Children’s book honors local K9

With Ellie nearing retirement, Jones took a creative leap he hadn’t thought possible, writing and illustrating his debut children’s novel, “Ellie May and the Midnight Search,” which officially launched at the Fort Vancouver Visitor Center on May 30.

A tribute to his heroic companion, the book will also serve as a supplemental tale to the Hug-A-Tree and Survive Program, an elementary school wilderness safety curriculum taught by trained SAR volunteers.

Jim and Ellie May

Spending his entire life between Clark County and the Gorge, Jones has always had a knack for the outdoors, frequently hunting and fishing throughout the region’s dense, wooded backcountry. Twenty years ago, after his brother went missing near Mount Adams, Jones joined his first SAR effort, K9s included. The mission was successful, offering an initial inkling — an intrigue — that similar efforts might suit his future.

More inspiration would ensue on an elk hunting trip 15 years ago. Jones heard a strange thumping emerging from a canyon — a missing mother, beating on a bucket, he’d find — and relayed the information to the sheriff’s department. “It really piqued my interest,” Jones said. “To be on the frontline if somebody is missing.”

Jones always had dogs around the house throughout his life. Around 10 years ago, though initially reluctant to replace his last canine companion, Jones accompanied his wife to visit a litter she found on Facebook. There was Ellie May — his first hound —  and the rest is history.

Alongside his good friend John Nicholson, who had adopted a hound for the purpose of trailing, Jones began training Ellie.

Now, eight years later, the two make a veteran, hardened team for Wasco County Volunteer Search and Rescue and other agencies throughout the region. Jones takes scent articles from missing persons, lets Ellie smell them, and tells her “go.” She works on a lead, following the trail until she locates the individuals, or provides a clear direction of travel, allowing search teams to cease looking behind them and concentrate resources to a specific area. “We can basically talk,” Jones said. “We can understand each other through that lead.”

Jones praises Ellie for her remarkable stamina, helping find seven people, and even trailing 5.5 miles in one instance. “That distance out of a search dog is unheard of, especially to complete it,” Jones said. “She never quit. I tried to give her water, and she wouldn’t take it. She just wanted to go.”

The pair trains at least once a week, ensuring Ellie’s always ready when the sheriff calls, which can occur in the middle of the night or when Jones is busy elsewhere, say, attending a family gathering. He credits his wife, offering her constant support through thousands of training hours and happenstance calls to action.

At home, Ellie is your typical, loving family pet, often snoozing on Jones’ wife’s lap or entertaining his nine grandkids. “We do our job, we go home,” he said. “She has an on and off switch.”

In 2025, Jones and Ellie achieved Wilderness Training II accreditation, a high standard set forth by the National Search Dog Alliance. The pair went to Peyton, Washington, to be tested on their skills. “The people we search for don’t care what certification we have as long as we find them,” Jones said. “But having somebody who doesn’t know you pass you, it means a lot.”

Jones also emphasized the support of the Klickitat, Skamania, and Wasco County sheriff’s departments, including Jeff King, Summer Scheyer, Lane Magill, and Jeff Hall, who “have always been very supportive,” and the community of more than 100 volunteers who’ve come out to hide for K9s in all kinds of inclement weather. “Without people like that, our dog wouldn’t be as good as she is.”

Children’s Book

“Ellie May and the Midnight” search is a 33-page illustrated children’s book based on a true SAR mission, and a first for Jones after years of consideration.

“Never in my wildest dreams would I ever have thought I’d be an author,” he said. “I’ve had it in my head and wanted to get it out there. How do you dedicate something to your dog that’s done a lot for the community? I thought this would be a great way to do that.”

The book, published via Amazon through its Kindle Direct self-publishing platform, uses real, on-the-scene pictures, which Jones regenerated into illustrations. Told from Ellie’s point of view, it represents her otherwise invisible trailing methods with glowing particles.

Jones will implement read-alouds into his Hug-A-Tree presentations to add a fun, good-hearted story to the curriculum. He hopes adult readers will gain an appreciation for people like him and dogs like Ellie, performing dangerous acts that often go unnoticed or underappreciated. “We’re just part of the tool, part of the machine that helps find people,” Jones said.

“Ellie May and the Midnight Search” is currently available at the Fort Vancouver Visitor Center, Klindt’s Booksellers in The Dalles, and on Amazon. Jones hopes to have it available in Hood River shortly. Coming up, he will host a pair of book launches at the The Dalles Library in August and the White Salmon Library in October.