New Zealand's song for dogs goes global

[Tina Greco - Melbourne]

New Zealand's song for dogs goes global
11:40AM Tuesday February 19, 2008


The CD received mixed responses from listeners. Photo / Reuters


WELLINGTON - It's a doggone chartbuster - a song audible only to dogs has topped New Zealand record charts, and is looking to go global.

A Very Silent Night was recorded at a frequency only dogs can hear.

Chief executive of the SPCA, Bob Kerridge, says dogs in Australia and the United States could soon have a listen.

The charity CD was so popular among owners it hit number one at Christmas, but has been receiving mixed responses from listeners.

"The most violent one was a dog that physically attacked the radio when it was played and went quite berserk and totally destroyed it," said Kerridge.

"On the other side of the scale, they just lie down and did nothing." The charity CD, priced at NZ$4.99, contained an instrumental and a vocal version of the song, but Kerridge said he did not know what kind of music dogs would hear.

"Never having heard it myself, I don't what they'll hear and of course I don't know how dogs hear music," he said.

Around NZ$22,000 has been raised by the disc's sale.


- REUTERS

[Ari]

Better than rap music!

[Rubystars]

It seems pointless. Dogs aren't capable of appreciating music. They are complex in many ways but that's one thing they can't do.

[Tina Greco - Melbourne]

It seems pointless. Dogs aren't capable of appreciating music. They are complex in many ways but that's one thing they can't do.

I disagree of course dogs can appreciate the world around them including music.

Main research projects have been done on the effects of music on animals and even plants.

Do you know chickens lay more if they listening to Mozart. 

And even tomatoes plants crop more with classical music.

[Ari]

How do you know they can't appreciate music Rubystars?

[Rubystars]

I can't see how they could process it any differently than other sound. They have very good hearing, but somehow I think they simply hear it as sounds in their environment and if it's not associated with anything else in particular, then why would they care whether you played rap or classical?

My dogs never seemed to care what kind of music was being played in the house. They didn't even react to it at all unless it was too loud and even then it didn't seem to affect them much.

They did p r i c k their ears up when I would play sounds of wolves howling or dogs barking or cats meowing though.

edit: I had to put the spaces in because apparently the filters made me say they did "schmuck" their ears up. lol I didn't even think of it being a bad word and I'm not using it in that context so I think the way I used it is ok.

[Ari]

I'm sure they won't like rap Rubystars.  Try it again.

[Tina Greco - Melbourne]

My dogs love the music in the car, but prefer TV at home 

[Rubystars]

My dogs love the music in the car, but prefer TV at home 

Well my dogs have watched tv some before. One time we were playing a mario game and the dog started barking at Mario hopping around on the screen. It was funny!