VERO BEACH — It seems as though students who want to know more about animals’ behavior are visiting The Humane Society of Vero Beach and Indian River County.
When it comes to music preferences, Madison McFall discovered dogs dig Pink Floyd. The 11-year-old Sebastian River Middle School student recently began a science project to determine how dogs react when they hear certain musical styles.
To figure out a pup’s preferences, McFall visited The Humane Society and played different songs to several shelter dogs up for adoption.
McFall’s preliminary research indicates that dogs mellowed out when she played “Hey You” by Pink Floyd from her mom’s iPhone. McFall also determined dogs enjoyed the soft sounds of classical music when they heard Beethoven’s Sonata #5.
An unexpected finding was that dogs get downright giddy when listening to Bobby McFerrin’s 80s classic “Don’t Worry, Be Happy.” According to McFall, canines acted with curiosity, went up to her phone as it was playing the cool tune, and started to wag their tails.
Was there any music that wasn’t a hit with the hounds? “None of them liked Green Day,” McFall determined after playing the group’s hit song “Holiday.”
The Humane Society typically plays music such as big band and soft contemporary for the shelter’s dogs and cats. Researchers claim animals act more calmly when they hear music with slower tempos, fewer instruments, and simpler melodies.
The music is also enjoyed by staff, volunteers, and visitors.
Oslo Middle School student Avery McKinley is also interested in animal behavior. The 11-year-old visited the shelter to determine which bird calls cats like best.
While many of the thirteen felines enjoyed all of the chirps emanating from McKinley’s smart phone, a few cats were either delirious with joy or ignored the tweets altogether.
“Tessie and Levi liked them the most,” the studious seventh-grader said, revealing which two cats in the study were his most eager participants.