The study of heraldry is fascinating when one approaches a family crest or coat of arms (formally known as an “achievement”), as if it was a puzzle. Each of the design element means something, from the colors used (orange, for example, indicates worthy ambition) and the different types of dividing lines, borders, sections (a wavy dividing line refers to the sea or water) to its “hatching” (the term for representing the colors of a coat of arms in black and white, necessary when color printing was excessively expensive).  A huge part of heraldry is, of course, its symbols. Animals, such as deer and lions, were frequently used, but dogs were also part of the visual lexicon as emblems of faithfulness, loyalty, courage, vigilance, and guardianship in heraldry. They were sometimes associated with priests since priests were watchdogs against the devil, but they were also the symbol of a skilled hunter. Apart from the wolf and fox, a few breeds predominated heraldry: The Talbot Hound, as well as the Greyhound, Mastiff, Spaniels and rarely, a terrier.

The family coat of arms at the left belongs to the House of Tudor, the shield held up and protected by a Greyhound and a dragon