Hound

The common dog is one of the ubiquitous animal companions of humanity. Of dogs, there are three broad categories of breed: lapdogs, guard dogs, and hounds. The lapdog is typically small and weak, a companion to provide comfort and entertainment. Guard dogs are raised for their acting ability, putting on an impressive show of force that will drive away an indruder, drive cattle toward their barn, and so forth. The hound, however, is a hunter, close in many ways to the wild wolf, but hunting alongside humans, recognizing the greater purpose that the wild wolf is unable to recognize.
In the wider world, the hound is seen a symbol of nobility and loyalty. Noble knights and houses that bear the visage of the hound on their coat of arms proclaim themselves to be a dangerous but loyal ally of their leige lord, the kind of vassal who will see their master's will done, regardless of the cost to themselves or others.

The Hunting Hounds of the Guild

For all its popularity in the wider world, the symbol of the Hound is particularly resonant for members of the Hunter's Guild, oft used as an extended metaphor. As beings who willingly made the choice to accept the supernatural gifts offered by Powers not of this world, each of us are an inherent danger to humanity, akin to the wolf as portrayed in mythology. (Indeed, in many of these tales, it can be argied that "wolf" may be a mistranslation, as powers exhibited by wolves in faerie tales often match those observed in people bound to some of the most malevolent Powers.) But like the hound, while we have the capacity to hunt for ourselves, we are loyal to the greater cause of humanity.
This metaphor extends through the hierarchy of many Guild chapters. We typically hunt in groups known as packs. In some places, Hound is a respectful form of address for hunters with whom you are unacquainted. And when one of our own goes rogue, we call them a mad dog, as normal humans would refer to a dog that has turned against its master. And when that happens, we hunt that mad dog down without mercy.