Guest: Dr. Beck

TOPIC-Back to school is just around the corner! While many people believe
that respect is associated with a teachers discipline methods, this
is not always true. There are other ways to help students learn and
understand what respect is. Collaboration projects, classroom duties,
and a classroom pet (animals such as hamsters, fish or reptiles) are things
that teach respect. In fact, Dr. Alan Beck says pets provide children with
opportunities to interact and cooperate with each other and that leads to
more positive engagement. On July 31st, he will discuss all of the benefits
of having a classroom pet for children… and even teachers!

ALAN M. BECK:

Alan Beck received his Baccalaureate from Brooklyn College and Master’s degree from California
State University at Los Angeles. He received his Doctorate in Animal Ecology from The Johns Hopkins
University School of Public Health. He has studied the ecological and public health implications of dogs in
Baltimore, St. Louis, New York, and along the United States-Mexican border. His book, The Ecology of
Stray Dogs: A Study of Free-Ranging Urban Dogs is considered a classic in the field of urban ecology and
was republished by Purdue University Press in 2002.
Together with Dr. Aaron Katcher, he edited the book, New Perspectives on Our Lives with Companion
Animals, and co-authored the popular book, Between Pets and People: The Importance of Animal
Companionship, first published in 1983 then revised in 1996.

In 2011 he edited The Health Benefits of Dog Walking for Pets and People (with Rebecca Johnson and
Sandra McCune).Dr. Beck has published more than 70 professional articles, 75 book chapters, and over 40
popular articles on the nature of our relationship with animals and he is a founding board member of the
Delta Society.Dr. Beck directed the animal programs for the New York City Department of Health for five
years, and then was the Director of the Center for the Interaction of Animals and Society at the University
of Pennsylvania, School of Veterinary Medicine for 10 years.In 1990, Dr. Beck became the “Dorothy N.

McAllister Professor of Animal Ecology” and Director of the Center for the Human-Animal Bond at the
School of Veterinary Medicine, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana. The Center was established to
develop a comprehensive understanding of the relationship between people and their companion animals.
Alan M. Beck, Sc.D.Department of Comparative PathobiologyCenter for the Human-Animal BondCollege
of Veterinary MedicinePurdue University West Lafayette, IN 47907‑2027

Podcast of the interview Download:
 

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