Article
Courtesy of Best Friends Animal Society Utah
Math,

Pals From the Pound

People have fostered or adopted a record-breaking number of animals during the pandemic

By Lauren J. Young
From the May/June 2021 Issue

Learning Objective: Students will solve mixed-skills word problems related to dogs and cats.

Lexile: 900L; 750L
Focus Area: Algebraic Thinking,
Standards
  • MATHEMATICAL PRACTICES: MP2, MP3, MP7 CCSS: 4.OA.B.4, 5.MD.A.1, 5.NBT.A.3.B, 5.NBT.A.4 TEKS: 5.2B, 5.2C, 5.4A, 5.7

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Lexile® measure

  • 900L
  • 750L

The three dogs in this story were recently adopted from Best Friends Animal Society.

Courtesy of Best Friends Animal Society Utah

Kohl used to be shy around people. The 5-year-old cattle dog lived in a dog shelter in Utah. Then the Best Friends Lifesaving Center moved Kohl into its adoption program to find him a new family. But the Covid-19 crisis forced the center to close to the public. Potential adopters couldn’t meet Kohl in person. 

“We rely on people being able to come in and interact with our animals,” says Jessica Pollitz, the group’s adoption manager. Kohl went to a foster home. Fostering a pet means a family agrees to temporarily care for an animal until a permanent home is found. No one knew when or if he would be adopted. 

Kohl used to be shy around people. Kohl is a cattle dog. He is 5 years old. He lived in a dog shelter in Utah. Then the Best Friends Lifesaving Center moved Kohl into its adoption program. They wanted to find him a new family. But the Covid-19 crisis forced the center to close to the public. Potential adopters couldn’t meet Kohl in person.

“We rely on people being able to come in and interact with our animals,” says Jessica Pollitz. Pollitz is the adoption manager at the Best Friends Lifesaving Center. Kohl went to a foster home. Fostering a pet means a family agrees to temporarily care for an animal. The family takes care of the animal until the Center finds a permanent home. No one knew if Kohl would be adopted.

Courtesy of Best Friends Animal Society Utah

Kohl

Kohl wasn’t the only pooch in a tough spot. Every year, roughly 3 million dogs end up in U.S. shelters. As shelters closed to the public last year because of the pandemic, animal care experts feared animals would be stuck there. But across the country, shelters and rescue centers saw a surge of pet adoptions and fostering.  “We had people at home who suddenly had the time to give,” says Pollitz.

Shelter workers and foster families shared videos and photos of animals up for adoption on social media. They worked together to arrange video meet-and-greets with potential adopters and the animals. 

Kohl wasn’t the only dog in trouble. About 3 million dogs end up in U.S. shelters every year. Many shelters closed to the public last year because of the pandemic. Animal care experts feared animals would be stuck in shelters. But shelters and rescue centers saw a surge of pet adoptions and fostering across the country. “We had people at home who suddenly had the time to give,” says Pollitz.

Shelter workers recorded videos of animals that people could adopt. They posted the videos online. Foster families shared photos of the animals they cared for. They posted the photos on social media. Shelter workers and foster families worked together. They helped potential adopters meet the animals through video calls.

Courtesy of Best Friends Animal Society Utah

Skyler

In some cases, pet fosterers decided to permanently adopt the animals in their charge. “You get these animals in your home and sometimes they fit in so perfectly,” says Pollitz.

With his foster family, Kohl learned to trust people. His true personality shone. “By showing who he really was, Kohl got adopted really, really fast,” says Pollitz.

Some pet fosterers decided to permanently adopt the animals in their care “You get these animals in your home and sometimes they fit in so perfectly,” says Pollitz.

Kohl learned to trust people with his foster family. Everyone could see his true personality. “By showing who he really was, Kohl got adopted really, really fast,” says Pollitz.

Math Talk

Discuss a budget for fostering a pet. What would you need to include?

Math Talk

Discuss a budget for fostering a pet. What would you need to include?

Now You Try It

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A. Do more U.S. households own dogs or cats? Explain.

B. Round the percentage of U.S. households that own dogs to the nearest whole number.

C. Round the percentage of U.S. households that own cats to the nearest ten.

A. Do more U.S. households own dogs or cats? Explain.

B. Round the percentage of U.S. households that own dogs to the nearest whole number.

C. Round the percentage of U.S. households that own cats to the nearest ten.

Is the average veterinary cost per year for cats a prime or composite number? Explain.

Is the average veterinary cost per year for cats a prime or composite number? Explain.

How much would a cat owner have spent on toys after spending the yearly average for 5 years?

How much would a cat owner have spent on toys after spending the yearly average for 5 years?

A. The maximum speed of a greyhound, the fastest domestic dog, is 72.42 kilometers per hour. How many meters per hour is that?

B. Write an expression that uses multiplication and subtraction that is equal to the number of meters.

A. The maximum speed of a greyhound, the fastest domestic dog, is 72.42 kilometers per hour. How many meters per hour is that?

B. Write an expression that uses multiplication and subtraction that is equal to the number of meters.

Continue Your Learning

  • Rewatch the video “A History of Pets” (above). Then imagine you have just brought home the perfect pet. Write a short story about your first day with your new pet. What type of pet is it? How big or small is the animal? What types of food and toys will you buy for it? Use at least 5 decimal numbers in your story. When you’re done writing, round each decimal you used to the nearest whole.
  • Go on a decimal scavenger hunt! Find at least 5 numbers with decimals in your home or classroom (nutrition labels and receipts are a great place to start). Then list the decimals you found in order from greatest to least.
  • Research local animal shelters and visit their websites. What could you do to help out a shelter that’s close to you? Discuss with a family member or friend 3 ways you could help.

Continue Your Learning

  • Rewatch the video “A History of Pets” (above). Then imagine you have just brought home the perfect pet. Write a short story about your first day with your new pet. What type of pet is it? How big or small is the animal? What types of food and toys will you buy for it? Use at least 5 decimal numbers in your story. When you’re done writing, round each decimal you used to the nearest whole.
  • Go on a decimal scavenger hunt! Find at least 5 numbers with decimals in your home or classroom (nutrition labels and receipts are a great place to start). Then list the decimals you found in order from greatest to least.
  • Research local animal shelters and visit their websites. What could you do to help out a shelter that’s close to you? Discuss with a family member or friend 3 ways you could help.
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