One pup in India has become a legend of sorts for his very involved participation in one of the region’s most important ceremonies.
According to a friend of the dogs owner, who was able to capture footage of the dog in action, the dog heard music coming from a neighboring temple a little while back, then deciding to join in the singing.
Errr howling.
But it didn’t stop there…
“This devout little dog belongs to my friend’s factory,” Sushma Date wrote on Twitter. “Every Thursday evening, without fail, he walks over to the temple next door and joins the keertan.”
The keertan or kirtan is a type of traditional religious storytelling set to music that goes back hundreds of years.
While the dog most likely had not idea what he was doing, clearly, something urges him to join in.
While people are either chanting or playing their instruments, they appear to have grown closer to the dog — expecting his participation as well as encouraging him with pats on the head.
But maybe one of the factors that keeps the dog coming back is the food that is involved:
“Then he has his share of prasad and trots back home,” Date wrote.
Prasad is a type of vegetarian snack that is blessed and then shared among people during these ceremonies — or, in this case, shared with people as well as sweet and singing dogs.
Be it religious or cultural, traditions are important as they rally people together.
But not exclusively people…
According to Date, the dog continues to come back for more “Every single Thursday!”
So why do dogs “sing” in the first place?
As dogs descended from wolves, according to Wag, howling is used among wolf packs to communicate in different ways.
And one of the most prominent reasons wolves howl is to announce to the rest of the pack their location as it can be heard over great distances, so those howls act like location services — if you will.
While howls can be just celebration – like a pack howling together as one pack or a family – some believe that the reason dogs sing to certain sounds is that the particular pitch or tone reminds them of another dog’s howl.
Which means almost anything could trigger your dog’s howl and it should be noted that many dogs do not like to sing alone, as one dog’s howl usually encourages other dogs to jump in.
Since dog’s more wild ancestors howled — it’s an instinctual reaction.
And some breeds of dogs can be move vocal than others — like Siberian Huskies as well as multiple types of hounds.
While some dogs, like Beagles and Malamutes, excitement or anxiety can trigger a howl — while sometimes they can howl out of boredom or loneliness.
“Howling and singing are a natural, instinctual part of a dog’s life. There’s no reason to be concerned about your dog’s singing, unless their behavior becomes a problem with, say, your next-door neighbor. It is possible to encourage or discourage your dog’s singing habits with additional training. Positive reinforcement is always a great way to train your dog to limit or increase their singing practice.” according to Wag.
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