What Kind of Dogs Are Lady and the Tramp? Breed Information, Pictures, and Facts

The 1955 animated film Lady and the Tramp features one of the most famous rom-com scenes of all time. Two characters from different worlds, thrown together by circumstance, find themselves chowing down on a single plate of spaghetti and meatballs provided by a kindly restaurant owner. Before long, they end up chewing on the same noodle. And then…oops! First kiss! As with many of Disney’s animated features, it’s easy to get so wrapped up in the story that you forget the protagonists are animals. So, spoiler alert, the romantic leads in this film are dogs. But what kind of dogs are Lady and the Tramp?

Multiple Dogs Were Involved in the Origin of Lady and the Tramp.

Though released in 1955, the Disney film’s beginnings date back to 1937. That’s when Disney writer Joe Grant showed Walt Disney some drawings of his family dog, Lady. Grant and his wife had a new baby, and their dog’s adventures in coping with the addition to their household inspired the bones of a story. But Disney felt the idea wasn’t strong enough for a full-length film, and the project was shelved.

A few years later, Disney read a short story called “Happy Dan, the Whistling Dog,” which gave him the idea to add a roguish mutt character to the film, a stray dog who would romance the refined and well-bred Lady. Even so, the film was further delayed as the Disney studio turned much of its resources towards making propaganda and training films during World War II. Later, Disney had Ward Greene, the “Happy Dan” author, write an illustrated novelization of Lady and the Tramp to familiarize the audience with the story in advance of the film.

What Kind of Dog was Lady?

That clear and clean Disney character design suggests what kind of dog Lady is. Disney promotional material describes Lady as a “pampered Cocker Spaniel.” And she certainly looks the part, with her silky hair and long ears. According to the American Kennel Club, Cocker Spaniels have “big dreamy eyes,” and Lady’s peepers are so bewitching not even the free-spirited Tramp could resist them. Her behavior, too, fits the Cocker Spaniel profile. Cocker Spaniels are very attached to their families, so Lady’s protectiveness over the baby is a legit CS trait. They’re also very sensitive. So it’s not surprising that Lady quickly picks up on the household vibe as the new baby’s arrival becomes imminent. It’s also worth noting that although Cocker Spaniels make wonderful house dogs, they were originally bred to be hunting dogs. So as pampered and sheltered as Lady might be, she can handle some rough-and-tumble adventure, whether it’s exploring the streets with the Tramp or battling a home-invading rat (*shudder*).

Story of a Leading Lady

Two other dog breeds are part of Lady’s DNA, at least in the creative sense. As mentioned, a real-life Lady inspired the original story. That dog was an English Springer Spaniel, a similar but larger breed than the Cocker Spaniel. Early sketches of the character depict her with more of a Springer look. Possibly the Disney team felt the Cocker Spaniel would be a more familiar breed to the moviegoing audience. Or perhaps the breed’s smaller size (13-14 inches tall, vs. 19 inches for female Springers) seemed a better match for Lady’s role as an ingenue.

Another breed played a role in Lady’s story, namely a Chow Chow puppy named Sunnee. Disney bought the pup as a gift for his wife Lilly, presenting it on Christmas Day in a hatbox with a large bow. This real-life incident occurs on screen in the first scene of the film.

What Kind of Dog was Tramp?

Befitting his role as a streetwise everydog, Tramp is a mixed breed. He’s usually described as a terrier mix; terriers are a group of dog breeds bred to hunt burrowing critters like rats, mice, and badgers. And in the 2019 live-action remake of the film, a terrier mix named Monte played the Tramp. (FYI, all the dogs in that film, including a Cocker Spaniel named Rose who played Lady, were rescue dogs.)

As a group, terriers have a reputation for being bold and fearless, which certainly fits the Tramp’s personality to a T. What kind of canine combo makes up his heritage is hard to say. His parents may not have been purebreds either. The Tramp seems to have a lot of Jack Russel confidence in him. He also resembles the border terrier, Irish Terrier,  and Wire Fox Terrier. Given his height, he might even claim some Airedale Terrier ancestry; they’re the largest terrier breed. Or perhaps it’s his non-terrier ancestor genes that enable him to stand so tall.

Tramp’s Shocking Secret

While Lady’s details were set early on, the character of Tramp changed names multiple times. He was called Homer, Rags, Bozo, and even just “Mutt” before Walt Disney came up with the name Tramp. Also unlike Lady, a real-life model for Tramp had to be located after the fact. And it turned out that finding a mutt with the right look for Tramp proved more difficult than bringing in model Cocker Spaniels as references for Lady. Eventually, someone located a perfect-looking Tramp at a city dog pound. The story goes that the poor pooch was hours away from taking “the last walk,” like Tramp in the film. Instead, the lucky dog was used as a reference by the Disney animators, adopted, and she spent the rest of her days as a beloved family dog. That’s right, in real life, Tramp was a girl!

The photo featured at the top of this post is © iStock.com/Iurii