A retired Alexandria police K-9 that won a national championship has died, police officials said.
The dog, a black Labrador retriever named Bear, was born on Oct. 4, 2000, and began his service with the Alexandria Police Department in December 2001.
Bear was the department’s explosives detector dog for many years, officials said. In 2004, he was named National Explosive Detector Champion by the United States Police Canine Association, beating out 15 other competitors at the trials in Bay St. Louis, Miss.
After retiring from the department in October 2008, the dog lived with his partner, Lt. John Zook, and his family in Woodbridge.
