Biography

Alan M. Beck, ScD, has a BA from Brooklyn College and an MA from California State University at Los Angeles. He received his Doctor of Science in animal ecology from The Johns Hopkins University School of Public Health. His 1973 book, The Ecology of Stray Dogs is considered a classic in the field of urban ecology and was republished in 2002. Together with Aaron Katcher, MD,  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 and revised in 1996.

Beck directed the animal programs for the New York City Department of Health for five years, 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, Beck became the Dorothy N. McAllister Professor of Animal Ecology and director of the Center for the Human-Animal Bond in the School of Veterinary Medicine at Purdue University in West Lafayette, Ind. The Center was established to develop a comprehensive understanding of the relationship between people and their companion animals.