Okay, given the name, and the breed, I have to ask ... Does this have anything to do with (Jerry Reed) Snowman's dog in Smokey and the Bandit? To this day - Hang on to your ass Fred... - is one of my all-time favorite movie lines.
-Stoic Joker
Believe it or not, it was not brought about by Smokey and the bandit. Great movie, by the way.
I'm a ham radio operator and a day before arranging to pick up Fred I in July of1997, I went on the air with my gang and asked for suggestions for a name for my soon to be Basset Hound. Someone suggested I name it after one of the senior members of the group who just happened to be named Fred.
The rest is history.
By the way, that picture of Fred I was taken in a 1997 Toyota RAV4 which I bought especially for him because of the room behind the back seats. I still drive that 18 year old car and all the Freds have ridden back there.