Admit a stray dog to the shelter

You are an Animal Attendant in the Shelter and Adoptions team.

Simulated workplaceEntry missionCAQA Riverbend Animal Care

What is going on

An animal management officer has delivered a stray kelpie cross to the admission area at 8:15 am. The dog was found wandering near the showgrounds, is wearing a worn collar with no tag, and is nervous but not aggressive. The admission block is busy: two other dogs arrived yesterday and the morning cleaning round is under way. The Shelter Manager has asked you to complete the entire intake yourself, from scanning for a microchip through to housing the dog with a kennel card and the statutory hold date recorded. The kennel supervisor is available if the dog becomes difficult to handle.

Tahlia Nguyen, Shelter Manager
Subject: Stray kelpie arriving from animal management this morning

Renee's team is dropping off a stray kelpie cross picked up near the showgrounds. Can you take the intake from start to finish? Follow the Animal Intake and Admission Procedure, scan twice for a chip, run the registry search and create the Animal Register record before the dog leaves admission. Do the intake health check within four hours and let me know straight away if you see any wounds or signs of illness. Hang the kennel card and set the statutory hold date. I will review the record at tomorrow's morning round.

Your brief

Complete a compliant intake for the stray dog using the Animal Intake and Admission Procedure. Identify the dog, create its Animal Register record, complete the intake health check, house it safely and set the statutory hold. Report anything unusual to the Shelter Manager.

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 Animal Intake and Admission Procedure and the Safe Animal Handling and Restraint Procedure, then note the equipment you will use to move a nervous dog.
Observe the dog's body language for ten seconds, choose a slip lead, and move the dog into an admission pen while explaining your approach to the officer.
Scan the dog twice for a microchip in overlapping passes, record the result, and describe how you would run the registry search and log the outcome.
Create a new Animal Register record with species, breed description, sex, estimated age, colour, intake source and the Impound and Compliance Log reference.
Complete the intake health check covering body condition, coat, eyes, ears, mouth, gait and wounds, and record your findings in the notes field.
Allocate an admission enclosure, write the kennel card with identifier, intake date, diet and handling notes, and provide water, bedding and an enrichment item.
Calculate and record the statutory hold end date, then write a short handover note to the Shelter Manager summarising the intake and any concerns.

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

What someone in this role would produce

Completed Animal Register record
Intake health check notes
Kennel card
Handover note to the Shelter Manager

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