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We always love to hear stories of young people volunteering at animal shelters. Their kindness and generosity inspires hope for future generations.
Recently, one young man found an inspiring way to help the pets at his local shelter — a way that combined his love for animals with his talent for music.
Yuvi Agarwal is a 10-year-old from Houston, Texas who has always exhibited a talent for music. “Maybe when I was around two or three, I started liking music and I started playing piano when I was four and I think drums when I was five,” Yuvi told KHOU 11.
Yuvi also loves animals and participated in a school program to read to the pets at local shelter Citizens for Animal Protection. Seeing how much the reading calmed the shelter dogs down, he wondered if music would have the same effect: he says his music practice often relaxed his own pet dog, Bozo.
He came up with a plan for a program to play music for dogs, which he dubbed “Wild Tunes.” While a few shelters passed on the idea, local rescue Houston Pets Alive agreed to give him a chance.
Yuri plays piano and guitar for the dogs, and the program has been a big success. Houston Pets Alive wrote that Yuri’s music helps “our dogs get ready for nap time with some easy listening.”
The fifth grader told KHOU that the dogs are soothed by the music and a few of them even “sing along” by barking.
Yuri’s school and his parents were both proud of his initiative and desire to help these furry friends: “we’re really proud of how he came up with this whole concept of Wild Tunes,” mom Priyanka told KHOU. “He came up with the name, he came up with the design.”
Yuri says he hopes to expand the program nationwide and have more and more people play music for pets at their local shelter. His mom said the shelter is planning to hold a holiday concert to raise money.
What a sweet thing to do — this young man combined his love for animals and music in an inspiring way, and it’s clear the dogs love it!
Please share this heartwarming story! ❤️
