10-year-old boy plays piano to calm homeless shelter dogs

HOUSTON (TND) — A 10-year-old Texas boy is working hard to bring animals joy, one musical note at a time.

Yuvi Agarwal plays the piano to soothe dogs at an animal shelter in Houston,according to WFMY. His mom says his passion for music began at a young age.

“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,” he said. “I started out with a tiny set from Five Below.”

Agarwal says he plays the piano for his dog Bozo, and the reaction is always positive.

“When I play the piano or when I play music just on my speakers or something, my dog just always just relaxes, lies down and just listens to the music,” he said.

He started participating in a school program where students read to animals at the Citizens for Animal Protection shelter–and then it clicked.

“I decided to basically play music for the animals,” Yuvi said. “Definitely not drums, a melodious instrument such as piano, guitar, steel pan, and that will reduce their anxiety."

Agarwal came up with a concept plan and named the idea "Wild Tunes." His parents are proud of the initiative he's shown.

As parents, we're really proud of how he came up with this whole concept of Wild Tunes,” his mother Priyanka told WFMY. “He came up with the name, he came up with the design.”

They pitched the plan to a few shelters who all passed, but a family friend mentionedAgarwal's idea to Houston Pets Alive, and the rest is history.

Agarwal plays piano for the pups at HPA every week, and some of them even join in by barking.

He has big plans for his project that go beyond a single shelter.

I want to expand it and eventually make it into a nationwide initiative where people can just openly participate,” he said. “And they just need to love animals and be able to play a melodious instrument.”