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I had to check the calendar when I first saw this, making sure it wasn't published on April 1st. Because it sounds like a bad April Fool's joke.
But it's real. iHeart Radio now has an online Pet Radio station, designed to calm your average pooch or feline when you're away from home and can't be with them. The tunes are all instrumental and soothing, and I'm sure it would drive most of us crazy. The playlist lasts some nine hours, so if you're away from home, it will just let the music play on.
"Animal behaviorist Dr. Deborah Wells published a study showing the relaxing effects of classical music on dogs. The research found that dogs spent more time resting and being quiet, and less time standing when exposed to classical music compared to heavy metal music, pop music, or conversation.
Later research found that other types of music were just as effective at reducing stress in pets. A study by Dr. Susan Wagner, a board-certified veterinary neurologist, concluded solo piano music calms down dogs more than classical music. Another study found that playing soft rock and reggae for kennelled dogs led to more relaxed behaviors and increased heart rate variability, which indicates less stress."
The music continues with no pause (paws?) and the real problem for me is there's no real way to know if it does anything. Call it a bone of contention.
You can hear it here.
How iHeart’s Pet Radio Will Keep Your Pet Company While You’re Not Home
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I "tuned in" to hear what sounded like a $10.00 cassette player that was running with a stretched belt drive, and was so bad even stopped twice within the same track perhaps because the tape was rewound too tightly.
Saying that, whoever it is that claims any of what I heard as being soothing to one's pets' ears, let alone a human's, is delusional.
You really have to hear it for yourself - my words don't do justice to describe had bad it is.
Last edited by DeepTracks (April 11, 2024 4:05 pm)
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It’s not a radio station at all, it’s a playlist like the playlists on Spotify. IHeart has hundreds or thousands of them for every occasion and mood.
If it stopped, it was probably your device or internet connection.
Last edited by Tomas Barlow (April 12, 2024 12:12 am)
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It was only a matter of time. Radio has finally gone to the dogs.