First of all, loving animals was hard-wired in me (esp. dogs and horses--I trained horses pro for many years). My father loved dogs, and every dog we got while I was growing up ended up 'his' dog, you know? I LOVED wolves, I think that was hard-wired also, and for me to love GSDs was, I am sure, because to me GSDs looked the most like wolves. I had to wait until I was on my own to get one, however. As much as my Dad loved dogs, he didn't like GSDs. My mother's family had one while he was courting her, and the dog didn't want him anywhere near her, LOL. Guess he held that against all GSDs!
In the early '80s, I found out that people were crossing GSDs with pure wolves, and, of course, I had to get one. My first was 1/4 wolf, and he was such a great dog that next I went for half wolf, half GSD. Please, I don't want to get into an argument about the ethics of such breeding, etc. I had a number of them over the years, all GREAT canine companions, and at the same time I had GSDs, never over 3 canines at once--in my mind, for me, that's the limit, otherwise you can't give them the time and attention they need. I am still a HUGE fan of the wolf/shepherd cross, but not for everyone. It takes someone who knows enough about canine behavior to look past a great deal of posturing, someone assertive enough to be alpha to 120 lbs of muscle and bone and a brain that exceeds even our beloved GSDs. Thank God, though, they don't have the drive of our working GSDs--in comparison, they're a bit on the lazy side.
I had one wolfdog and one GSD when Michigan passed a ban on wolfdogs (based on the lies of one woman, but that's another story). He lived the rest of his life with us until he died at 14, with no one the wiser--my vet was the only one who knew the breeding of all my dogs, and she kept their secrets. Now I have only purebred GSDs, but would get another wolf shepherd again if it were legal to do so. I do love ALL my GSDs, but as I look back, I have had more sables than anything else--could it be because they look more wolf-like?
Long live the GSD!