Owner of King Anbarkio honored at Pooch Parade

Participants wear yellow to celebrate the life and work of late Norma Brooks

SAN ANTONIO – A day after the death of Norma Brooks, dozens showed up Saturday morning to honor the owner of this year's grand marshal, King Anbarkio in the 21st Annual Fiesta Pooch Parade. They wore yellow shirts with an image of Brooks and the grand marshal- Shanti.

"All of my mom's friends, way back when they had a code name for her, 'Sunshine,'" said Dalton Brooks. "We're happy both for her and that the sunshine is outside today."

Brooks, along with her eldest son, Dalton Brooks, were involved in a rollover accident near Jourdanton on Monday. She had remained in critical condition since then. 

Despite her tragic death, the Pooch Parade continued as scheduled. King Anbarkio, a shepherd mix, was dressed in his royal blue uniform and stood on top of a float. Surrounding him were Brooks' sons Dalton and Cody Brooks.

The brothers said being royalty at the Pooch Parade was a dream of their mother's. She committed long hours to the nonprofit Therapy Animals of San Antonio.

"She would always say, with therapy dogs and therapy animals in general, it's not about the animal," said Dalton Brooks. "It's about making a connection with people and changing their lives for the better."

The brothers hope their loss will draw greater attention to the work done by the nonprofit their mother helped so much.


About the Authors:

Alicia Barrera is a KSAT 12 News reporter and anchor. She is also a co-host of the streaming show KSAT News Now. Alicia is a first-generation Mexican-American, fluent in both Spanish and English with a bachelor's degree from Our Lady of the Lake University. She enjoys reading books, traveling solo across Mexico and spending time with family.

Before starting at KSAT in August 2011, Ken was a news photographer at KENS. Before that he was a news photographer at KVDA TV in San Antonio. Ken graduated from San Antonio College with an associate's degree in Radio, TV and Film. Ken has won a Sun Coast Emmy and four Lone Star Emmys. Ken has been in the TV industry since 1994.