The designs were made official by the Statute of Autonomy of the Canarian Autonomous Community (Organic Law 10/82) on 10 August 1982.

It is thought that the dense population of an endemic breed of large and fierce dogs, like the Presa Canario, was the characteristic that most struck the few ancient Romans who established contact with the islands by the sea.

In recent times there has been a controversy[3] over the representation of the dog (Presa Canario) in the shield.

[3] Popularly attributed the Canary Islands name is derived from the Presa Canario,[3] although under a law in force in the Canary Islands since 1991, the dog is the natural symbol of Gran Canaria along with the cactus.

[4] For this reason, critics of the current shield argue that it only represents the island of Gran Canaria, and not the entire archipelago.