In a heartwarming initiative, 12-year-old Yuvi Agarwal of Houston is blending his passion for music with a compassionate goal: to soothe stressed shelter animals.
Agarwal, who began playing the keyboard at the tender age of four, found that his music calmed his family’s golden doodle, Bozo. This observation sparked his curiosity about whether music could have a similar effect on stressed homeless pets.
With the support of his parents, both experienced in marketing, he established the nonprofit organization Wild Tunes in 2023. The organization aims to bring musicians into animal shelters to perform for the residents. So far, Agarwal has succeeded in enlisting around 100 volunteer musicians and singers of diverse ages and skill levels to play in nine shelters located across Houston, New Jersey, and Denver.
“You don’t have to understand the lyrics to enjoy the music,” Agarwal stated during a recent performance at the Denver Animal Shelter, where he played popular songs like The Beatles’ “Hey Jude” and Ed Sheeran’s “Perfect.”
He explained that the enjoyment of music can transcend linguistic and even species barriers.
Agarwal, performing for an elderly miniature poodle named Pituca, noted that many of the animals perk up when he enters their kennels. However, after just a few minutes of playing, they often settle down, with some even falling asleep.
He fondly recalled a rescue dog named Penelope, who initially wouldn’t leave her enclosure to eat. “Within a short period of me playing, she went from not even coming out of her kennel to licking me all over my face and nibbling my ears,” Agarwal recounted, illustrating the power of music in bridging the gap between humans and animals.
In another part of the shelter, volunteer Sarah McDonner, a professional musician, played classical tunes by Mozart and Bach on her flute for Max, a one-year-old stray boxer. Max reacted by tilting his head in response to the high notes.
McDonner articulated her belief in the importance of providing positive human interaction for animals in shelters. “The animals having that human interaction in a positive way, I think, gives them something to look forward to, something that is different throughout their day,” she said.
She recently relocated to Denver from Houston and helped introduce the Wild Tunes program to Colorado, believing that it offers the animals enrichment beyond the confines of their cages, making them more adoptable.
While the effects of music on human emotions have been extensively studied, the influence of music on animal behavior remains less clear. Several studies indicate that classical music may have a calming effect on dogs in stressful environments like shelters and veterinary clinics. However, researchers caution that definitive conclusions are hampered by a lack of comprehensive data.
Lori Kogan, a veterinarian and researcher at Colorado State University, expresses concerns regarding the oversimplification of music’s effects on animals. “We always want these really simplistic answers. So we want to say that music calms animals, for example, and I think that it’s much more nuanced than that,” Kogan stated.
Her research on human-animal interactions spanning over two decades highlights the numerous variables affecting how animals respond to music, including the setting, music type and tempo, as well as the breed of the animal and their past experiences with music.
She suggests taking an individualized approach to introducing music to pets: “If you play music for your pet, and they seem to like it and they appear calmer, then I think we can say that that’s a positive thing, that you’re providing some level of enrichment for that pet.”
Encouragingly, Agarwal remains firm in his belief that his experiences in shelters provide clear evidence of music’s benefits for animals. He envisions expanding Wild Tunes into a nationwide program to continue comforting shelter animals through music.
Agarwal also emphasizes the advantages for participating musicians, who gain a supportive environment to practice their skills. “You get a really great way to practice your instrument or sing in front of a nonjudgmental audience, which can boost your confidence,” he shared, highlighting the mutual benefits of the initiative.
Through his efforts, Yuvi Agarwal is not only bringing music to homeless animals but also fostering an atmosphere of compassion and understanding between humans and their four-legged counterparts.
image source from：coloradosun
