‘People were carrying their dogs across the ice’: Adela Ramirez’s greatest telephone image | Images

Hadvert Adela Ramirez’s puggle Teddy nonetheless been alive, she would have been out strolling him within the snow. Instead, she was at dwelling, within the artwork studio of her New York City condo, watching from a window. “My view consists of the Empire State Building, which is art deco, the B Altman Building, which is Italian renaissance revival, and the beautiful Church of the Incarnation, which is neo-gothic. I’m originally from Texas, but have lived in New York for 40 years,” Ramirez says. “I always feel privileged when the universe seems to say, ‘Today I am going to present you with a fabulous snowstorm – enjoy the performance!’”

As Ramirez watched, she seen that there have been no automobiles or pedestrians; solely canine walkers have been braving the storm. “People were playing chase, carrying them across icy parts, giving them their necessary daily walk. That’s what we do,” she says. “It made me miss Teddy. He was half beagle, half pug, with an underbite and a princess attitude. He loved the snow, and had a winter coat and boots, but made it clear that he couldn’t be expected to walk in it. He would lift his paws and look me straight in the eye, as if to say, ‘Mom, please carry me.’ We had to say goodbye to him last spring. He’d been my loyal boy for 10 years.

“From my window, I have witnessed the highs and lows of humanity,” she says. “But on this day I was just so touched by the way people care for their beloved dogs.”