pet connection

A few years ago when our pound puppy Ginger was new to our family, we enjoyed taking her to the local dog park to romp and run with reckless abandon.

It was a great way to give her some exercise in the hopes that she would come home calm and sleepy.

But the car ride to and from the park was the most challenging as the unbelted Ginger would bounce allover the vehicle — from one window to the next — with tail wagging and tongue drooling as she got more and more excited as the ride continued. Longer rides were even more difficult, of course, because Ginger continued to work herself into a frenzy as we traveled, leaving nobody alone on the ride.

Then we discovered that when we played certain music through the car’s sound system, Ginger would often settle right down and before we knew it, would be sleeping calmly on the floor or back seat. She didn’t react that way to all music, but mostly would relax to calm instrumentals. Hip hop, rock and rap did nothing to soothe this sweet beast, so we stuck to the mellow tunes.

Soon Ginger grew out of her frantic stage and car rides became much less stressful for all involved.

Now comes a special music CD that has been created by psychoacoustics expert Joshua Leeds and performed by Juilliard graduate and concert pianist Lisa Spector that promises to settle down your dog in the car, leading to a stress-free ride for all involved.

“Through a Dog’s Ear: Driving Edition — Music to Calm Your Dog in the Car” is a 74-minute CD consisting of 12 piano solos that are arranged in a specific order to help your dog progress from being a frantic, slobbering, crazy canine to being a relaxed, calm and lovable pup in just a matter of minutes.

But while your dog is snoozing, you won’t be. That’s because the CD is designed to strike an ideal balance of keeping the driver alert while soothing your dog’s nerves. Amazing!

For the best effect, the creators recommend that you start the CD on track 1 because the music begins with slow, simple arrangements and gradually pick up in tempo and complexity as you progress through the CD.

For dogs with mild to extreme anxiety issues, there’s even a 20-minute “Travel Prep” track to put on at home prior to the car trip. The founders say that your dog will become accustomed to the music in a stress-free environment, adding to the sense of comfort when you get into the car and start playing the music.

Having listened to the entire CD a couple of times now — both on the road and at home — I can attest to the quality of the music and the positively uplifting attitude that it left me feeling.

Get ready for a soothing summer road trip.