Charity appeals for audiobooks to help soothe dogs
Volunteer Susan began reading spy novels to The Ark's long-stay residents six months ago.
An animal charity in Hampshire is appealing to the public to donate audiobooks on CDs that they no longer use to play in the kennels and help soothe dogs.
Volunteer Susan at Stubbington Ark Animal Centre, operated by the RSPCA's Solent Branch, began reading spy novels to their long-stay residents around six months ago and soon noticed how well the dogs responded.
The centre has since rolled out 'storytime' to all its residents, giving out tasty chews to the dogs ahead of the sessions so they have a nice snack to enjoy. German shepherd cross Koby, who has been with The Ark for a year now, is one of the residents most benefitting from the sessions.
Recent research shows that dogs enjoy auditory stimulation, and many rehoming centres play classical music to their animals to help them relax. In 2015, a study by the Scottish SPCA and the University of Glasgow found that music has a calming effect on dogs in kennels.
RSPCA dog welfare expert and behaviourist Esme Wheeler said: “Although more research needs to be undertaken to fully understand why this type of music appears to be beneficial, playing classical music at low levels is one of the many methods which we use to help dogs cope whilst they are in our care.
“We all chat to our dogs, and it’s often found that speaking to them with calm and soothing voices can relax them, so playing relaxing audiobooks to dogs sounds like a wonderful idea to help the residents at The Ark.”
The centre is particulalry looking for calm and soothing audiobooks that can be played over their sound system and will help dogs rest and unwind.
Charlotte Jones, behaviour and welfare specialist at the centre, said: "We’ve been playing The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe but it’s quite animated and can be a bit shouty so it’s not ideal for the dogs. We’re really after calm and soothing stories that will help them relax.
“We’re happy to try anything from Agatha Christie novels to children's stories to Harry Potter, although one of our volunteers has found spy novels to be particularly popular with our pups! So if you have any audiobooks buried in a drawer somewhere, please drop them into the centre so we can give it a try and see if our four-legged residents are fans!”
RCVS' Mind Matters Initiative (MMI) has launched round two of its veterinary mental health research grants.
