Couple spend £2,000 on plane, night vision goggles and animal psychic to find lost dog

A couple have splashed out more than £2,000 on animal psychics, night vision goggles, radio bulletins and aeroplane for aerial surveillance - all to find their beloved dog.

Jon and Shelley Haggerwood recruited 25 volunteers and distributed 600 leaflets after Jacob their bracco Italian hound disappeared.

The distraught couple lost £3,000 in wages after taking two weeks unpaid leave from work to scour a 100sq km swathe of the countryside on foot.

Jon and Shelley Haggerwood
Jon and Shelley Haggerwood: The couple are desperate to find their dog Jacob who vanished two weeks ago
They even made a string of appeals for the animal's safe return on Radio One and Jason Donovan's Herts FM show.

But despite their tireless efforts, the rare dog - worth £1,200 - is still missing after it vanished chasing a herd of deer near their home in Saffron Walden, Essex.

Jon said they have been 'beside themselves' since Jacob disappeared on January 21.

They fear the recent snowfall has made it impossible for Jacob to smell his way home, and worry he could have been injured in the icy weather.

Jon said: 'He just disappeared off the face of the earth. I think he was so excited by all the deer he just lost his way.

Jon and Shelley Haggerwood dog jacob
Jacob went missing after he ran off chasing deer and has not been seen since
'My worst fear is that he is lying injured somewhere and we cannot get to him.
'We have tried so many things - it's just heartbreaking not to have him back yet.

'We don't know what to do and can's sleep we are so worried. It's been unbearable.'

The childless couple say they have left 'no stone unturned' searching for the missing mutt.

They took two weeks off work to scour the hedgerows and nearby fields, and even spent £200 on a pair of night vision goggles so they could continue the hunt after dark.

But their search reached new heights after a kind-hearted pilot from nearby Audley End Airfield in Essex offered to take them up in his plane for a better view of the area.

Jon said the flight was also unsuccessful, adding: 'You can cover a huge area really quickly in a plane. We were flying at 400 metres and looked so hard but couldn't see him at all.
Jon and Shelley Haggerwood
The pair have even taken to the skies in a plane to scour the area looking for their missing pet
'People have been so kind trying to help but it's like hitting a brick wall every time.'

The Haggerwoods say there has been two sightings since he disappeared, but searches at the scene proved fruitless.

As a last resort the couple enlisted the help of animal psychics to make contact with missing Jacob.
Jon said the feedback they have received suggests he is safe and well - but still hopelessly lost.
He said: 'We have had some pretty accurate feedback that corresponds with the surrounding countryside.

'One animal communicator said she had spoken with Jacob, who said he was 'Okay and trying to make his way home.'

'He said he had orchestrated this himself and had just wanted to go on an adventure. He is still alive and healthy and wants to get back eventually.'
Jon and Shelley Haggerwood dog jacob
The childless twosome say the money they have spent is worth every penny to find their beloved Jacob
Jon, a freelance gardener, reckons he has lost at least £1,500 in wages since giving up work to look for Jacob.
Shelley, who works in advertising, is understood to have also lost a similar amount.
In addition they have spent around £200 in petrol distributing leaflets, £200 on nightvision goggles, £60 for the psychic and £50 on printing leaflets.
The couple, both 40, who also have three other braccos - Solomon, one, Tiva, six, and one-and-a-half-year-old Clouseau - says the expense it worth every penny for Jacob's safe return.
But Jon admitted they may have to stop their search within the next few days if Jacob still isn't found.
He said: 'We don't have any children - the dogs are our children.
'I would spend any amount of money but we can't keep spending all our time searching for Jacob - we still have to live.
'If we cannot find him this weekend we may have to give up searching and just hope members of the public will step forward and help out.'

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