The Aussies 2019 - Members version

Music to calm the beast
There are a lot of medicaDons and herbal remedies to calm.
However, entrepreneur Amman Ahmed and producer Ricardo
Henriquez, created music to relax dogs. Called ‘RelaxMyDog’
and founded in 2011 it reaches an audience of 10 million users
a month: 600 years’ worth of their content was streamed in
September alone.
The music they have created starts with an elegiac sweep of
strings, socly playing in a minor key, before chirruping into
birdsong, and then back to ambient strings. This conDnues for
12 hours.
To the untrained ear, this may sound like one of the sleep
playlists that have gained popularity in recent years, but the
human ear is not the intended audience for this music – it is for
dogs. For embedded within this relaxing (or maddening) muzak
are canine-friendly frequencies to help reduce stress or
separaDon anxiety.
15 millions pets benefit
The creator explained “I wanted to make something that was
100% natural, through music. We started with a team of two
but now we’re 12 people staffed in Manchester in the UK, El
Salvador and India, and our audience is equally global. This
year, we’re on track for our content to help around 15 million
pets.”
Ahmed is coy when explaining the somewhat vague musical
formula behind their success, though. It comprises, he says, of
“a range of frequencies that the dogs can hear, combined with
music that is designed to be relaxing to humans, since if the
human is relaxed, that energy can be projected on to the dog
also”. Rather than engaging in scienDfic research to influence
their composiDons, “the best research comes from actual
users”, he says, who provide regular feedback through their
YouTube channel’s 600,000 subscribers.
One such piece of feedback was that dogs were responding
well to reggae music, which has led to a new series of dog
reggae. This finding is backed up by a 2017 study conducted by
the Sconsh SPCA and University of Glasgow. The research
found that while classical music had an iniDal calming effect on
the dogs, acer a few days they became bored. Instead, reggae
and soc rock came out as the best genres for reducing stress,
barking and heart rates. The SPCA’s head of research, Gilly
Mendes Ferreira, speculates this is because “those genres have
a rhythm that is similar to the dogs’ own heart rate. When a
pup is feeling stressed it will snuggle into its mother and use
her heartbeat as relaxaDon, so this music mimics that.”
Expanding market
Taking the research one step further, the SPCA last year
collaborated with the producer John McLaughlin, best known
for his work with Westlife, Blue, and 5ive, to create Paws, Play,
Relax, a charitable record designed for dogs. “A lot of people
I’m sure thought this project was barking mad but it made total
sense to me,” McLaughlin says. “Dogs need to be entertained
just like humans, and everybody likes a bit of reggae, don’t
they?” McLaughlin even wrote lyrics from the perspecDve of
dogs, resulDng in love ballad lines such as: “I was barely holding
on / But I knew you were the only one / From the moment I
saw you.”
McLaughlin is proud of the results: “We had a listening party
where a bunch of my friends’ dogs came round to the house
and it definitely works. Some of those dogs can be very
enthusiasDc and this record did the trick in calming them
down.”
In fact last year Classic FM broadcast a one-off show for
pets, featuring themed numbers such as John Barry’s Crazy
Dog. Despite the evidence of dogs’ preference for Bob
Marley over Mahler, the show’s host (and owner of three
dogs) Bill Turnbull says, “I leave the radio tuned to Classic
FM for my dogs when I go out, and they seem to enjoy it.
They’ve certainly never complained.”
Peglix – is it the future?
With an 87% success rate reported from owners,
RelaxMyDog is now senng its sights higher. “Our vision for
the future is to become the NeÄlix for pets – we want to be
PeÄlix.”
PeÄlix entails dog-themed visuals, like walks through a
forest, with a purple filter to engage the dogs further, paired
of course with their favourite music. Having only launched it
12 months ago, its success remains to be seen, but for now
Ahmed is focusing on a more familiar, seasonal goal: “We’re
releasing a Christmas album and I want it to reach No 1.”
Italian Town's New Fireworks Rule Is Meant To Calm
Anxious Pets
The message about fireworks and the effect on our pets is
starDng to get through to those who can make a difference.
This year Sainsbury’s Supermarkets announced they would
no longer be selling fireworks. Great news that with fewer
opportuniDes to buy fireworks, there will be less unplanned
fireworks parDes.
In a genius move, an Italian town has switched to silent
fireworks to help anxious pets spend less Dme being afraid.
Frankly, it would be great if everyone could get on board
with this whole silent-fireworks thing.
According to a press release, the town of Collecchio in the
province of Parma, Italy, has chosen the welfare of its fourlegged
residents over the sound of fireworks. "The more
sensiDve hearing of animals causes them to develop a
condiDon known as 'acousDc stress' that follows sudden and
loud noises," the statement said. "The sounds and smoke
created by fireworks can cause addiDonal health problems
in animals. Vets commonly report cases of nausea, tremors,
and increased anxiety in animals acer a fireworks show."
Relaxmydog - gives you 30 day’s free and then costs
$4.99 a month.
The Paws Play Relax CD is available from the Scottish
SPCA priced £10.99