Shelter dogs get completely quiet when this man sings, plays guitar for them

An animal lover in North Carolina has warmed the hearts of people and pups alike with his musical talents. Chad Olds, an employee of the Vance County Animal Shelter in Henderson, has become an overnight star thanks to one very sweet performance he recently gave.

In a video posted by the shelter on Feb. 13, Olds is seen playing his acoustic guitar and singing Alan Jackson’s 2006 song “Like Red on a Rose” to a captive audience of dogs who are waiting to be adopted.

And when I say captive audience, I mean just that, because these doggies stay silent for nearly the entire performance! Take a look:

The video has been viewed about 900,000 times since it was posted, giving plenty of much-needed attention to these beautiful animals who are looking for forever homes. Olds said that was the whole point of making the clip.

“If we can get that exposure to them animals, they can get out of here, and that’s what we want,” Olds told Henderson’s The Daily Dispatch.

He told the newspaper that the idea came from his boss at the shelter, who suggested Olds sing to the dogs in the adoption room with no camera rolling. “We tried it, and it was amazing,” Olds said. “They stopped barking and listened.” So they did it again and caught the entire thing on video.

“The adoption room had never been so quiet and at peace,” the original post from the Friends of Vance County Animal Shelter Facebook page stated.

According to the American Kennel Club, dogs apparently do enjoy listening to music—depending on the style. Relaxing music, like classical—or, in Olds’s case, the soft strumming of an acoustic guitar—can actually calm them down.

A few days after the video was posted, it was shared by Jackson’s official Facebook page, which said, “What a great way to share Alan’s music!” His performance was obviously all about the pups, but for Olds, getting a shout-out from a country music legend had to be a nice little bonus!

Will Olds be giving an encore? According to the shelter’s Facebook page, “keep watch for more free concerts.”