Dr. Deborah Wells, of the Canine Behavior Centre at Queen's University Belfast in Northern Ireland conducted a study of the effects of music on dogs in animal shelters. The study found that the type of music dogs heard had a dramatic affect on their disposition. Heavy metal music caused quite a bit of barking, while pop music had about the same effect as human conversation. But when dogs were exposed to classical music, they were far more relaxed, and quiet.
Since the study was released, animal shelters in the UK have played classical music to soothe their dogs. While this makes dogs more relaxed at the shelter, it has another added benefit, though it hasn't been scientifically documented. When people looking to adopt pets enter a shelter, classical music also relaxes them, and seems to cause them to spend more time looking around. And, when dogs appear calm and relaxed, rather than nervous and anxious, they are more appealing, thus more adoptable. Perhaps music can save lives?

Dogs have also been known to be quite the music critics. If you love the music of composer Richard Wagner, you have a dog to thank for it. Of course, Wagner was a musical genius, but maybe one of the smarter things he did was to trust in the taste of his Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, Peps. Wagner had a little stool made for Peps, so he could sit by him at the piano. Wagner watched how Peps reacted to the music he was creating. He noted which keys made Pep's tail wag and which made him stand up. This led Wagner to create the "musical motif" which associates specific musical keys with the moods he wanted to express in his operas. When Peps passed away, Wagner had to get a new dog critic to help him continue composing.
Our petcentric readers have noticed their pets having a specific taste in music. Kathryn has two hyperactive Jack Russell/Sheltie mixes that are particularly drawn to the theme from Titanic, "My Heart Will Go On" and Diana Ross' "Theme from Mahogany". She says, "Henley--the Celine fan, perks his ears up... sometimes lays on his side and closes his eyes.  When Celine hums the last part of the song, he goes wild, and rolls around on the floor in happiness."

There are plenty of CDs available to play for your pets - here are just a few for dogs and cats. Some are collections of classical music that seem to particularly appeal to pets, and some are specifically composed for pets. Like humans, pets have their own tastes - some will love the music, others will ignore it. But for pets that seem to be truly calmed by a soothing melody, it's a nice thing to leave playing when they're home alone, or in a stressful situation.