One of the stars of Disney’s new live-action version of “Lady and the Tramp” was discovered in Phoenix.

In an animal shelter.

That would be Monte, who is the Tramp half of the title equation of the film, a remake of the much-loved 1955 animated feature, which is scheduled to debut on Nov. 12, when Disney Plus, the studio’s new streaming service, begins. Justin Theroux provides the voice of the dog.

Disney released a teaser photo from the film last week.

The filmmakers found Monte at HALO Animal Rescue in Phoenix, where he was transferred from a shelter in New Mexico.

“He was adopted from us in April of 2018, and we knew that the people that were meeting with him were considering him to be a Hollywood star, but we didn’t know for what, because it was top secret,” says Heather Allen, president and CEO of HALO. “We knew he had the potential to become a Hollywood dog.”

Why?

“When he arrived at the shelter he was super friendly, he greets people right away, he gives kisses, he loves attention, he knows ‘sit’ and he knows how to walk well on a leash,” she says.

Sounds like a star. There’s also some poetic justice in his casting — Monte really is a tramp. Or a mutt, at least.

“We don’t know (what breed he is),” Allen says of Monte. “He’s a terrier mix of some sort. He’s a shelter mutt.”

That’s not a dig, by the way. That’s a compliment.

“That’s what makes this extra cool,” Allen says. “It’s not that shelters don’t have purebred dogs, but he really represents how great shelter dogs are. They are super friendly and can be outgoing.”

Monte lives in California now. He’s the first movie-star dog Allen remembers being found at HALO in her 25 years there. Puppies have been used in commercials, but nothing like this.

“This isn’t just some obscure movie,” she says. “This is ‘Lady and the Tramp.’ Everybody knows ‘Lady and the Tramp.’ This is a staple in a child’s life.”

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Those are words Disney no doubt likes to hear. Presumably; the studio declined comment on Monte.

Monte is a cute little fellow in the picture. Though as Allen said, you’d be hard pressed to figure out just what kind of dog he is.

“He’s unique,” Allen said of Monte. “If he needs a stunt double, it’s not going to be easy to find a dog that looks like him.”

Disney will just have to bark up that tree when it comes to it.

Reach Goodykoontz at bill.goodykoontz@arizonarepublic.com. Facebook: facebook.com/GoodyOnFilm. Twitter: @goodyk.

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