When Tracey Durning first met her dog, Fred, in an animal shelter in New York City in 1995, he looked underfed and was shaking uncontrollably. A five-year-old terrier mix with wiry hair, Fred had been given up by his previous family. Durning adopted him, set him up in a warm bed, smothered him with affection, and fed him well. “The transformation was amazing,” she said. A delightful personality emerged and Fred soon became a well-liked figure in SoHo, greeted by gallery owners, waiters and doormen as he walked down the streets. “Upon meeting Fred, the stigma of ‘damaged shelter animals’ — which is still prevalent today, but was even worse then — was totally obliterated,” said Durning. “He was everything you’d want in a dog and more.” She added: “He was also a big reason that many people I knew decided to adopt instead of buy their dogs.”

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