Dogs are Literally Howling about Law & Order
So who loves Law & Order more, you or your dog? It turns out that dogs across the country have something to howl about when it comes to the Law & Order theme song and no one seems to know why. And more importantly no one knows if your dog wants you to turn it off or keep it on!
We’ve all seen the piano playing cat and the singing dog videos on YouTube, but over the past few months pet parents have been posting videos of their dog’s reactions to the now-iconic Law and Order themesong on YouTube, and the number keeps growing. And growing. But what is it about the particular themesong that gets dogs howling?
Most likely the theme emits a pitch, tone or frequency that may be hitting your dog’s ear a in a certain, perhaps unsettling, way. But do not expect your dog to howl to the theme because this frequency or pitch doesn’t affect all dogs the same way, as it wouldn’t humans. Some of us cringe when we hear nails on a chalkboard while others just sit back as if nothing’s happening. This issue just went “viral,” so to speak, so it’s hard to find a current scientific explanation. There are high pitches in the theme itself and they are quite repetitive, which may bother some dogs.
Others speculate that dogs know that their parent will be watching a one-hour program and therefore will not get attention for an hour (which means no food, no walk, no happy dog). Other pet parents are reporting Google Talk sound effects, and certain video and computer game themes are evoking similar reactions from their pets.
Maybe the dogs have heard the theme over and over for years that it’s time for a soundtrack change. Or maybe dogs find it to be a good karaoke track when American Idol isn’t cutting it. Maybe dogs are finally recognizing Richard Belzer’s continued support for animal rescue. For now, this case has a hung jury.