Mary Renck Jalongo, Ph.D. has worked for Springer as the editor-in-chief of a bi-monthly journal since 1995 and as senior editor for their Educating the Young Child book series since 2006. She is the author, co-author, or editor of over 30 books with various publishers including Jossey-Bass, Teachers College Press, Allyn & Bacon, McGraw-Hill, and Pearson. In 2015, she earned emeritus status from Indiana University of Pennsylvania where she was a professor for 38 years and was honored as the outstanding university professor in 1992. More recently, her work has focused on the human-animal bond. Books on the topic include The World's Children and Their Companion Animals: Developmental and Educational Significance of the Child/Pet Bond (Association for Childhood Education International, 2004) and Teaching Compassion: Humane Education in Early Childhood (Springer, 2013). In addition, she has co-authored numerous journal articles on the child-canine bond for Childhood Education, Society & Animals, Early Childhood Education Journal, and the national Parent-Teacher Association's Our Children. She volunteers frequently with her registered and insured therapy dogs at the university, in elementary schools, in public and academic libraries, and mental and physical health care facilities. Since 2015, she has been teaching in a service dog training program housed in a correctional facility. In this initiative, carefully selected prison inmates acquire the skills of professional dog trainers and prepare these animals to assist people with a disability. In terms of practical experience with dogs, Mary volunteers three days a week at an animal shelter, is a tester/observer for Alliance of therapy dogs, and is a frequent contributor to Celebrating Greyhounds.
