek how and why she created the standout dogs.
An attempt to create a dog with the silhouette of a wolf and the trainability and happy temperament of a domestic dog, the Blue Bay shepherd is the brainchild of Vicki Spencer.
Spencer started developing the breed in 2011, when the first litter of American Blue Bay shepherds was born. However, the process began around 1994, when she started working with wolfdogs that would serve as the foundation animals for the new breed.
"I worked with my wolfdogs trying to produce the sweetest, friendliest and wolfiest-looking dogs that I could," Spencer told Newsweek. Through the years, the bloodline known as Southern Breeze earned a reputation for these traits, and with the help of a blue coat wolfdog named Sterling, she produced her first litter of Southern Breeze blue coat wolfdogs.
The next step saw her bringing German shepherds into the mix, supporting the aim to mix wolf-like traits while retaining the dogs' loving nature.
By selectively breeding the dogs and analyzing each potential breeding animal for strengths and weaknesses, Spencer sought to create a breed that combined the best attributes of wolfdogs and German shepherds. Over time, she continued breeding and refining the Blue Bay shepherds by selecting animals based on their individual potential and how they complemented each other.
What Is a Blue Bay Shepherd?
The result of Spencer's work is a large dog with a wolf-like appearance in a shade of blue or slate gray. The dogs have light-colored eyes, and their well-built athletic shape shows off their wolf heritage.
A large dog, females weigh up to 85 pounds and males can weigh up to 105 pounds.
"I wanted to develop this new breed because I wanted something myself that I couldn't find in any breed of dog," Spencer said. "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."
By breeding the Blue Bay shepherd, Spencer created a pet with the "superior intelligence and beauty" of a wolf and the trainability and willingness to please of the German shepherd.
While the breed is still in development and Spencer continues her quest to create the perfect pet, there are Blue Bay shepherds living around the world. But the only breeder of the dogs is Spencer, in Palm Bay, Florida.
"I do honestly believe I have been blessed in this venture," Spencer said. "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."
Do you have funny and adorable videos or pictures of your pet you want to share? Send them to life@newsweek.com with some details about your best friend and they could appear in our Pet of the Week lineup.
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
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