K9 Tega and her handler, Deputy Josh Core, were special guests at Monday’s Rotary Club meeting held at the American Legion in Bellefontaine.
Deputy Core spoke about the important work K9 Tega does for the Logan County Sheriff’s Office.
Tega is trained to help with many tasks, including finding illegal drugs, tracking missing people, and helping to catch suspects.
She is also trained to search buildings and keep officers safe during dangerous situations.
“K9s like Tega are a big help to law enforcement,” said Deputy Core. “Her strong sense of smell and training let her find things that officers can’t.”
Deputy Core explains why he enjoys being part of a K9 team:
He shared a story about a time when Tega’s skills made a real difference.
During a situation where suspects were hiding in the woods, officers couldn’t see them, but Tega was able to smell their location.
When Deputy Core warned he would release Tega — who is trained to bite if needed — the suspects gave up immediately and came out with their hands raised.
No one was harmed, and the situation was safely resolved.
Tega has been instrumental in helping catch nearly two dozen criminals and put them behind bars.
Her work in the field has made a real difference in keeping the community safe.
K9s go through special training so they can work alongside law enforcement in the field.
Deputy Core shared that he and Tega train for about 400 hours each year, in addition to meeting the required annual recertification.
This ongoing training helps keep Tega sharp and ready for any situation.
At the same meeting, it was mentioned that Logan County could possibly be looking into adding another K9 to their ranks sometime in the near future.
This addition would help expand the county’s ability to respond to emergencies and support public safety efforts.
The club enjoyed learning about how K9 teams work and thanked Deputy Core and Tega for their service to the community.
