Sunday, Nov. 08
PITTSFIELD - Calls have gone out from across the nation. Traps have been set around the area. And a Cummington couple travels 25 miles every day just to keep hope alive.

Jake, a 10-year-old field spaniel, went missing in September after getting away from an employee at the Berkshire Veterinary Clinic who was walking him along Crave Avenue. A renowned stud dog, Jake has sired 18 champion dogs in his life.

"This is my child," said Julie Jernstrom, Jake's owner. "I don't have any children, these are my children and he's very special to me."

Jernstrom or her husband have traveled to Pittsfield every day since Sept. 26 in hope of finding Jake. One of 12 dogs the couple owns, Jake holds a special place for the two.

"Everybody loved Jake," said Jernstrom. "He always had the tremendous coat that everyone wanted, the strength and the energy."

The chocolate-colored spaniel is well known in breeding circles, and his disappearance has garnered sympathy from people around the country, Jernstrom said, because, as one person told her, "He's not just a dog, he's a piece of history in the breed."

Gail Schuljan, of Long Island, N.Y., owns one of Jake's grandsons and has joined others around the country in making hundreds of calls and sending thousands of e-mails to let people know about the missing canine.

"[Jake] has been one of the big dogs in the breed," said Schuljan. "It's just a very sad situation."

Jake was

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being treated at the clinic for cancer. When Jernstrom heard he was missing, she left for Pittsfield at 5 a.m. to begin the search.

"Jake was always one that we didn't let run loose because he was a hunter and you'd never know what he'd get into, so I was terrified," she said.

Since then, the couple has gone to great lengths to find their dog. Along with assistance from the veterinary clinic, the couple has advertised in The Eagle and other publications for more than a month, used search dogs, posted fliers, set up humane canine traps, posted online pleas through YouTube and contacted pet psychics.

But aside from a few sightings - the most recent along Pecks Road on Wednesday night - the search for Jake continues.

"We really want to get him home," Jernstrom said.

Anyone with information is asked to call Jernstrom at (413) 537-5616 or the clinic at (413) 499-2820.

To reach Trevor Jones: tjones@berkshireeagle.com, or (413) 528-3660.