<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN"> <html> <head> <META HTTP-EQUIV="Content-Type" CONTENT="text/html; charset=us-ascii"> <meta name=Generator content="Microsoft Word 10 (filtered)"> <style>  </style> </head> <body bgcolor=white lang=EN-US link=blue vlink=purple> <div class=Section1> For a few years I tuned and played pianos in our house with our German Shepherd Dog, Pepper.  (female) inside.   One Sunday afternoon during a birthday party for an elderly couple, when we got to “…happy birthday dear…..” we heard a rather unearthly moan  like some one singing off (way off) key.  It tuned out to be Pepper.  (under the grand piano of all places) She had a wide variety voices between moans and howls but I never knew it until she heard and responded to humans singing in chorus.     I soon found out she was even more  responsive to a male falseceto (sp) voice.   She was at her best in “… the hills are alive with the sound of Pepper dog singinggggggg….”   I wanted to submit it to “Best  Home Videos” because I had never heard a dog sing as much or on cue.  Yet  for her first 3 years she never responded to the sound of a piano or a piano being tuned.  I don’t know what that says about me as a tuner other than I don’t hum when I tune.  The only other thing she howled at was coyotes, but that is another story.   Rscar       (if Oscar was spelled with an R)             "While we look to the dramatist to give romance to realism,              we ask of the actor to give realism to romance."             Oscar Wilde (1854-1900); Irish poet and dramatist.     -----Original Message----- From: pianotech-bounces@ptg.org [mailto:pianotech-bounces@ptg.org] On Behalf Of Mike Kurta Sent: Wednesday, September 27, 2006 6:52 PM To: Pianotech Subject: Homer the singing dog   <div>     Every few years I run across a dog that likes to sing while I tune.  I'm not sure if they are in pain or they really enjoy it.  Today was unique.  Homer, a black lab would howl a note at the pitch I was tuning.  He would usually start out on a different note and slide up or down until he hit it.  It wasn't dead on, but close enough.  He would even adjust an octave up or down to stay in his vocal range. Homer's owner wasn't aware of her pet's talent, but  it became distracting so we put him outside where he continued to accompany. </div> <div>     Any other singalong stories ?? </div> <div>     Mike Kurta  </div> </div> </body> </html>