City Adopts Music Program Written By 12-Year-Old Boy To Help Homeless Animals

MISSION VIEJO, CA — A new, innovative program is being adopted by the Mission Viejo Animal Services Center to help homeless animals find homes.

The program, called "Wild Tunes" and founded by 12-year-old Yuvi Agarwal, of Houston, is dedicated to soothing shelter animals by encouraging volunteer musicians of all skill levels to play instruments or sing for the benefit of shelter pets.

"Music has the power to calm, connect and heal," Yuvi told Patch. "Wild Tunes is a win-win opportunity that help abandoned and stressed shelter pets associate humans with something good."

Yuvi went on to explain that when pets are routinely exposed to music, it helps them become more comfortable around humans, which increases their chances of finding forever homes.

The program will launch in Mission Viejo at noon on Tuesday, Aug. 5, and the city is currently searching for volunteer musicians and singers to be a part of the program.

"We look forward to partnering with Wild Tunes to introduce a new form of enrichment powered by music that has the potential to improve the experience for the animals, improve staff well-being, and enhance the involvement of volunteers," Animal Services Director Brynn Lavison said.

For more information and to register, visit wildtunes.org/volunteers or call 949-470-3045.