STANDARDS

CCSS: 4.OA.B.4, 5.MD.A.1, 5.NBT.A.3.B, 5.NBT.A.4, MP2, MP3, MP7

TEKS: 5.2B, 5.2C, 5.4A, 5.7

MIXED SKILLS

Pals From the Pound

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

May/June 2021

By Lauren J. Young

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. 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 care for an animal until a permanent home is found. No one knew when or if he would be adopted.

A History of Pets

Watch a video about pets throughout history.

Courtesy of Best Friends Animal Society Utah

Kohl

Kohl wasn’t the only 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 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.

In some cases, pet fosterers decided to permanently adopt the animals in their . “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.

MATH TALK

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

Now You Try It

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.

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.

Continue the Learning Journey

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.