The South Bend Police Department is mourning the loss of K9 officer Bary, who served our department and city alongside his handler and best friend, Sgt. Bryan Miller, for 11 years.

As a one-year-old German Shepherd, Bary made his journey from the Czech Republic to the South Bend Police Department, where he began training with Sgt. Miller to master his tracking and bomb detection skills.

Despite the fact that Bary tracked down countless suspects over his years on patrol, including a robbery suspect who he found hiding under a boat.

As Bary got older, he stepped away from daily patrols and chases, but continued serving as a bomb-sniffing dog at large events and venues. He also enjoyed receiving regular head scratches from kids during his visits to daycares, schools and other functions.