Eight-year-old Knuckles may not be the most talented pooch, but there is one the thing the Jack Russell Terrier can do without fail. 
 
 Whenever he hears the "Law & Order" theme song, his ears perk up and he starts to whimper, then he lifts up his head and chimes right in, singing along to the music with a full-blown wail. 
 
 "He's not the brightest dog in the world, but he has this one talent," said his owner, Daniel Serna of Los Angeles. "It's just a funny thing he'll do and he'll do it for a room full of people." 
 
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 Serna said he noticed it right after he brought Knuckles home years ago. 
 
 "The first time he saw the show, he started howling along to it and we just started busting up," he said. 
 
 About a year ago, Serna and his wife posted a video of one of his dog's performances to YouTube. That video, "Knuckles The Dog Singing to Law and Order," has nearly 10,000 views. 
 
 Asked if he was aware of Knuckles' budding Internet fame, Serna was astonished. 
 
 "No… Really?" he asked. "Oh, my God. That's great." 
 
 But it turns out Knuckles' performance isn't so unique, and in fact, it may be nothing more than an involuntary reaction -- and the next YouTube phenomenon. 
 
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 Could Howling Dogs Be Next Internet Sensation? 
 
 Much like the recent fascination with the piano-playing cat, a crop of YouTube videos featuring dogs howling along with the "Law & Order" theme song has gained popularity online. 
 
 A YouTube search for "Law & Order + dog" generates at least several dozen videos of "singing" dogs like Knuckles. 
 
 Serna said that when he and his wife posted the video of Knuckles they had no idea that they had company, and some of the videos were posted as many as three years ago. But as blogs picked up on the unusual doggie dance over the last few days, more owners posted videos of their crooning canines. 
 
 A video called "Logan The Poodle Sings to Law & Order Theme" has attracted 36,359 views, and another, "Tug's reaction to Law & Order intro," has more than 19,000 views. 
 
 The videos show dogs of every size whining, whimpering and wailing as the "Law & Order" theme song pipes through in the background. 
 
 More recent videos feature owners trying to see what happens when they play the song for their own dogs. 
 
 But why do some hounds howl when they hear this particular theme song? 
 
 Veterinary neurologist Susan Wagner said that, though she wasn't familiar with formal research on the topic, it likely has to do with the higher-register notes in the distinctive theme song. 
 
 "Cats and dogs generally don't like hearing high-pitched sounds," she said, adding that dogs often howl to sirens and other higher-toned sounds. 
 
 Dogs, Cats Don't Like High-Pitched Sounds 
 
 Wagner recently co-authored a book titled "Through a Dog's Ears," which explores sounds that can improve dogs' health and well-being. Her research behind it showed that lower tones and simple music calm canines. 
 
 "Different types of music affect dogs from a behavioral standpoint," she said. Classical music arrangements, for example, especially those with lower tones, slower tempos and less complexity, reduce anxiety, she said. 
 
 The higher-pitched, upbeat and complex "Law & Order" theme song could have the opposite effect. 
 
 "That would be my hypothesis," said Wagner. Though the research hasn't been conducted, she said, based on the reverse finding regarding the lower tones, it seems likely. 
 
 But, she added, "I'd hate to do that to them." 
 
 For his part, the creator of the "Law & Order" theme song, Mike Post, said he never expected dogs would be "humming along with my tunes." 
 
 "I can't believe it. This is the craziest thing I've ever seen in my life!" Post told the New York Post. 
 
 "They're not running away from it, they're singing along with it," he continued. "If somebody notices my music and appreciates it, I'm happy -- and if those are very happy canines, I'm happy." ||||| Dick Wolf’s “Law & Order” is raising a howl among the canine set. 
 
 A slew of videos have popped up on the Internet showing dogs of all shapes and sizes howling and baying when they hear the “L&O” theme music. 
 
 It’s arresting imagery — and experts say the harried hounds’ behavior can be attributed to the music’s tonal quality. 
 
 “The reason they do that is because the music has a combination of clarinets and high-decibel sounds,” says celebrity pet trainer Bash Dibra. 
 
 “When the music hits a certain note, it . . . hits a signal in their auditory nerve and makes them howl. 
 
 “It’s typical when you see certain dogs howl when a fire truck drives by,” he says. 
 
 “It’s the decibel sounds hitting their ears and they just can’t help it — they have to howl.” 
 
 Most of the videos posted on YouTube and nastynets.com show each dog becoming agitated almost as soon as the “L&O” music strikes its first note. 
 
 Some dogs walk up to a TV or computer screen and howl; others lie where they are and lift their snouts in the air to emit their wolfish wails. 
 
 It’s hard to tell if they’re enjoying what they hear, or giving their own version of a Bronx cheer. 
 
 “There’s been very little research on dogs howling . . . but it’s probably due to the staccato sound of the music, which is very jarring,” says dog trainer Andrea Arden, who co-hosts Animal Planet’s “Underdog to Wonderdog.” 
 
 “Dogs often react to stimulus that’s sharp and erratic, and that music has a quavering beat to it, almost like a metallic sound,” she says. 
 
 “It has the potential to be slightly irritating to a dog’s ear.” 
 
 The “L&O” theme music was written by Mike Post, who’s won multiple Emmys for TV compositions including “The Rockford Files, “LA Law,” “Hill Street Blues,” “NYPD Blue” and “Magnum, PI.” 
 
 “I can’t believe it. This is the craziest thing I’ve ever seen in my life!” Post said yesterday. 
 
 “They’re not running away from it, they’re singing along with it,” Post said of the crooning canines. 
 
 “If somebody notices my music and appreciates it, I’m happy — and if those are very happy canines, I’m happy,” he said. 
 
 “I’m flattered — I never figured dogs would be humming along with my tunes. This is a first.” 
 
 Producers for “Law & Order” declined to comment yesterday. ||||| By Chris Cummins 
 
 By now you’ve probably seen the YouTube videos in which an 
 
 uncharacteristically dour Kermit the Frog covers songs by Nine Inch Nails, 
 
 Elliott Smith and Radiohead. As hilarious as these unauthorized “Sad Kermit” 
 
 videos are, they also bring to mind some of the more downbeat musical moments 
 
 from the real Muppets’ history. 
 
 Sure, everybody remembers “Mahna Mahna,” but what about the bittersweet 
 
 symphonies that so often took center stage during The Muppet Show, Sesame 
 
 Street and Fraggle Rock? 
 
 Part of the enduring charm of these shows (and their respective spin-off 
 
 movies and albums) is how they made puppet characters seem like real-life pals. 
 
 As Gonzo reminds us, there’s not a word yet for old friends who’ve just met. 
 
 That’s exactly the sort of feeling that the Muppets invoke. So when Kermit 
 
 sings about feeling like an outsider in “Bein’ Green,” it’s only natural for 
 
 viewers of all ages to relate to his pain–often leading to some pretty 
 
 devastating moments of self-realization. With that in mind, grab a box of 
 
 tissues and prepare to unleash repressed childhood traumas with this list of 
 
 the seven most tear-inducing songs from Jim Henson’s various productions. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 7) “While My Guitar Gently Weeps” 
 
 While obviously not a Muppet original, this cover is well 
 
 worth a mention regardless. Throughout the history of the Muppets, the 
 
 characters have frequently gotten mileage out of performing poignant versions 
 
 of other artists’ work. (Check out Rowlf the Dog’s take on “New York State of 
 
 Mind” from his Ol’ Brown Ears Is Back album or The Muppet Show’s reworking 
 
 of Buffalo Springfield’s “For What It’s Worth” into an anti-hunting anthem as 
 
 seen here ). 
 
 But none of these have the impact that Floyd Pepper’s version of The Beatles’ “While 
 
 My Guitar Gently Weeps” does. As silhouettes of other Muppets are seen going 
 
 about their business through window blinds, the Electric Mayhem bassist–whose 
 
 last name was taken from the Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Heart’s Club Band album–performs 
 
 a stark cover that somehow manages to heighten the original’s themes of 
 
 isolation. George Harrison would be proud. 
 
 6) “I Hope That Something Better Comes Along” 
 
 Relationships can be brutal and they often end badly. But 
 
 the appeal of finding someone to complete and compliment you is so great that 
 
 you’ll put up with all the bullshit of chasing love — regardless of how 
 
 miserable it makes you. That’s the point of this song, a rare duet between 
 
 Kermit and Rowlf (both portrayed by Jim Henson) that gives kids advance warning 
 
 about how difficult matters of the heart will be once they get older and start 
 
 caring about such things. It’s pretty much the pre-schooler equivalent of Joy 
 
 Division’s “Love Will Tear Us Apart. ” A hard lesson that needs to be 
 
 learned, “I Hope That Something 
 
 Better Comes Along” proves that while Sesame Street may teach kids about 
 
 the ABCs and 123s, The Muppet Movie tells them about life. 
 
 5) “I’m Going to Go Back There Someday” 
 
 Taking a break from making jokes about wanting to fuck chickens, 
 
 Gonzo finally came into his own with this wrist-cutting ditty about longing 
 
 written by Paul Williams and Kenny Ascher from The Muppet Movie. Accompanied by Rowlf on harmonica, he 
 
 contemplates where he belongs in the world and sings about attempting to “hold 
 
 on to love like invisible strings.” Good luck with that. Stupid YouTube doesn’t 
 
 feature the scene from the film, so click ahead to 6:36 in the above clip and 
 
 enjoy a live performance of the song from 2001’s The Muppet Show: Live event 
 
 featuring Gonzo, Rowlf and Paul Williams. If you are feeling especially 
 
 sadistic, check out the bullshit remake of the song from the Gonzo-centric Muppets 
 
 in Space soundtrack. It will depress you too, although for entirely 
 
 different reasons. 
 
 4) “I Don’t Want to Live on the Moon” 
 
 Written by Jeff Moss — who also penned “Rubber Duckie” and “The 
 
 People in Your Neighborhood” — this pensive Sesame Street song features 
 
 Ernie dreaming of visiting far-off destinations before deciding that 
 
 homesickness will always bring him back to the people and places he’s known all 
 
 his life. Although this song features similar themes of wanderlust to those 
 
 explored in “I’m Going to Go Back There Someday,” there’s an additional subtext 
 
 here suggesting that venturing out on your own is ultimately a bad thing. No 
 
 wonder so many twenty/thirtysomethings seem unwilling to start their adult lives, 
 
 Ernie has brainwashed them into states of arrested development. And they say 
 
 Bert’s the evil one. 
 
 3) “Bein’ Green” 
 
 The first Sesame Street song to make an impact upon 
 
 popular culture, “Bein’ Green” has 
 
 been covered by artists ranging from Frank Sinatra to Ray Charles since it 
 
 debuted in 1969 during the show’s first season. It has become Kermit the Frog’s signature tune, bringing 
 
 inspiration to people everywhere and being interpreted as a plea for 
 
 self-acceptance and racial equality. It’s also a miserable anthem of 
 
 self-loathing until the last verse when Kermit finally realizes that he’s 
 
 beautiful and that green is what he wants to be. Just saying. If you doubt that this song can evoke both pain 
 
 and joy, just watch this performance of “Bein’ Green” from Jim Henson’s 
 
 memorial service: 
 
 …yeah. We’ll wait while you get a tissue. 
 
 2) “The Rainbow Connection” 
 
 Admittedly, there is nothing depressing about “The Rainbow 
 
 Connection” per se. It is an uplifting song about having the courage to pursue 
 
 your dreams, just as Jim Henson himself did. But when he died unexpectedly in 
 
 1990, it became impossible to listen to without thinking about the tragedy of 
 
 his death. Nearly 20 years later, it’s still difficult to hear Kermit—to hear 
 
 Jim Henson–singing about “the lovers and dreamers and me” and not feel a sting 
 
 of sadness about how his life and work were so abruptly halted. 
 
 1) “The Joke Isn’t Funny Anymore” 
 
 The most depressing Muppet moment since Big Bird had to 
 
 learn about Mr. Hooper dying, this song is sung by the mentally handicapped 
 
 Junior Gorg when he thinks he has killed Mokey in the Fraggle Rock episode 
 
 “Mokey’s Funeral.” It turned out that she was alive and well, but that’s small 
 
 consolation for the kids who were traumatized by this dirge about the “dead 
 
 little Fraggle.” Watch Fraggle 
 
 Rock and dance your cares away…then go for years of therapy.
– If you've had enough health care talk today, ABC News has a suggestion. Go to YouTube and punch in something about dogs singing along to the Law & Order theme. Dozens of entries will turn up, which one veterinary specialist thinks might have something to do with its high-pitched, complex arrangement. She suspects it stresses out the pooches, but the theme's composer has a more upbeat view. "I can't believe it. This is the craziest thing I've ever seen in my life!" Mike Post tells the New York Post. "They're not running away from it, they're singing along with it. If somebody notices my music and appreciates it, I'm happy."