IDAHO FALLS — The bell’s about to ring at Thunder Ridge High, and a 65-pound police dog is staring at the school’s front doors. 

He’s perched on a chair under school resource officer Nate Downey’s office window, a strategic viewpoint that lets Downey quickly assess possible safety threats at the school’s main entrance. 

But there’s no threat this sunny afternoon. Downey’s four-legged partner — a shaggy, black, friendly-faced Bernedoodle named Strider — is wagging his tail, waiting for friends to exit the the school after another long day.

Those friends are Thunder Ridge’s roughly 1,700 students and dozens of staff members — participants in one of Idaho’s first therapy K-9 programs that pair a school resource officer with a friendly dog for kids.

Like his police K-9 counterparts, Strider is highly trained in his craft. But instead of sniffing for drugs or attacking on command, he walks at Downey’s hip through hallways — tail always wagging — and works with school leaders to lift kids’ spirits, calm them or just be a friend.

He’s also a good boy, students say. 

“He’s amazing,” said 13-year-old Kennadie Hale, whose mom, Chelsey Hale, is a Thunder Ridge counselor. 

The two recalled a recent rough morning for Kennadie: tears, frustration and an emotional ride to school. 

The teen’s demeanor changed immediately, Chelsey Hale said, when Kennadie snuck around the corner from her mom’s office for some Strider time under Downey’s slobber-streaked window.

“He’s the best,” Kennadie gushed while scratching the dog’s ears.     

Strider gives counselors like Hale another tool for helping kids. She’s seen students who turn unresponsive to counselors, or who would typically avoid a school resource officer altogether, connect immediately with Strider.   

And it’s not just students vying for Strider time. Teachers also visit Downey’s office to pat that head or scratch those ears after a stressful day. 

Chelsey Hale recalled rushing across the street in her car recently to reach Strider and Officer Downey in a nearby parking lot after school hours.  

The maneuver was questionable from a traffic safety standpoint, Downey said, smiling. 

That’s just Strider’s effect. Try not to scratch that chin if you see him.

Strider has a big circle at Thunder Ridge, but he belongs to Downey and the Bonneville County Sheriff’s Office. The arrangement is through a partnership between the Bonneville School District and the sheriff’s office. 

Like other police K-9 arrangements, the dog and his partner-master are housemates. Strider lives with Downey, his wife, Emily Downey, and their seven kids. 

“He gets plenty of love after school, trust me,” Emily Downey told EdNews, adding that it’s “un-American not to love dogs.”

The Downeys spearheaded Strider’s unique position on the police force. To secure approval from the sheriff’s office and district leadership for a police therapy dog at Thunder Ridge, Nate Downey secured a $12,000 grant to purchase Strider and cover his training credential through the American Kennel Club. 

And the Downeys didn’t stop there. They started the K9 Heroes Foundation, a nonprofit devoted to getting more police therapy dogs in Idaho’s schools. 

There’s plenty of room for growth. The Downeys know of just one other similar arrangement in Idaho, a golden retriever at the nearby Alturas Preparatory Academy in Idaho Falls. (A representative from the school confirmed Tuesday that Idaho Falls Police Department therapy dog Molly regularly reports for duty — and to get her belly rubbed.)

“We’d love to see more arrangements like these,” Emily Downey said.