RCMP officers are still looking into reasons why Rook, the region's RCMP police service dog passed away yesterday.
The nine-year-old German shepherd was with handler Corporal Jarrod Trickett yesterday north of Terrace when he went into distress after coming out from a body of water.
"It is with a heavy heart that I advise Police Dog Rook passed away yesterday of natural causes during a training exercise. He was nine-years-old," said Terrace RCMP media relations community policing officer Const. Angela Rabut today, May 7.
"PDS Rook was a hardworking, dedicated, member of the RCMP, serving the people of British Columbia well.
"The Terrace RCMP have begun the process of acquiring another Police Dog. In the interim, our area is being covered by the Prince George Police Dog."
The dog was rushed to a local vet, Dr. David Farkvam.
As the region's only RCMP police service dog, Rook, along with Trickett, covered the northwest from the Yukon border and Atlin down to Bella Bella and Bella Coola, out to just west of Burns Lake and east to Haida Gwaii.
Rook's job was to go out with Trickett to look for fleeing suspects, missing people, evidence or to a recent crime with tracks left behind.
Lately, Rook had been helping train Eddie, a 14-month-old pup, with her handler Const. Trevor Mack.
In an interview earlier this year, Trickett said Rook would continue to do his job as long as he could do it and wasn't in any pain.
He planned to retire Rook when his service days ended and to then keep him as a pet.
Rook had been born and bred at the RCMP breeding facility in Innisfail, Alberta, which is where about 80 per cent of dogs in the field come from.