PROJECT STREET VET

I Care for Homeless Pets

Vet tech Genesis Rendon cares for the pets of people experiencing homelessness

By Stephanie Warren Drimmer

From the September 2024 Issue

Learning Objective: Students will summarize how and why a veterinary technician cares for pets.

Lexile: 840L; 550L

Key Focus Area: Fractions and Decimals, Structure & Function,

Dog, cat, rabbit, iguana. Name a pet and Genesis Rendon has likely cared for it! She works as a veterinary technician, or vet tech, at an animal hospital in Los Angeles, California. She helps veterinarians treat pets that people bring in from home.

But when she leaves the hospital, her work is not done. Rendon keeps her car stocked with pet food, blankets, and medical supplies. As Rendon drives around the city, she looks for pet owners who are experiencing homelessness. She asks if they need supplies—or medical care—for their pets.

Rendon volunteers with Project Street Vet, an organization that provides health care to the pets of unhoused people. In 2023, about 650,000 people in the U.S. experienced homelessness. Of those, an estimated 65,000 own pets. Like all pets, these animals need regular vet visits and care when they are sick. “We bring the animal hospital to the streets,” says Rendon.

Rendon spoke with SuperSTEM about her job as a vet tech. She also shared what it’s like helping people without homes and their furry friends.

How did you start working with animals?

Ever since I was a kid, my mission in life has been to save animals. Growing up in Long Beach, California, I had a mini farm in my backyard. I would take in stray sick or injured animals all the time, like rabbits, chickens, and—of course—cats and dogs. I would rehabilitate them with help from my parents and then find homes for the animals. Once I took in a pregnant cat so she wouldn’t have her babies outside in the cold. All the kittens were adopted!

What do vet techs do?

PROJECT STREET VET

Rendon checks on a person’s pet dogs on a street in California.

A vet tech examines an animal before the veterinarian sees it. We take measurements called vital signs. For example, we check the pet’s temperature, blood pressure, and heart rate. Blood pressure measures how strong the blood moves through the body’s vessels and arteries. And heart rate is the number of times a heart beats per minute. These measurements help us know if a pet is healthy. For example, low blood pressure could indicate a disease.

We also give the correct dose of medicine to animals that need it. We take X-rays and clean teeth too. Vet techs help bandage broken legs and help with surgery. We do everything that a nurse does for human patients, but we have to know how to do it for many kinds of animals. I mainly work with dogs and cats, but I’ve also handled ferrets, rabbits, and other animals.

Why is it important to care for the pets of unhoused people?

PROJECT STREET VET

Justin and his cat, Um, got help from Project Street Vet after Um was injured.

People love their pets very much. For those without homes, their pets can be a source of joy during a difficult time.

One pet owner we helped through Project Street Vet was named Justin. He had a cat named Um. Justin had found Um behind a dumpster as a kitten and raised him. He would skateboard with the cat in a little carrier. One day, Um got hit by a car. Luckily, we were able to save his life.

We also had a chance to help Justin too. He was having problems with the tent he lived in, so we brought him a new one and a collar for Um. Justin cried—we were all crying—because he had never received that kind of help from anyone.

What should kids know about caring for animals as a career?

As a kid, I never knew there were doctors and nurses just for animals. I also learned that as a vet tech, you can specialize in different types of care. You could help an animal recover from injuries. Or you can treat animals battling cancer. You can specialize in zoo medicine and work with elephants and tigers! There’s a big world of veterinary careers.

What do you love most about your job?

It’s not always easy. Sometimes I need to set up an online fundraiser to collect money for a pet’s surgery. Other times we can’t save an animal. Things like that can be hard and make you feel sad or frustrated. But for me, doing this work is so worth it. It’s a beautiful thing to be a voice for animals who are innocent and helpless.

Math on the Job

As a vet tech, Genesis Rendon uses math every day. For example, she measures each petʼs body temperature. If it is outside a normal range, that could be a sign the animal is sick.

Try It!
Compare each petʼs body temperature with the healthy range for its species.

Healthy Body Temperatures:

Dog: 99.5°F–102.5°F
Cat: 100.5°F–102.5°F
Rabbit: 101.5°F–104.2°F

_{^{SOURCE: MERCK VETERINARY MANUAL}}

Try It!
Compare each petʼs body temperature with the healthy range for its species.

Healthy Body Temperatures:

Dog: 99.5°F–102.5°F
Cat: 100.5°F–102.5°F
Rabbit: 101.5°F–104.2°F

^{_{SOURCE: MERCK VETERINARY MANUAL}}

SHUTTERSTOCK.COM

Patient Name: Daisy

Temperature: 101.8˚F

Patient Name: Daisy

Temperature: 101.8˚F

SHUTTERSTOCK.COM

Patient Name: Kody

Temperature: 100.3˚ F

Patient Name: Daisy

Temperature: 101.8˚F

GREG MURRAY/OFFSET

Patient Name: Patches

Temperature: 104˚F

Patient Name: Daisy

Temperature: 101.8˚F

If you were a vet tech examining these animals, which pet would you be most concerned about? Why?

Math on the Job

As a vet tech, Genesis Rendon uses math every day. For example, she measures each petʼs body temperature. If it is outside a normal range, that could be a sign the animal is sick.

Try It!
Compare each petʼs body temperature with the healthy range for its species.

Healthy Body Temperatures:

Dog: 99.5°F–102.5°F
Cat: 100.5°F–102.5°F
Rabbit: 101.5°F–104.2°F

_{^{SOURCE: MERCK VETERINARY MANUAL}}

Try It!
Compare each petʼs body temperature with the healthy range for its species.

Healthy Body Temperatures:

Dog: 99.5°F–102.5°F
Cat: 100.5°F–102.5°F
Rabbit: 101.5°F–104.2°F

^{_{SOURCE: MERCK VETERINARY MANUAL}}

SHUTTERSTOCK.COM

Patient Name: Daisy

Temperature: 101.8˚F

Patient Name: Daisy

Temperature: 101.8˚F

SHUTTERSTOCK.COM

Patient Name: Kody

Temperature: 100.3˚ F

Patient Name: Daisy

Temperature: 101.8˚F

GREG MURRAY/OFFSET

Patient Name: Patches

Temperature: 104˚F

Patient Name: Daisy

Temperature: 101.8˚F

If you were a vet tech examining these animals, which pet would you be most concerned about? Why?

Activities (4)

Download Answer Key

1. PREPARE TO READ (5 minutes)
Activate prior knowledge and discuss how pets and people help one another.

Invite students to raise a hand if their family has ever owned a pet like a dog, cat, or fish. Ask them to share what other pets they have had. Make a class list.

Ask: People take care of pets, but are there any ways that pets help people? (e.g., Pets can provide companionship, boost moods, or get people to exercise more.) Tell students that you’re going to read an article about a professional who provides care to pets of people experiencing homelessness.

2. READ AND SUMMARIZE (25 minutes)
Read the article and synthesize information about working as a veterinary technician.

Preview the article’s photos and captions. Then read it aloud. Ask: When did Genesis Rendon first start helping animals heal? (when she was a kid) How does Rendon describe the difference between a nurse and a vet tech? (They take the same kinds of vital signs, but vet techs have to know how to do this for different species of animals.)

Preview the Cool STEM Jobs Spotlight activity as a class. Have students complete the activity independently. Poll the class to find out how many students would want this kind of job. Discuss their opinions.

3. RESPOND TO READING (15 minutes)
Compare decimals to see how a vet tech could interpret animal temperature data.

Read the Math on the Job sidebar and, as a class, evaluate each example to answer the discussion question. Remind students that mammals and birds are both warm-blooded. That means their bodies work to maintain a temperature within certain limits. That’s why temperature is an important vital sign that vet techs check. Ask: Are all of the animals in the sidebar warm-blooded? (yes)

Then share the More Math on the Job activity. If needed, guide students through the “Need a Hand?” box (found on page 2) for extra support with comparing decimals. Then have students work independently or with a partner on the questions. Reconvene to discuss their answers.

STEM INTEGRATION

RESEARCH: Gather information about animal-related jobs (CCSS ELA: W.8)

Distribute the Working With Animals activity. Read aloud the job titles and descriptions in the table, pausing to discuss unfamiliar vocabulary as needed. Ask whether any words in the job titles are part of other job names and how those roles might be similar. (e.g., A restaurant manager plans schedules for cooks and waiters like a livestock manager organizes schedules for farm animals.) Discuss what books and trustworthy websites students can use to learn more about the animal careers. Allow students to complete the assignment independently or with a partner.

NARRATIVE WRITING: Write about a real or imagined pet (CCSS ELA: W.3)

Invite students to write about a pet they’ve had—or an imaginary pet. They should describe the pet’s appearance, behavior, and needs (e.g., food, water, shelter, and play). They should explain how their pet does—or would—affect their life. If desired, provide colored pencils for drawings. Have students share their writing in small groups. After each student reads their work aloud, others can offer feedback using phrases like: “I liked . . .” or “Your writing made me wonder . . .”