There have been many tales of people accidentally bringing home wild animals mistaking them for puppies.
But one woman has welcomed a young wolf into her family home on purpose.
Alida Nasyrova, 31, made the decision to adopt a wolfdog hybrid two years ago and absolutely adores her unusual choice of pet.
Kira is a hybrid of a Canadian wolf and Alaskan Malamute, and lives an incredibly domesticated life in an apartment in Ufa, Russia.
Alida told The Mirror : "I wanted to get myself an animal but definitely not a dog, so I started looking for hybrids.
"It has been a long process of socialising and bringing up Kira because we don't have competent experts on wolves."
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Alida made the decision to get a wolf from a rescue centre instead of a dog, because the wild animal was better aligned with her morals.
"I think what people have done to dogs in unacceptable. They have intervened in DNA, breeding and strange 'standards of beauty'. I don't want to be a part of it," Alida says.
Alida's family and friends didn't attempt to talk her out of getting a pet wolf.
"The only thing my dad said was 'I don't like it, but this is your life'," Alida explained.
Alida, who runs a pastry shop, says wolf Kira has adapted well to cars, crowds and noisy traffic in the capital of the Republic of Bashkortostan.
When she's not playing in the park with pooches or napping on the sofa, Kira is chilling with Alida's young son, Bogdan, and the family cat, Splyushka.
Alida says Kira is "kind, beautiful and has a calm nature", and always avoids confrontation.
Kira has never shown any aggression towards people or animals - in fact, she's usually the one breaking up dog fights.
Just like any pet, Kira obediently responds to training in exchange for tasty treats.
"She eats meat, vegetables, fruits, herbs and fish. I also give her salmon oil, Atlantic herring oil, kelp and other vitamins," Alida says.
Kira has an "unconditional love for food" which comes from her innate hunting drive to stock up on meat.
"She acts more like a cat than a dog, and likes to communicate with other animals," Alida says.
Due to laws in Russia, Kira has to wear a muzzle when she in public - but this doesn't stop her from having fun.
"She enjoys swimming in the sea, running along the coast and playing in water," Alida says.
Alida shares her unique life on her Instagram page, She's A Wolf, which has more than 63,000 followers worldwide.
Whilst she loves promoting Kira's kind nature online, Alida wouldn't recommend a wolf to everybody.
She added: "I would never advise anyone to have dogs or wolves, because I don't want people to thoughtlessly take an animal for themselves, fail to cope and then throw it out onto the street.
"On my social media, I honestly share all the difficulties and peculiarities of upbringing a wolf, so that people can understand whether they will cope with such an animal."
Do you have an unusual pet at home? Email nia.dalton@reachplc.com.
