Gwinnett Inmate Trains Dogs, Writes Book 'Troubled To Trained'

LAWRENCEVILLE, GA — Since becoming an inmate of the Gwinnett County Jail, Shane Hawkins has become an expert dog trainer and an author, according to the sheriff's office Facebook page.

"We don't normally post photos of inmates on our social media page, but we're making an exception for Shane Hawkins," the post reads.

Hawkins has been in the jail since October 2014 on the charge of DUI with Serious Injury.

He began working as a canine handler in the jail's Operation Second Chance program, also known as their Jail Dogs Program. He was assigned a dog named Sonya that had some issues with aggression towards people and other dogs. Hawkins worked her diligently and Sonya overcame her aggression. She was successfully adopted last year.

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"Thanks to our awesome volunteer trainers, Shane learned a lot about how to train difficult dogs using the positive reinforcement techniques utilized by our program," reads the sheriff's Facebook post. "It was important to him to share what he'd learned with others, so he wrote a book."

"Troubled to Trained," written right from Hawkins' his jail cell, has been published and is available for sale on Amazon.

"It's pretty cool to know that an inmate has learned such valuable information through our program that he will one day leave our jail as a published author," reads the post. "We're impressed. When the time comes for his departure from our jail, we'll certainly wish him well and hope that he takes this positive experience with him to bring positive changes in his life when he's on the outside."

Photos courtesy Gwinnett County Sheriff's Office