Dog on the LaSalle crest ?

[1937 LaSalle coupe]

Does anyone know the breed of dog on the LaSalle crest ? Kinda looks like a whippet. Thanks for any replies... John Lehman... CLC# 26365...

[C.R. Patton II]

Hello John

You pose a good question.

The canine on the LaSalle crest is a whippet.  This is a sighthound breed that originated in England.  It denotes great speed, power and balance.  Theorist could surmise that this was the Harley Earl concept for his LaSalle automobile creation.

[Tom Boehm]

Hello John, According to the Cadillac Database website the dog on the Lasalle logo is a greyhound. That site has a lengthy history of frenchman Robert Cavelier, Sieur de Lasalle and his family coat of arms which is the logo on the cars.
     After perusing that site a while back, I noticed the Lasalle logo on the Cadillac Lasalle Club website has a horse on it rather than a greyhound! I also noticed this same error in the Self Starter. I brought this to the attention of the editor and he corrected the error on the graphic. Tim Coy forwarded the corrected graphic to the webmaster of the CLC website but it has not been changed yet. The Lasalle logo is posted on the CLC website in nice printable form in the gallery section. Tom Boehm

[C.R. Patton II]

Hello Tom

I am very grateful for your effort and initiative to disseminate accurate information.   The entire CLC IT and Self-Starter group do a great job of maintaining our Cadillac & LaSalle Club database.

The American Kennel Club lists a whippet as a greyhound.

[veesixteen]

The whippet is a breed of greyhound, of which there are multiple varieties. Here's some basic info :

http://moderndogmagazine.com/articles/whats-difference-between-greyhound-and-whippet/44975

The information I have on the LaSalle badge does not differentiate between greyhound and whippet. I guess it's safe to say the dog is a "greyhound", and leave it at that.

[Quentin Hall]

Greyhound, whippet, I don't  really mind. I'm just relieved that it wasn't a Shetland sheepdog.
Ps Yann, happy birthday last week. Three quarters of a century! Congrats.

[Tom Boehm]

Hello Lasalle fans, I don't think it matters whether it is a greyhound or a whippet because the logos on the cars are too small to tell the difference. It is definitely not a horse though!

[Bob Hoffmann CLC#96]

Guys,
 Here's a nice big picture of the dog. Approx. 5" long. I'm not a dog expert, but whippets & greyhounds have a "roach" back. This dog does not. It looks like some kind of a long legged hound. IMO.
 Bob

[veesixteen]

It's just a "drawing", Bob. I would not rely on it too much to determine the specific breed of dog.
Here are two more "LaSalle" related hounds.
BTW, the background color of the shield is sable (black) and the star & hound are argent (silver).

[veesixteen]

BTW, the lower image shows the colors of the city of La Salle in Michigan. The artist has taken some liberty with the original 17th century heraldic color scheme.

[Art Director]

Stay tuned for the next issue of The Self-Starter, which should settle this debate. Turns out neither logo was incorrect. Tim

[Joe Gildea #3736]

One of the two top crests on Peter Fuller Cadillac, at 808 Commonwealth Ave, Boston, had a horse instead of a dog.
Peter Fuller raced horses - and had the symbol changed for his building.
The crests were removed from the building when Boston University bought it.
The full-size replica of the crests is at the Lars Anderson Auto Museum in Brookline, MA
- Joe Gildea
Boston

[veesixteen]

Would you have (or could you get) a photo of that "horsey" crest ?

Yann
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