Meet the California couple who keep a pack of wolves as their pets..10 in total..

If you're considering getting a domestic pet, your first thought might not be a pack of wolves. But this California couple have no fear about living with the powerful predators.

Paul Pondella and partner Colette Duvall have formed a bond with the animals over the years and, as these incredible pictures show, are very happy to share their lives - and their sofas - with them.

It all started when Paul rescued a female black Alaskan timberwolf hybrid, Shadow.

The product of a mating between a male domestic dog and a female wolf, she was welcomed into the house in Studio City, near Los Angeles, that Paul shares with Colette and is now the oldest wolf resident and alpha female of the pack.

The couple were so in love with Shadow and the idea of living with wolf hybrids that they introduced more of the animals - Allie and Takoda, who had seven newborn pups.

While they look as soft and cuddly as any pooch in these pictures, Paul said that they have needed to dedicate thousands of hours to train the animals because of their wild and fearsome nature.

He said: 'It is a fact that when wild animals become habituated to people, they may lose their fear of humans, especially if they are fed or if they associate humans with providing food, but like any large predator, wolves are perfectly capable of killing people.'

But now that they have been integrated into their unusual living arrangement they are completely at home with the humans - so much so that they are more than happy to slouch on the chairs, sofas and even the couple's bed as if they own the place.

The extraordinary half-wolf half-human family has become so large that it has outgrown its current home and Paul and Colette are now looking to move to a large ranch that will give them all enough room to play in.

When they move home they will carry on a project that has been a passion for the couple ever since Shadow first came into their lives.

When they began caring for the wolf dog hybrids Paul and Colette set out on a mission to educate children about the fabulous creatures and debunk some of the myths surrounding them.

Their program, the Shadowland Foundation, involves a variety of activities to highlight the plight of wolves and educate about nature through first hand experience.