Dogfish is an important crest and mythic being among the Haida of B.C.'s Queen Charlotte Islands. It is a favourite subject of the world-renowned Haida artists Robert Davidson and Bill Reid. The classical Haida representation of Dogfish may well be the most ingenious exercise in abstraction in the whole Haida bestiary. Though at first it might seem impossible to relate the broad face and long forehead of the traditional Dogfish crest to the narrow-bodied, sleek little shark of the same name, every step in the design is logically and carefully thought out, and all of the important anatomical features of the fish are captured in the symbolic form.

The Dogfish is equipped with a dangerous pair of sharp bony spikes, protruding each just ahead of the Dogfish's two dorsal fins. Not considered appealing as food, Dogfish were not a valued commodity. In fact, Dogfish are a great nuisance to fishermen seeking Salmon, Halibut, and Cod: they have a voracious appetite for bait and sandpaper rough skin suited for severing fishing lines. It is a testament to the Dogfish's wild ominous grace and power that such a troublesome and worthless creature could become an honoured family crest. Other sharks sometimes also appear in Northwest Coast art and legend. The Nuu-chah-nulth peoples of Western Vancouver Island feared giant, malicious shark monsters who lived in deep holes under cliffs and liked to eat canoes. Named "Dogfish Mothers", they were likely inspired by the great white sharks that sometimes hunt Sea Lions in B.C.'s waters.

The motif features a high domed head with a front facing personified face. This "Dogfish-spirit" face is stylized with a down-turned mouth, often with sharp pointed teeth, gill slits on each side of the mouth, and vertical pupils. On the domed "forehead" there are two circles representing nostrils and sometimes a further set of gills. This naturalistic underside view of the fish's long tapering head and nose makes a double headed design depicting both shark and spirit. The body is finished with the double set of fins behind spines, and asymmetrical tail flukes.