RCMP are mourning the loss of Bear, a police service dog who gave his life trying to apprehend a suspect in Maple Ridge this week.

At about 11:40 p.m. Tuesday night, members of Ridge Meadows Mounties – along with the RCMP Lower Mainland’s police service dog Barry (known as Bear) and his handler – attended a possible home invasion in the 22000 block of Lougheed Highway.

Bear had been on the job for 10 months, where he was assigned to the North Fraser canine unit, which includes North Vancouver, Burnaby, Coquitlam, and Ridge Meadows detachments. As well, Bear would respond to calls on the south side of the Fraser River if there was a need.

On Tuesday, Bear and his handler were dispatched when three men apparently forced their way inside a downtown Haney home. But, when the suspects saw police, they ran.

Police tried to apprehend the suspects, who fled on foot. Bear and his handler tracked one suspect out onto the highway, where under the dark of night the dog was struck and killed by two westbound vehicles, explained RCMP Cpl. Alanna Dunlop.

Bear was not wearing any reflective gear and was not on a leash when he was hit, first by an SUV and then by a minivan.

“We are all saddened with the tragic loss of one of our police service dogs. All of our dogs provide us with a key component in apprehending criminals,” Dunlop added.

“They also assist us in recovering lost persons, finding key evidence, and calming violent people down. They all add so much to the public’s safety.”

The handler is quite distraught, Dunlop said, adding he’s getting the support he needs.

Bear was born in March 2009, and has been on active duty since completing his training in 2010.

“We have lost one of our own, and we owe this dedicated police dog our deepest respect and gratitude,” Dunlop said.

“He gave it his all, and sacrificed his life trying to do his job for what is right.”

Bear was instrumental in several arrests during his short career.

At a domestic dispute call, police arrived as the suspect fled in a vehicle. Bear and his handler were instrumental in tracking the suspect and getting him to obey with police commands during the subsequent arrest.

In another case, police attended a break-in. Bear and his handler tracked the route of the suspects in and out of the property and located key evidence for the investigation.

And in yet another incident, Bear and his handler attended another suspected home invasion. Once again, Bear tracked suspects around the area, this time located one suspect and ensuring an arrest.

Bear’s death is a real loss, Mounties said during a press conference at the Ridge Meadows detachment Wednesday afternoon.

Another Lower Mainland police dog, Bo, was killed on Monday when a police cruiser was involved in a car accident in Richmond. Bo, recently moved to the Richmond unit from the North Fraser unit.

Staff Sgt. Ron Field, head of the RCMP’s Lower Mainland police dog unit, spoke to both losses.

“Losing two members of our team in two days is devastating – it’s not something one can prepare for. Our handlers are all feeling the loss and out thoughts are with the two officers who’ve lost their partners,” Field said.

As for the Maple Ridge chase, another officer continued pursuing the suspect on foot and apprehended a young offender a short time later.

RCMP have a 17-year-old in custody while the other suspects remain at large. Ridge Meadows’ serious crimes unit is heading up this investigation. Police believe, at this point, that drugs motivated the home invasion.

In the meantime, the local traffic division is investigating the crash that killed Bear.

The SUV was being driven by a resident of Surrey and received “very little damage,” according to traffic Cpl. Dale Somerville.

The mini-van was driven by a Coquitlam resident and was not damaged. Neither driver was hurt, however, both were shaken and stayed at the scene for about 90 minutes.

The two vehicles were seized for mechanical inspections and will be released to the owners today (Thursday), said Somerville.

“I’m hoping the mechanical (with the cars) will be good, it’s probably not an issue, we just have to rule it out,” he added.

Regular insurance would usually cover a driver who hit an animal, but in this case it could be different, Somerville said.

“I could see the RCMP paying for (damages to the car), it wouldn’t surprise me, but I’m not sure,” he said.