Character Design- Grey Wolf

Here is the buddy/pet of the main character. I want his design to be as far from the typical "bipedal humanoid with a wolf head" as I can. I want him to be more like a huge wolf that just happens to be able to stand on two legs. Some type of genetic hybrid out of science fiction, and not like one of those stupid "furry" characters. And no he's NOT a werewolf.

Right now I'm trying to decide whether or not he should be able to talk, and also where in the story he should be introduced. Originally he was going to be Brandt's pet/friend from the beginning.

But introducing him that way, he really didn't have a strong motive. Recently I've begun to think that it might be better to introduce him later in the story as a character Brandt meets. This seems to give him a better motivation and more of a chance for his character to come through. But I really did like him being life-long friends with Brandt, so I'm still unsure.