Three… two… one… bark! On Monday, 15 June 2009, 52 dogs of all shapes and sizes converged on Finsbury Park in London to try and beat the current record for the loudest bark by a group of dogs. Guinness World Records™ representative Marco Frigatti was there…

The Dog Chorus was organized to mark the release of the Disney feature Bolt on Blu-ray and DVD. I wanted to find out if London dogs had a superbark like the fictional superdog Bolt.

The previous record was set on 14 September 2008 by a very large group of over 200 dogs in Shelburne, Vermont, USA, with an amazing 111.1 dB. That corresponds roughly to the noise levels you would experience in the front row of a rock concert.

In all honesty, I did not think 52 dogs could bark louder than 200 of their American peers, so I prepared myself to comfort the assembled dogs and their owners. However, I hadn't appreciated that there were some real superdogs around that day! Donning my ear defenders, I encouraged the dogs to start the "concert", which was led by barking maestro White German Shepherd (and Bolt lookalike) Daz Lightning.

The first attempt was a bit timid and with a result of 108 dB did not break the world record. I think the dogs were a little puzzled that for one day, instead of trying to shut them up, their owners were actually trying to make them speak – and as loudly as possible! Having gained some confidence that this was really what they were expected to do, however, the dogs engaged in a barking concert that registered a peak of 115 dB, close to the human pain threshold, and with their owners in tow became Guinness World Records record-holders.

Before wrapping up, I wanted to make sure I measured the individual barking record as well, and Daz Lightning also broke the record for the loudest-ever individual bark with a woof of 108 dB.

I am not sure this is what some neighbours will want to hear, but it appears that British dogs are pretty loud – louder that some American dogs, at least. In short: barking mad!

17 June 2009