It’s no surprise to many students and families within the community that many opportunities, services, and forms of education are offered by the Logan-Hocking schools. However, before all of this comes safety, which should be everyone’s top priority. One beneficial way Logan ensures safety is through the impactful school resource officers, or SROs, assigned to every elementary school, as well as the middle school and high school. Among these individuals is the much loved and cared for Tiger, the Yellow Lab who accompanies Officer Nungester daily at Green Elementary.
Firstly, people may wonder what Tiger does to help the schools and the police department. As a trained K-9, Tiger was brought from the Netherlands at 2.5 years old and began training every other Thursday until 2023 in narcotics. Officer Nungester explains he was very good at his job and often provided a lot of help. Currently, Tiger no longer trains in narcotics, although he is now an excellent therapy dog for people of all ages. Many students benefit from his calming nature, as he strives to better peoples’ days. According to Officer Nungester, Tiger definitely likes the socializing and experience he gets with people in his day-to-day job.
Officer Nungester, Tiger’s handler, explains how a day in Tiger’s average work day looks; Around 7 am, Tiger wakes up in his special spot on the couch in Officer Nungester’s home. He gets his food and medication and then gets ready for the day ahead of him with his vest and collar. Once the pair arrive at Green Elementary around 8 am, Tiger will grab a toy and socialize with the administration to ensure the staff can get their “Tiger time.” Then, at about 9:05 am, all the kids who attend Green are greeted off the bus by Tiger and Officer Nungester.
Each day varies for Tiger; On Mondays, he and Nungester travel to each school in the district to socialize with everyone. Because he is now a therapy dog, on the rest of the days, teachers at Green Elementary can sign students up for “Tiger Time,” a time when kids can read and relax with Tiger in his office. Finally, once the day ends, Tiger heads home with Officer Nungester. While he has been trained in a traditional police dog training program, Tiger has never experienced a really dangerous or intense situation. Luckily anytime some arose, Tiger was always meant to be protected, not to defend.
When asked what he thought everyone should know about Tiger and his job, Officer Nungest replied, “[Tiger] is not just an animal, he’s very good and intuitive about peoples’ feelings and seems to make people feel better in a lot of situations.” This seems to be true, as Tiger is loved by everyone throughout the community, not just in the schools. Not only has he successfully made a career during his young life, but Tiger will always be regarded as the police K-9 who never failed to help others and exert his positive energy.