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I have a small collection of little dogs. They are on top of a chest. I found an old metal black and tan tray that has a picture of statue of liberty on it. I am thinking I could paint it or something and put the little dogs on it, making dusting easier as itis a pain to move them individually. This way I can dust top of chest, and then every so often just take the tray to kitchen and clean it and the dogs. So would you suggest spray primer first or?

I think a spray primer for metal, like Rustoleum or Krylon, is a terrific base for a spray enamel coat.
I've used it on many metal objects and had great success. You could just clean it well and use a topcoat of spray paint, but the primer is the key for durability if you are at all concerned with scratches and such.

Yeah, what conrad said. Use a oil/solvent based primer on the metal as it will keep it from rusting. Metal-specific primers are the best for this.

This is just an FYI for other projects, but latex primers (usually brushed-on primers) on metal allows the metal to rust. An oil/solvent based primer on the metal will allow you to use any paint-including latexes as your finish coats on metal. The secret is in the prep.

unless the tray is just the wrong color, i'd almost leave it "as is", esp if the dogs are antiques..it just sounds so fun...