First shelter dog trained in partnership with Freedom 365 of Tennessee
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Anderson County government will host a public meet & greet for potential adopters for Captain, a dog from the county Animal Shelter that is being trained by a local sheriff’s deputy and canine trainer.
The meet & greet will begin at 4 p.m., Wednesday, June 18, and it will be held near the soccer fields adjacent to the Anderson County jail, 308 Public Safety Lane, Clinton.
Captain, a lab shepherd mix, had a reputation among animal shelter staff as “a wild man.”
Enter James Presson, owner of Freedom 365 of Tennessee Dog Training in Heiskell. Presson, a corporal with the Anderson County Sheriff’s Office, is a K-9 deputy and trainer. He works training other dogs outside of his law enforcement career.
“I was told that Captain dragged everyone around and jumped on everyone,” Presson said. Shelter staff told him that those unwanted behaviors left Captain unadopted for longer than any other dog at the Anderson County Animal Shelter.
“I am very grateful for County Mayor Terry Frank who has given me the opportunity to help out at the Anderson County Animal Shelter,” Presson said.
Presson knew he could help Captain learn behaviors that would help him shine and be ready for his forever home. Captain went to live at Presson’s training center in May.
“Captain has a sweet and loving personality. Connecting with Captain and watching him mature and advance through his training has been a joy. Captain is now a well-behaved dog who will be a wonderful addition to a loving home,” Presson said last week.
Presson said Captain is now ready to go to his forever home, and that he has “done a great job with my children and other animals.”
“I am so thankful for James, his incredible generosity, and our new partnership that will help us find more homes for the dogs taken in by our shelter,” said County Mayor Terry Frank. “I’m so excited about how well Captain is doing, and I know his new training is going to help him find the perfect home.”
“I decided to help the Anderson County Animal Shelter because I saw the need and wanted to help my community,” Presson explained. “My goal in training these dogs is that they will get adopted quicker by loving families rather than staying in the shelter.”
Presson said his passion for dog training began with his first childhood dog, Hunter. His goal of becoming a K-9 handler at the Anderson County Sheriff’s Office was realized when he was selected to handle his first canine partner, Roco. And, in 2020, the Sheriff’s Office sent him to dog trainer’s school, which opened the door for Presson to start his own pet dog training business.
“This truly has been a wonderful opportunity to meet new people in the community and help them connect with their pets by better understanding their pet’s needs,” he said.
“This partnership is so beneficial, not only for the dogs, giving them a chance to thrive away from the shelter environment, but it also gives them the opportunity to learn new things and how to be a good family pet. Those of us at the Animal Shelter couldn’t be happier about that,” said Damon McKenna, Anderson County’s director of animal care and control.
Captain is Presson’s first dog that he has trained from the shelter, and he says Captain won’t be the last.
Presson is volunteering his off-duty time and donating his company’s resources to help more Anderson County Animal Shelter dogs get adopted into loving and forever family homes.
The only requirement of his partnership with the Animal Shelter is that the adopting families must agree to allow Presson to walk them through the training protocols that he uses with the dogs so that the dogs aren’t confused and can maintain the lessons they have learned about how to be the perfect family addition.
Leean Tupper is the assistant to Anderson County Mayor Terry Frank and a former reporter for The Oak Rdiger.
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