Process a reclaim and manage the statutory hold list

You are an Animal Management Officer in the Animal Management Services team.

Simulated workplaceIntermediate missionCAQA Riverbend Animal Care

What is going on

A dog collected near the primary school two days ago has a microchip registered to an owner on Riverside Drive. The owner phoned this morning, was upset about the reclaim fee and the fact that the dog is unregistered, and is coming to the depot at 2:00 pm. The Coordinator has asked you to process the reclaim correctly, calmly and lawfully. Afterwards you must review the Impound and Compliance Log and the Animal Register to identify every held animal whose statutory hold ends this week, so the Shelter Manager can plan outcomes. One held dog has out of date chip details and is being traced to a new owner.

Renee Castellano, Animal Management Coordinator
Subject: Reclaim for IMP-0342 and hold expiry checks

The owner of the dog collected near the primary school (IMP-0342) is coming in this afternoon to reclaim. Please process the reclaim: sight identification, confirm the microchip details match, explain the outstanding registration and reclaim fee, and update the Impound and Compliance Log and the Animal Register. The owner was upset on the phone, so use the de-escalation steps in the Safe Animal Handling and Restraint Procedure and our conflict guidance. Then check which held animals reach the end of their statutory hold this week and flag them for the Shelter Manager.

Your brief

Complete a lawful reclaim with identification, microchip and registration checks, handle the owner's frustration professionally, update both records systems, and produce an accurate list of animals reaching the end of their statutory hold this week with recommended next steps.

Work through it

You do not need to do it all. Doing a few of these will show you what the work is like. Your ticks and notes stay on this device.

Read the Client Records and Privacy Policy and the animal management sections of the Animal Welfare Policy, and list the checks required before an animal is released to a claimant.
Prepare for the reclaim by reviewing IMP-0342 in the Impound and Compliance Log and the matching Animal Register record, noting the fee, registration status and chip details.
Role play or describe the reclaim conversation: sight identification, confirm the chip details match, explain the fee and registration obligation and de-escalate the owner's frustration.
Update the Impound and Compliance Log status to reclaimed with notes on identification sighted, fees and registration advice, and close the Animal Register record as reclaimed.
Review every held animal in the Impound and Compliance Log, calculate the statutory hold end dates and identify those ending this week.
For the dog with out of date chip details, document the tracing steps taken and what you will do if the new owner cannot be found before the hold ends.
Write a hold expiry summary for the Shelter Manager with a recommended pathway for each animal and any welfare or behaviour flags.

My notes: what did I enjoy, and what surprised me?

What someone in this role would produce

Reclaim checklist and conversation notes
Updated Impound and Compliance Log and Animal Register records
Statutory hold expiry list
Summary for the Shelter Manager

Printing this is a record of what you explored. It is not a certificate or a qualification.