Table of Contents
ALEXANDRIA, Va. — The Animal Welfare League of Alexandria is the newest home for Wild Tunes, a nonprofit that sends volunteer musicians into animal shelters to play and sing for the animals, with the aim of easing their stress and helping them get adopted.
The shelter will mark the launch Thursday, May 28, with a media event featuring musicians performing throughout the facility for the dogs and cats in its care.
Wild Tunes was founded in 2023 by Yuvi Agarwal, then a 10-year-old animal lover from Houston, who noticed how his music seemed to calm his own dog, Bozo, and wanted to bring that comfort to shelter animals. The program has since expanded to shelters in 10 states and, with the Alexandria launch, into Northern Virginia.
"Music has the power to calm, connect, and heal," Agarwal said in a statement. "When pets are regularly exposed to music and positive human interaction, they become more comfortable — and that can make all the difference in helping them find a forever home."
The idea rests on a straightforward premise: that regular, positive human interaction helps shelter animals build trust and feel less stressed, which can make them more at ease around potential adopters. Anastasia Stellato, an assistant professor at Texas Tech University's Human-Animal Interaction Lab, said in a statement provided by the program that even passive human presence can matter for animals in shelters. "Human presence alone can have a meaningful impact on an animal's emotional state," she said.
AWLA CEO Stella Hanly said the program adds a new form of enrichment at the shelter. "Wild Tunes brings a new level of enrichment into our shelter — creating a calming environment for animals while also inviting the community to engage with our mission in a truly unique way," she said in a statement.
The program is open to volunteer musicians of all skill levels. Among those taking part at the Alexandria launch is StringTime, a Washington-area youth summer camp that offers string instruction. To participate, volunteers register through Wild Tunes and then complete onboarding through AWLA's volunteer program.
Wild Tunes, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, says it now has more than 600 registered volunteers nationwide. More information is available at wildtunes.org, and details on the Alexandria shelter are at alexandriaanimals.org.
