Alan Aguirre has more experience caring for creatures with no legs, eight legs and webbed feet than those with fur and paws.The Chicago High School for Agricultural Sciences junior has had turtles, vampire crabs, spiny eels, tarantulas and various fish as pets.But starting Wednesday he’ll get his first taste of what it’s like to raise a puppy.Alan and a classmate are fostering puppies as part of a partnership between the school and the nonprofit PAWS Chicago, which are hosting an adoption event at the school’s Mount Greenwood campus on Saturday.The students volunteered to care for the puppies to get them out of the shelter for a few days and raise awareness about the event, but also to get more experience working with animals. Both students are learning how to raise livestock and other animals as part of the school’s animal science program, and hope to go into animal care after they graduate. Alan Aguirre, 16, feeds treats to his foster puppy Prince at the Chicago High School for Agricultural Sciences. Alan is new to caring for dogs, but has a lot of experience caring for other animals at school and pets at home.Pat Nabong/Sun-Times “People would say that dogs are a basic animal,” Alan said, “but it’s still nice to know how to take care of them, because I plan to work in a pet store and own my own pet store so it's a good experience.”Alan and fellow junior Jada Toussaint met their foster puppies for the first time Wednesday as PAWS volunteers visited the school to teach nearly 60 students in the animal science program about the shelter adoption process. The students also learned tips for taking care of puppies for the first time, and what a career in veterinary medicine could look like.The puppies pranced on a table as Alan and Jada held treats in their hands, lifting them up to the dogs’ curious noses to try and get them to perform a basic sit. PAWS volunteers stood nearby to show them how to hold the treat above the dogs’ heads so they’d rest on their hind legs.Jada hopes to study veterinary medicine after she earns her high school diploma. She plans to attend Tuskegee University in Alabama and maybe open her own vet practice one day.“I want to be able to manage it and also manage the business,” Jada said.Their puppies will be among 10 that will be up for adoption at Saturday’s event. Up to 30 students will volunteer to help wrangle the puppies and guide visitors. Those interested in adopting can fill out applications ahead of time.Katie McMahon, who teaches animal science at the school, said the partnership helps educate students about how to become responsible pet owners and the limited capacity at many shelters, including in Chicago. It also introduces them to possible jobs.“There’s shelter management, there’s veterinarians, there’s vet techs and all the things that go with that,” McMahon said.The college-prep magnet school has a unique focus within Chicago Public Schools. It’s built on a 70-acre farm where students learn how to raise and manage cattle, horses, chickens, pigs and other animals that call the place home. At the Chicago High School for Agricultural Sciences, seniors help to monitor the animals’ health. Some students recently helped deliver this litter of piglets.Emmanuel Camarillo/Sun Times As juniors in the animal science program, Alan and Jada help with labor-related duties, such as feeding the animals and cleaning their stalls. When they become seniors, their responsibilities will include monitoring the animals’ health. A group of students recently helped deliver a litter of piglets.The school also has career-focused programs on the economics and technology of agriculture, horticulture, urban farming and food science and technology. About 760 students are enrolled at the school.Alan said his passion for animals stems from his family in Mexico. His grandfather owned a ranch there, where he raised chickens and other farm animals. “I started falling in love with animals from that moment,” Alan said.Jada has a similar story. She was born in Chicago but says she was raised in Mississippi around cattle and chickens.“That’s where my love for animals came from,” Jada said. “Being around them in general and knowing the history behind them and how they work added to that love.”Jada has helped train her family’s and friends’ dogs and also has experience bottle-feeding kittens and caring for her own deaf cat. She hopes that anyone looking to adopt a puppy or own a pet knows that they should do research ahead of time to understand the animal’s particular needs.Alan and Jada are both excited to foster their puppies, even if it's only for a few days. Alan just hopes things don’t get messy at home.“Hopefully he doesn’t pee on the floor a lot,” Alan said. ...read more read less