Yuvi Agarwal started playing keyboard when he was 4 and several years ago noticed his playing soothed his family’s restless golden doodle, Bozo. He grew curious if it also could help stressed homeless animals.
With help from his parents, who both have backgrounds in marketing, he founded the nonprofit Wild Tunes in 2023 to recruit musicians to play in animal shelters. So far he has enlisted about 100 volunteer musicians and singers of all ages and abilities to perform at nine shelters in Houston, New Jersey and Denver.
"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." said volunteer Sarah McDonner, a professional musician who met Argawal in Houston. She helped bring the program to Colorado after moving to Denver a few months ago.
Several studies suggest that classical music generally has a calming influence on dogs in stressful environments like kennels, shelters and veterinary clinics. But some researchers warn there is not enough data to support the claim.
Research involving the effect of music on dogs often produces mixed results because there are so many variables: the setting; the volume, type and tempo of the music and the breed of the dog and its previous exposure to music. Some suggest a case-by-case approach to introducing music to animals.
For Agarwal, his firsthand experience at shelters is undeniable evidence that music helps comfort stressed animals, and he plans to grow Wild Tunes into a nationwide program. The volunteers get something out of it, too, saying it’s a great way to practice in front of a nonjudgmental audience.
Reporting by AP. Video edited by Catherine Clare for ABC News Digital.
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