Young Boy Comforts Shelter Animals With His Music: His Story

Yuvi Agarwal has always loved helping furry friends. So he jumped at the chance to participate in a read-to-the-animals program at a Houston shelter. The then-10-year-old enjoyed it so much, he wanted to do more. And he got an idea. Yuvi plays drums and piano, and he noticed that when he plays, his goldendoodle, Bozo, always lies down and relaxes. Maybe the animals at the shelter would like to hear music too, he thought.

Yuvi’s mother, Priyanka, took him to area shelters to talk about the idea. They were given a welcome reception, and Wild Tunes, now an official nonprofit, was born in 2023. 

Every week, Yuvi, now 11 and in 6th grade, visits shelters including Houston Pets Alive! and the Houston Humane Society and plays his keyboard to provide comfort to anxious, stressed cats, dogs and even rabbits. Yuvi marvels at how when he walks into a shelter the dogs are barking like crazy, but when he starts playing, they instantly calm down.

There was Louie, a formerly aggressive dog who was soothed by Wild Tunes, and eventually got adopted. And Toby, a dog found wandering the streets with a swollen eye and broken jaw, who was cowering in his kennel. When Yuvi played the keyboard, the terrified pooch came out of hiding. 

Then there was sweet Penelope, an extremely shy dog. After a few minutes of hearing Yuvi play, she came out of her kennel and started nibbling Yuvi’s ears.

Sarah Janssen, education manager at the Houston Humane Society, started the Wild Tunes program in January, and she has seen how the animals benefit. “Yuvi has come up with an amazing program. He just has such a beautiful shining light about him,” says Sarah, whose own son, Wyatt, 11, has volunteered as a guitar player for anxious cats. “It’s remarkable how his music kind of brings the animals to life.” 

Best of all, as they become more social, their chances of being adopted increase.

In the past year, Wild Tunes has grown to include more than 20 volunteer musicians, and Priyanka and Yuvi are expanding the program beyond Houston. They encourage anyone interested in playing music for animals at their local shelters to get in contact with Wild Tunes (WildTunes.org), and they’ll do their best to help.

“If you love animals and can play music, this is an opportunity for you to use your talent and help rescues,” Yuvi says, and he notes with a smile, “You’ll have a great time.”