Raising companion dog means saying goodbye

Come Feb. 13, a 10-hour drive to Ohio will seem awful long for Randy and Michelle Ackman. That's when the Cedar Rapids couple says goodbye to Essie, the 1 1/2-year old golden retriever/yellow lab mix they've raised for Canine Companions for Independence.

“We have to constantly tell ourselves, ‘There's somebody out there who needs her more than we do,'” says Randy, 45, an instructor in the animal health technology program at Kirkwood Community College.

It's not like the Ackmans didn't know this day would come. It's just that, as the time grows near, reality sets in.

In his office, Randy reaches out to pet Essie. She looks up at him with her huge, liquid eyes.

“Feb. 13 is going to be a very, very sad day.”

But it will be the start of a second life for Essie, a six- to nine-month intensive training program that should pair her up with a companion - a deaf person, a patient with cerebral palsy, a wheelchair user - who needs an obedient, well-mannered partner in life.

Essie flew in from Ohio as an 8-week-old ball of fur the week before Christmas in 2008.

“I had to take pictures at the airport for my wife on my cell phone because she couldn't come out,” Randy says.

It was love at first sight for the veterinarian couple, although Michelle is also a pharmacist. And Essie became an immediate friend for Rudy, the Ackmans' then 1 1/2-year-old golden retriever.

But after the welcome home, work began. The purpose of Essie's extended visit was to learn manners, to stay off the furniture, to remain calm in public, to not jump at little kids or expect to be petted by adults.

“It's not like she can't have any fun,” Randy says. “We can take them out and they can run and play ball. It's just that when she's wearing the vest, she's working.”

The bright yellow and blue vest and a “gentle leader” that wraps around her nose keep the 68-pound dog calm and reserved. Still, there's been trial and error, plenty of episodes that would fit perfectly in the book “Marley and Me.”

Yes, the laughs and challenges of raising a dog and falling in love with it, as depicted in the best-seller, brought tears to the local vets' eyes.

But that doesn't make parting any easier. Neither does the fact that Randy's curriculum includes teaching students how to help owners prepare for the loss of a pet.

If Essie fails to make the grade - only 35 percent of CCI dogs connect with an owner - the Ackmans have the first option to adopt her. They would, of course, in a heartbeat.

But if Essie doesn't make it, that would break their hearts, too.

“You can't describe it,” Randy says. “She's like a little kid now. We want her to graduate.”