Research and common sense tell us that certain types of sound and the volume of sound have an impact on animals, especially those living in a shelter and those who are afraid of loud noises.

You may have heard that classical music helps reduce a dog’s stress level, but research has also shown that listening to audiobooks helps, too. Some shelters enlist volunteers, including children, to read books to shelter dogs.

“Shelters frequently are stressful environments for dogs,” says Dr. Tamara Montrose, “and any reduction of this stress is beneficial for their welfare. In our study we found that audiobooks enhanced resting behaviors in dogs which is suggestive of reduced stress. Dogs are highly social animals who value human contact. We believe that audio-books approximate human interaction for these kenneled dogs and that they benefit from the illusion of company and comfort provided by the audio-books.”

—Companion Animal Psychology, Jan 13, 2016.