Music and Animals

Your Pet's Musical Proclivities

Your Pet's Musical Proclivities

To each her own.

Does your Spot have a favorite radio station? 

Does she wish you'd turn it up or down, or off?

A growing body of research suggests that animals react to music as uniquely as humans. It can soothe or infuriate the soul, even lure one into an animalistic mood, as it were.

Our toy poodle Cocoa likes opera, especially if it goes above a soprano G. Once it reaches high C she's in ecstasy and can't resist howling along. At least I think it's ecstasy, but there's a fine line between ecstasy and agony, and I'm no scientist. 

A similar phenomenon can at times also be experienced in the concert hall with humans, but again, I'm not naming names, and no one's complaining yet.

If pets had accurate horoscopes, I might be able to be more scientific about it, but my last dog took the most rejuventating naps to Simon & Garfunkel, and reacted to Paul Simon's musical evolution after their breakup by taking to the streets as the needle hit vinyl for "diamonds on the souls of her shoes..." Yet Garfunkel's later solo opuses (opi?) left him indifferent, and I suppose I can't blame him, but what a voice!