Two Piano Playing Dogs Paw Out a Tune!

By Linda Cole

When it comes to tickling those ivory keys, Nora the Piano Cat is still in a class all her own. Unfortunately for Nora, there's always another prodigy waiting in the wings for their own crack at stardom. In this case, it's two talented dogs that have woofed their way into the hearts of animal-loving YouTube viewers.

Don't get me wrong, I love Nora and her piano playing antics. Her obvious enjoyment at tickling the ivory keys is unsurpassed by any other feline. And there are plenty of Nora wannabes on You Tube these days. However, now there's a dog duet pawing out a tune on their own specially made piano, with a cuteness factor that’s through the roof!

The You Tube video of two piano playing Golden Retrievers has been delighting dog lovers ever since it was first posted. The dogs are playing “Waltz of the Fleas” on an oversized keyboard as their owner sits in front of them playing a small flute-like instrument called an ocarina. The piano playing pups watch their “conductor” and then step on the piano keys matching the note she's playing. And they do a pretty good job getting the right note!

At first glance, one would say the dogs are just doing what they were trained to do. As you watch the video, though, the lighter colored dog seems to be anticipating the coming note. However, they may also be responding to the musical note they are hearing, according to Charles Snowdon, an animal psychologist and zoologist at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Snowdon theorizes that the dogs are following cues by their owner, which is not the same as them memorizing what's next. He believes it is possible the dogs are able to understand the notes their owner is playing and know which key on the piano will duplicate the sound from the ocarina.

Cat Galaxy Radio, Programmed by Cats for Cats

By Linda Cole

Sometimes it's hard to figure out what your cat really wants. For some felines it's a fresh batch of catnip or a cozy snooze in the sun. The more sophisticated kitty wants to keep up with what's going on, and listening to tunes or their favorite talk radio program is the cat's meow for them. Cat Galaxy Radio is celebrating their 10 year anniversary and it's the only radio station that's programmed by cats for the enjoyment of their cat listeners.

According to professional pet sitters, our feline friend’s favorite music is classical and country music. And their favorite talk radio station is National Public Radio. Nohl Rosen is a cat lover living in Arizona who was trying to figure out one day what his feline friend wanted. His cat Isis kept meowing insistently. She didn't want food or water, and she didn't want to play. Nohl was beside himself until he put on a CD. As soon as the music started to play, Isis settled down.

When Nohl saw how she reacted to the music, an idea began to grow and out of it came Cat Galaxy Radio. Nohl has his own computer company, which made it easy to set up a radio station specifically for cats. He already had two cats that could help him set up programs for discerning kitties, and it seemed like the obvious thing to do. After all, if music made his cats happy, why not make it accessible for other cats to enjoy?

He put Cat Galaxy Radio on the Internet which gave him a worldwide audience. Nohl handles the DJ duties since cats don't have opposable thumbs. His two cats, Isis and her brother Icarus, are in charge of the musical selections. If they give a musical piece a “paws down” it doesn't make it on the air. Icarus is the assistant station manager and he decides what kind of music is played. Isis is the station owner and her taste in music isn't country or classical; she's into Ozzy Osbourne, smooth jazz, funk and R&B.