Bob Marley Tunes Lead Reggae Pet Playlist Released By Leading UK Pet Food Company Webbox
Following a university study which showed that Reggae is the music of choice for stressed-out dogs, the UK’s leading pet food company, Webbox, has hand-picked a slew of songs from the late Reggae icon Bob Marley and his Jamaican compatriots, for its ultimate fireworks season doggy playlist.
According to the company, the fireworks season (which spans from bonfire night on November 5, right up to New Year’s Eve), even though exciting for humans, can be a very frightening time for pets, and as a consequence, they have brought Reggae to the rescue.
Webbox has described the playlist, which has been unveiled on Spotify, as the incorporation of “the perfect balance of Reggae and Soft Rock songs”, which can be enjoyed by both pet and owner during the pyrotechnic period.
“It’s so important to ensure our loving companions feel safe and secure as we approach the firework season, therefore preparation is key. To make it easier for you to create a calming atmosphere for your pets we have created the ultimate firework season playlist,” the company said.
“Believe it or not, Reggae and Soft Rock have been proven to be the most effective musical genres to relieve anxiety in dogs, due to the relaxing rhythm mirroring their own heart rates,” it added.
The playlist features songs from Bob as well as Rita Marley, his sons Damian, Julian, Ziggy, Stephen and Ky-Mani; Peter Tosh, Jimmy Cliff, Toots, Shaggy, Inner Circle, Culture, Alton Ellis, Chezidek, among others. It also included a slew of other Jamaican songs which were covered by British Band UB-40.
It comes almost four years after a study was published by the Scottish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to animals (SSPCA) and The University of Glasgow, which revealed that Reggae and Soft Rock, have been proven to be the most effective musical genres to relieve anxiety in dogs.
On January 30 2017, the University of Glasgow, in a release titled “Reggae for Dogs Gone Viral”, noted that the study, which was released January 14 that year and was titled “The effect of different genres of music on the stress levels of kennelled dogs”, suggested that “far from enjoying the strains of classical music, dogs are happier listening to Soft Rock or Reggae”.
“Reggae music and soft rock were found to provoke the most positive changes in behaviour and the animal charity is now planning to install sound systems in all its kennels to play Bob Marley and Jon Bon Jovi to their unsuspecting charges,” the University had noted.
The Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA) had also carried out research which showed that 45 percent of dogs in the UK, display signs of fear when hearing fireworks, and as a consequence “many house pets can suddenly behave unpredictably when feeling stressed, showing signs of restlessness, shaking, cowering, barking, scratching, panting, pacing and whining.
“Pet owners across the UK have continuously struggled to find a solution…However… playing music can act as a remedy for pets, helping to mask the noise and create a soothing effect,” it said.
The Reggae Songs on the playlist include:
Bob Marley: Easy Skanking, Get Up Stand Up, Jammin, Waiting in Vain, Redemption Song, No Woman No Cry, Is This Love, Could You be Loved, Buffalo Soldier, I shot the Sherriff, Stir It Up, Three Little Birds, One Love, Satisfy My Soul, One Drop, Iron Lion Zion, Pimpers Paradise, Turn Your Lights Down Low, War/No More Trouble – Live, Forever Loving Jah, Zimbabwe, Exodus, Babylon System, Rastaman Chant
Inner Circle: Sweat, Bad Boys, Games People Play, Have you ever seen the Rain, Smoke
Damian Marley – Welcome to Jamrock, Liquor Store Blues – featuring Bruno Mars
Chezidek – All my life, Babylon Virus
Shaggy – Boombastic
UB40 – Rat in Mi Kitchen, Kingston Town, I can’t help falling in Love with you, Red Red Wine, I’ve got You Baby, The Way you do the things you do, Here I am, Tears from my eyes, Groovin, Wear You to the Ball, Cherry O Baby, She Loves Me Now, Homely Girl, Please Don’t Make me Cry, Higher Ground
Ziggy Marley – Beach in Hawaii, Love is my Religion, Look Who’s Dancing, One Good Spliff, Tomorrow People, True to Myself, Cry Cry Cry
Peter Tosh – Legalize it, Johnny B Goode, Don’t Look Back, Wanted Dread and alive,, Bush Doctor
Bunny Wailer – Dreamland, Mellow Mood
Maxi Priest – Wild World, Some Guys have all the Luck
Big Mountain – Baby I love your Way, Let’s Stay together, Love So Strong
Wayne Wade – Lady
Culture – The International Herb
Shinehead – Jamaican in New York
Sean Kingston – Beautiful Girls
Toots and The Maytals – Funky Kingston
Jimmy Cliff – Reggae Night
Alton Ellis – Back to Africa
Ken Boothe – Everything I own
Third World – Now that We Found love
Rita Marley – One Draw
Julian Marley– Boom Draw, Rude Bwoy featuring Jo Mersa Marley
Stephen Marley – Hey Baby, Break Us Apart, Jah Army, The Traffic Jam
Protoje and Kymani Marley – Rasta Love