Winnie, an adorable golden retriever, has always been a star in her owner, Gabi Riessen’s eyes.
The service dog assumed her position with Riessen, who has postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (often referred to as POTS), about 18 months ago.
The college sophomore, who now studies at the University of Northern Iowa, started at a different college but realized she needed more help participating in band and theater due to her disability.
The Panther Marching Band has welcomed her — and her furry accommodation — with open arms. Winnie has joined the UNI marching band as an unofficial member, and now, the whole world is seeing how much of a star she truly is.
“I’m part of the marching band,” Reissen told KCRG News. “So she is, too.”
While Winnie has embraced the extra attention, she hasn’t let the fame go to her head.
“There’s so many people watching her, and she eats it up,” Riessen said in a blog post shared by UNI. “She loves the attention. Every time I would walk by, the whole student section would ask, ‘Can I pet your dog?’ She just likes feeling helpful and useful.”
Riessen’s condition can cause a number of symptoms when someone transitions from lying down to standing up, like an increased heart rate, dizziness, fainting, and fatigue.
Winnie’s role as a service dog is to notice changes in Riessen’s physiology that might come on prior to fainting. From there, Winnie can direct her to a safe spot to avoid injury and get the care she needs.
“Winnie has made it where I can be like a normal person again,” Reissen said. “I can do band because she’ll let me know if I’m okay, and I can go to my classes. Before her, we didn’t know if college was going to be an option.”
Winnie supports Reissen on and off the field, and when it’s time for a marching band performance, the retriever dons her own uniform: A purple shirt and matching cowboy hat — complete with a gold plume — to match the human members of the band.
She also wears headphones on the field to protect her hearing, given that Reissen is a percussionist.
Of course, it took a moment to ensure that Winnie would feel at home with the musicians. The band’s director, Justin Mertz, was open to figuring everything out.
“When I came in, we weren’t sure if I was going to march or if I was just going to be in the frontline,” Reissen said, of her position in the band.
“Mertz said ‘let’s try it,’ and we did.”
“I’m a music educator, and we believe music is for everyone,” Mertz told KCRG News. “It’s our mission to provide these musical educational opportunities for every single student.”
According to Reissen, Winnie is still working on her “spatial awareness,” but she’s gotten the hang of marching forward and backward with the Panthers.
“Honestly, I think she’s a better marcher than me,” Reissen joked. “She’s just really good at adapting to any situation I put her in.”
Now making national headlines, Winnie has won the hearts of audiences everywhere. But at the end of the day, Reissen is proudest not of her dog’s musical inclinations, but of her ability to make the world easier to navigate.
“Obviously, I don’t have a visible disability. So some people look at me and wonder why I need a dog,” Reissen said.
“At UNI, I walk around and everyone gets excited to see a dog. It just makes me feel good. I belong here.”
Header image courtesy of University of Northern Iowa