On course for animal career

More students sign up for the program every year.
AKRON (AP) -- Jennifer Leiner gently cradled Crater as her teacher clipped the guinea pig's nails.
Crater, named for the depression on the top of his head, clearly wanted to be somewhere else but was comforted by Jennifer, who is allergic to the animal but committed to its care.
"He needs to be less shy," said the Ellet High School junior.
For 13 years, a large classroom at Ellet High School also has been a grooming business and pet store for students seeking careers involving animals. The 18 juniors and 20 seniors, who come to Ellet from throughout the city, spend half their school day in the animal-management program.
The classroom, which has a gate in the doorway to keep wandering dogs and cats inside, includes a room with shelves of mice, rats and guinea pigs for sale.
Job preparation
The career-education program prepares students for jobs with veterinarians, groomers, pet stores and animal laboratories, but many continue on to college, seeking a business degree to operate pet businesses or a future as a veterinarian, said instructor Ann Rose.
"They have a good work ethic in this class, and some do better in college than the 4.0 students," she said.
As Tiffany Ritchie, 17, counted dwarf hamsters and placed them in a plastic bucket so she could clean their cage, she said the class will prepare her for a career as a veterinarian or with a police canine unit.
"I love it and love to be with animals," she said.
The Ellet program is one of nearly two dozen such programs in the state and one of a few in a high school, Rose said. Others are at vocational schools. Ellet students regularly score high in annual state competitions.
Popular with students
Judy Blower, who ran a grooming shop before teaching the program with Rose, said more students apply each year than the room can accommodate. But students soon realize the class is more than petting animals.
In addition to performing class work, the juniors rotate every two weeks in jobs that include cleaning the classroom or cages, taking grooming appointments or caring for animals. Seniors take advanced classes, including animal physiology, and do more professional grooming.
The grooming business does not advertise because of its popularity among local pet owners, Ellet employees and their relatives.
On a recent morning, Greg Francis brought in Fritz, a mixed breed, and Tag, a purebred Australian Shepherd puppy.
Francis, of Cuyahoga Falls, has taken his animals to Ellet for four years. Blower is his wife's aunt.
Even though the cost is about half that of a professional groomer, the students are well-trained.
"They do a good job," he said.
Fritz seemed resigned to his nail clipping, brushing and bath, but Tag was more rambunctious, dancing on the grooming table. The students tried to tire him out by taking him outside to an enclosed area for a run.
Students, who name all animals except those sold for feed, volunteer to take animals home during holiday breaks. Few want the rats, Rose said.
Jessica Hunt, 16, claimed a chinchilla, which she held as she awaited calls for grooming. She already owns a rabbit, dogs and a dwarf hamster.
"I've wanted to work with animals since I was little and want to be a groomer or vet," she said. "I am ready for the future."