Music to Shelter Dogs' Ears: Spotify Is Helping Animals Get Adopted By Showing Off Their Music Tastes The streaming service is working with a shelter in Germany to determine dogs' music preferences, so people can find their 'musical soulmate.'

By This Dog's Life

This story originally appeared on This Dog's Life

Serviceplan

Music can be good for your soul -- impacting everything from stress levels to creativity and sleep quality.

But the benefit of music goes beyond people: dogs also feel the impact of listening to tunes, helping our four-legged friends relax and reduce their anxiety.

For years, the go-to choice for canines was classical music, but a recent study conducted by the University of Glasgow in partnership with the Scottish SPCA found that dogs have musical preferences. (Surprisingly, in that study, reggae was the genre preferred by most dogs.)

This discovery was the foundation for a new program to raise awareness for dogs looking for homes.

Called Adoptify, streaming service Spotify has teamed up with Tierschutzverein München e.V. animal shelter in Germany to create custom playlists for dogs who are up for adoption in hopes people find their "musical soulmate."

The program was concocted by Serviceplan, a European advertising agency.

"Since several colleagues within our agency are dog owners as well -- and some of them affirmed the music effect -- we thought it was a great idea to match dog and owner with the same music taste via Spotify," Hans-Peter Sporer, the creative managing director of Serviceplan Campaign X, told This Dog's Life. "Then we spoke to the Munich animal shelter about it and they loved the idea since there are always so many dogs available for adoption."

For Adoptify, every dog has a profile, including what music he or she prefers. It could be anything from indie pop to hip hop. To determine the tunes the dog digs, shelter staff tested out a number of playlists to see what resonates with a particular pup.

"Not every dog has the same reaction to music of course, so we took the one with the most impact," says Sporer. "It was funny to see that some of the dogs got more chilled when they heard their favorite music style and other dogs showed more intense reactions."

Related: Bagel Shop Employee Snaps Hilarious Pics of Dogs in Drive-Thru Getting a Special Treat

Take for instance Milow. The 7-year-old jack russell has been in the shelter since Jan. 2016 -- and is just waiting for the right person who also enjoys a little bit of rock n' roll.

His profile says (translated from German to English), "When it comes to music, this bright young man needs something harder to go off. Play him rock' n 'roll and he is an overjoyed rocker puppy dog. Put on a good record, turn the amp to full power, and Milow is in seventh rock 'n' roll heaven."

Or Ray, a Boston terrier who isn't even a year yet but has figured out what makes him groove.

"Ray's heart pounds in beats per minute. No matter if it's about some punchy techno or soothing minimal sound – he knows how to party."

And of course, the puppies. (Yes, you can adopt puppies from shelters.)

"Soulful lyrics and heart fulfilling music make those cute little puppies happier than anything else. Dancing, jumping, exploring the world – nothing can stop them when the indie-pop plays," their profile says.

While only a handful of dogs have their music preferences in their profile (some already have found homes!), the agency's goal is to raise awareness for adoptable animals.

"Our primary goal is to generate awareness for the theme "adoption of animals' and for animal shelters," says Sporer. "A breeder isn't the only possibility to get an animal. There are so many lovely pets in the shelters that wait for an owner."

Editor's Pick

Related Topics

Side Hustle

He Launched His Creative Side Hustle Out of a Garage. Now It's Worth $225 Million.

Tom Humble, CXO and founder of E.C.D. Automotive Design, followed his passion for custom auto design into big business.

Starting a Business

7 Lessons I Learned From Selling a 6-Figure Blogging Business

Here are a few critical lessons from my experience building and selling a successful blogging business.

Business News

'No One Is Important:' Senior Executives at 'Sports Illustrated' Publishing House Are Out of a Job Following AI Article Controversy

The owner of the magazine's publisher, The Area Group, claims the shakeup was unrelated to the recent scandal.

Science & Technology

LITT Is Combining VR with Social Media, Fintech, and Ecommerce to Transform How We Interact with the World

It's and all-encompassing platform that aims to chart the future of digital interaction.

Growing a Business

5 Pieces of Bad Advice That Could Derail Your Business — Sidestep Disaster By Doing This Instead.

Not all well-meaning advice is created equal. Learn from these time-tested guidelines to help you scale faster and avoid the pitfalls.

Science & Technology

Cyber Attacks Are On the Rise — Here's How Your Business Can Continuously Prepare for Threats

In an era marked by escalating cyber threats and increasing cost of data breaches, the traditional castle-and-moat cybersecurity approach falls short.