K9 Brooks – Hillsborough, Florida

Died – 3/17/25
Handler – Master Deputy Charles Perdomo

K9 shot and killed while attacking neighbor’s alpaca

A Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office canine was shot and killed as it attacked an alpaca Monday evening. According to HCSO, Canine Brooks was let out by Master Deputy Charles Perdomo for a bathroom break in a fenced yard around 9:30 p.m. According to the sheriff’s office, Brooks jumped the fence and ran into a wooded area behind the deputy’s home. Around 30 minutes later, a neighbor found Brooks actively attacking his alpaca. The neighbor, who didn’t know Brooks was an HCSO canine, attempted to stop the attack by firing a shotgun to scare the dog away. The HCSO said when that didn’t stop the attack, the neighbor fired a second shot that killed Brooks. The alpaca reportedly sustained a minor injury to its leg. HCSO said it was conducting a thorough review of the circumstances surrounding this unfortunate event.

Submitted By Jim Cortina

James A. Cortina has been involved with police dogs since 1972 and currently on the Board of Directors for the Connecticut Police Work Dog Association Inc. Jim has been appointed as Treasurer since its inception in 1991. Jim is one of the charter members of the C.P.W.D.A. organization. Since 1975 he has been a certified professional dog trainer and received his Master Trainer Certification in 1985. During his career he has provided armed K-9 strike crowd control for security agencies in Connecticut and out of state security companies. In conjunction with other members of the Connecticut Police Work Dog Association Inc. Board of Directors, he helped to draft Connecticut Statute 53-247(e) "Intentional Injury or Killing of Police K-9" which was passed by the Senate in 1993 and also assisted in implementing the prestigious Daniel Wasson Memorial K-9 Award in 1992. In 1993 he helped coordinate the North American Police Work Dog Association Nationals in New London, Connecticut. He was appointed Training Director for the New London County Work Dog Association from 1985-1987. He performed decoy work for Connecticut Police Work Dog Association Inc. in police K-9 demonstrations, trained several local police department canines, and coordinated training workshops for out-of-state police departments. He participated in the United States Police K-9 Association Trials in Croton on Hudson, New York in 1985 as a decoy. He is an avid photographer and received photography awards in 1989, 1990, and 1991 and currently takes photographs for the Connecticut Police Work Dog Association Inc.