Five questions we still have for “Lady and the Tramp”

I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t waiting for the week when I got to write the “Five questions” column entry about 1955’s Lady and the Tramp. It’s my favorite Disney animated film, which tends to surprise people considering I’m a Disney fanatic and Lady and the Tramp is kind of a random favorite.

When people ask why Lady and Tramp takes my top spot, I can never give a succinct answer. But what I do know is that it has more to do with a feeling than a logical reason. From the opening scene where “Peace on Earth” plays in the background while we zoom in on a quaint Victorian house on the end of the street at Christmastime, until the final Christmas scene one year later, there’s something about the music, animation, and characters that makes me feel like I’ve been transported back to the early 1900s. It makes me feel like I’m about to go on beautiful journey to learn about the power of love — romantic, familial, and in friendship.

But as flawless as this movie is in my heart, there are still a few questions that, no matter how many times I go back and watch it, I need answers to.

What is Peg’s story?

Peg the Pekingese is one of the most intriguing characters in Lady and the Tramp, even though her screen time is very limited. Voiced by the infamous Peggy Lee (also the character’s namesake), the feisty, independent, street-smart Peg is a bit of a foil to the more mild-mannered, sweet-yet-pampered Lady — although it should be mentioned that she is very friendly to, and protective of, Lady.

Sadly, we never find out much about Peg other than the fact that she is a stray dog who has a thing for Tramp. But it’s hard not to notice that Peg looks more put together than many of the other strays. Was she originally someone’s pet, but decided the domestic life wasn’t for her? And what happens to her after the events of the movie? Hopefully she became godmother to Lady and Tramp’s puppies and they just never mentioned it in the movie, or its 2001 sequel.

Is pasta even safe for dogs?

So we all know the spaghetti kiss between Lady and Tramp is one of the most romantic scenes in Disney history and, probably in movie history as well.

But it dawned on me that I’ve never had a dog, and as such I don’t really know what foods they’re not supposed to eat aside from chocolate. A quick Google search tells me that any kid feeding their dogs spaghetti after seeing this movie should be safe from harming their pets as long as they feed it to them only occasionally, so it’s good to know the storytellers at Disney researched this in advance (or, you know, just got really lucky).

Does Tony ever leave the restaurant life to become a famous musician?

Tony, the restaurant owner who serenades our titular dog couple, must be quite the accomplished cook considering Tramp has a different dinner stomping ground every night of the week, but he chooses to take Lady to Tony’s because it’s simply the best.

Not only can Tony cook — he can also sing really well, and play the accordion. It makes me wonder if Italian-restaurant ownership is all he did with his career for the rest of his life, because he could’ve made a fortune hiring other cooks and being a badass manager,  while also providing the entertainment on weekends. With a separate room just for dogs, of course.

Why do Jim Dear and Darling still hang out with Aunt Sarah?

So Jim Dear’s Aunt Sarah is the actual worst, keeping Lady outside and forcing her to wear a muzzle even though she would never hurt a fly. This movie almost makes me favor dogs over cats because of Aunt Sarah’s evil felines, Si and Am, who basically live to torture poor Lady.

And at the end of the movie, Jim Dear and Darling realize Lady and Tramp were just trying to protect their baby, therefore completely negating any justification for the way Sarah treated Lady throughout the movie. But Sarah is also present in the sequel, which makes me wonder how that whole conversation went down. Did she apologize? I sure hope so. Or maybe she’s Jim’s only living relative or something, and he and Darling are just overly nice people.

Speaking of Darling, what is her real name? I’m going with Catherine. She looks like a Catherine.

Are Jock and Trusty just friends, or something more?

I can’t be the only one who hopes there was more to this adorable companionship than just friendship. Jock and Trusty have such a sweet, fiercely loyal-to-each-other dynamic that it’s hard not to ship them — especially at the end, when Trusty gets hurt by the dogcatcher’s wagon and Jock loses it. I’m about to cry just thinking about it.

On a related note, Jock is the reason that if I ever do decide to adopt a dog, he will be a Scottish terrier and his name will be Jock. Your move, future.