Raise Your Voice In Song!
In the last year both Indy and Junior Misssy have taken up musical instruments. Meeester M procured his much wanted piano for the room formerly known as “Dining”, now the room currently known as “Music Room” and everyone that comes into the house for the first time will say “Oh are you a musical family?” and Meeester will beam like Captain Von Trapp.
Except me. I’m not musical. I don’t play nothin’. Except lead vocals on Guitar Hero, but even there I’m fully expecting Perry Farrell to appear at the door with his lawyer after what I did to Jane’s Addiction’s Mountain Song on Christmas Day. And Brian May, come to think of it, after desecrating the memory of Freddy Mercury with my Don’t Stop Me Now on Singstar (“just give me a caaaa-aaalll!”).
Junior Misssy is starting to play the piano with the tutelage of the singing piano teacher and is getting on fine, but going off like tousle-haired Kenny Gee on a jet-powered skateboard is Indy who is really doing fantastically well on the saxophone. We won’t stop haranguing him until he does the sax solo from Gerry Raffferty’s Baker Street, we won’t.
Even Sonny the Black Menace turns out to be more musical than me. And it’s Sonny I really want to write about. Sonny is not a huge barker but he is a splendid howler. Never much more than when Indy has the sax out.
He howls along like a good ‘un to Walking in the Air; he’s like a canine Aled Jones, he is. He howls along to Happy Birthday to You like the Fourth doggy Tenor. But why? Does it hurt his ears? Is he upset by it? How come he doesn’t howl along to CDs or the radio?
My gran’s old dog Lassie would also howl every time my dad got the bagpipes out or anyone played the “mouthie”. But why? Is it because both those instruments have turned people to commit violent acts. If so, why does the banjo not elicit the same response?*
It’s such a hilarious thing to watch that I really don’t want the reason to be anything to do with pain or distress. I go to the internets to investigate further.
A blogger called Aimee Amodio gives this description that satisfies my need to think that the dog is just having a wee laugh to himself and being a general good time guy:
“Howling to music: dogs have approximately the same hearing range that humans do, but they can detect much smaller changes in tone. Their hearing is much more sensitive — like a person with perfect pitch, compared to someone who is tone deaf. If a musical howler like my dog didn’t want to hear the birthday song, he could have just left the room. By joining in, he was taking his place in the pack as they raised their voices in song.”
How great is that? He’s raising his voice in song!
To celebrate the fact that we’re not turning our dog insane, I give you the Maestro himself recorded live in the Flying Martini Music Room!
Am I right though, is he enjoying the music or not? To the comments box if you have any other theories.
* Don’t complain to me if you play any of these things- I am directly offending actual friends and family members with those comments on purpose.
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dave1949 replied:
Well with a musical selection like that it could be the wee one is just pining for a kiss.Try Auld lang Syne and see if he gets all drunk and chummy with everyone in the room. Seems typical of all the Scots around our house.
January 28, 2010 at 4:38 pm. Permalink.
Toni replied:
Classic stuff, I think the hound enjoys the music, no one can really explain why they join in to live music rather than just cd's. I think as pack animals they need to see someone else involved before they participate. My dad's beast of an Alsation was the same. What a musical family, you have. Just do the neighbors a favour and don't buy one of them a drum kit.
January 28, 2010 at 5:03 pm. Permalink.
Misssy M replied:
Straw poll- can everyone see the video? If you can't- are you a MAC user?Getting varied reports.
January 28, 2010 at 5:25 pm. Permalink.
Belinda replied:
See video? Have played video 3 times! Hilarious. Who hasn't had a dog in their life that has done this? Need dog now.
January 28, 2010 at 5:47 pm. Permalink.
Belinda replied:
Sorry meant to say- not a MAC user.
January 28, 2010 at 5:48 pm. Permalink.
Donaldo replied:
On a Mac. Can't see it in Safari or Firefox. Works just fine in SeaMonkey or Opera though.
January 28, 2010 at 5:55 pm. Permalink.
Misssy M replied:
Donny: Hmmm that's weird. I'm using Firefox. Am going to upload it to You Tube and load it back up from there.
January 28, 2010 at 6:02 pm. Permalink.
Out of a Bottle replied:
So funny!! Have you got him an entry form for Britain's Got Talent yet? Can see/hear video fine on PC with Firefox.
January 28, 2010 at 9:47 pm. Permalink.
Lindy M replied:
Definitely not distress. He's saying, "What beauuuuuuuuuutiful muuuuuuuuuusic!"I used to live not far from a hospital. All the dogs in the surrounding districts would sing along with the ambulance sirens. There were lots of dogs, and a fair few ambulances.
January 29, 2010 at 5:54 am. Permalink.
Carol replied:
Hahaha, that was brilliant…and what was even more brilliant was my two cat's reaction to your dog!! I now have a cat that looks like a big white spiky cloud bouncing backwards and sideways in a most hillarious manner and the other is currently walking round the computer looking for your dog (he obviously thinks I'm hiding it…now he's gone under the table to see if it's there!!)C x
January 29, 2010 at 10:14 am. Permalink.
Misssy M replied:
Dave: it would be difficult to tell- I can't imagine this dog being any more chummier than he already is.Toni:I like the pack animal theory.Belinda: Think verrry carefully!OOB: I could be the token mad woman with a dog that when she's rejected threatens Simon Cowell.Lindy: Oh I've never heard him respond to a ambulance but my gran's old dog would howl along to the ice cream van chimes.Carol: Ha! I love that. I have known my cat to look behind the telly for birds when Attenborough is on.
January 29, 2010 at 2:28 pm. Permalink.
XUP replied:
In the wild dogs howl as a way to communicate with each other. So, I reckon some musical instruments sound like a howl to them and they're just responding to the "howl" as they are hardwired to do.
January 29, 2010 at 4:47 pm. Permalink.
alison replied:
My mum's cousin had a dog that would howl whenever he heard Welsh male choirs singing. Which, since they live in Wales, was a not uncommon experience, I guess. No other music would get him howling.Your dog seems to be enjoying singing along. And he has a lovely voice.
January 29, 2010 at 8:59 pm. Permalink.
Sarah S replied:
Second best thing dogs do. First best: sticking their heads out of car windows and letting breeze blow through their ears.
January 30, 2010 at 5:32 pm. Permalink.
EmmaK replied:
Indeed Sonny seems to be having a whale of a time…quite tuneful in fact – maybe could even be in a band? The Howling Houdinisnow I don't want to sound anti scottish but I've never understood the bagpipes, if that is meant to be music was it to torture the enemy? I will have to google this or maybe you know more about it than me??
February 1, 2010 at 6:43 pm. Permalink.
Dog Lady replied:
Yeah this is definately a pack related thing- that's why he doesn't do it along with music through speakers. You should maybe howl along with him- he'd like that even more, I think.
February 2, 2010 at 8:56 am. Permalink.
Carol replied:
There is an award over at mine for you
C x
February 2, 2010 at 11:02 am. Permalink.
Misssy M replied:
XUP: See that's more rational- I'm going for the sentimental "singing" option. Besides what crazy hound has a howl like ice cream van chimes? And where can i get one of this breed?Alison: A dog with taste. I want to hear from the person whose dog only howls along to hip hop or death metal.Sarah: Yeah, I love that. Specially when the wind catches their top muzzle and they look like they are doing G-force.Emma: What's not to like about the bagpipes? They are unfeasibly loud, make people playing them look mental, are nigh on impossible to play and have a tartan cardigan- I don't get it.Dog Lady: How can anyone resist howling along?Carol: Has awards season started already? Oh thank you!
February 2, 2010 at 4:07 pm. Permalink.
Ellie replied:
That dog obviously loves the sax.
February 2, 2010 at 7:26 pm. Permalink.
Toni replied:
Re what Sarah S said, the third best thing that dogs do is their irrational hatred for vacuum cleaners.
February 4, 2010 at 4:56 pm. Permalink.
Misssy M replied:
Ellie; Who doesn't? Careless Whisper, anyone?Toni: Bizarrely that's the one thing my dog doesn't do- I can practically hoover over him. he doesn't like a spray or aerosol though. He'll leave a room to avoid being unintentionally deodorised.
February 10, 2010 at 9:00 am. Permalink.