For this answer, you need to calculate the perimeter of his backyard. His yard is a rectangle with 12.5 yd by 5.5 yd, so the four sides of the rectangle would be 5.5, 12.5, 12.5, and 5.5. Those numbers add up to 36, so we can say that John needs 36 sq yards of fencing. (sq = square, which comes from multiplying yards times yards.) But wait, let's translate this into feet instead. There are 3 feet in a yard, so 36 sq yd = 108 sq ft. Therefore the answer is 108.