When Yuvi Agarwal began playing keyboard for a room full of dogs at the Denver Animal Shelter on Thursday, the music was hard to distinguish between the barks and yelps of his audience.
But as the seconds turned into minutes and the 12-year-old from Houston continued to play, the canine cacophony began to calm as the dogs settled down.
“It’s very satisfying when the dogs calm down, and it is also really heartwarming,” Yuvi said, grinning.
It’s been more than two years since Yuvi started the nonprofit Wild Tunes to connect volunteer musicians and animal shelters. After establishing programs at seven shelters in Texas and one in New Jersey, Yuvi and his mom, executive director Priyanka Agarwal, are celebrating the launch of a new program starting in Denver in June.
Yuvi came up with the idea in December 2022 when he participated in a program to read books to animals, and he thought about how his golden doodle, Bozo, would lay down and listen whenever Yuvi started playing music at home.
“I realized that music would have a much stronger effect on the shelter animals than reading,” he said.
His realization was confirmed by studies that show classical music reduces stress in shelter dogs, and Yuvi thinks it also helps them rebuild bridges with humans and get adopted faster, he said.
The idea to bring Wild Tunes to Denver began when one of the group’s Houston volunteers moved to the city and wanted to continue playing music for pups. The group reached out to Denver Animal Shelter staff with an introduction from the director of the Houston Animal Shelter, and it was a clear fit.
“We thought it was such a fun and different way to engage our community and a great opportunity for people and animals,” said Lauren Rolfe, volunteer program administrator at the shelter. “It just gives you chills and brings a smile to your face.”
The first time shelter staff sent out a teaser about the new program, they heard from 65 people who wanted to get involved, Rolfe said. Volunteers will be playing music for the shelter’s dogs and cats seven days a week.
It’s not clear where Yuvi’s deep love for animals came from, Priyanka Agarwal said. The family liked animals before Yuvi was born, but it grew exponentially as their son rescued baby birds and refused to let them use pest control on uninvited animal guests.
“He’s really a change maker,” she said. “He’s always teaching people how to be kind, how to be compassionate, and it’s an overwhelming feeling to be his mom.”
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