Meet Winnie the dog, the newest member of UNI marching band, who's already stealing hearts

At the home games for the University of Northern Iowa, spectators will see a new face — maybe a wagging tail — in the Panther Marching Band.

Winnie, a service dog for 20-year-old Gabi Riessen, stands next to her human dressed in her Panther Marching Band uniform while Riessen crashes her cymbals. Riessen, a sophomore, joined the marching band this year after transferring from a university that did not allow her to participate because of the dog.

Riessen of Denison has loved the drums ever since she got a toy drum set, banished to practice in the garage, when she was in second grade. She knew she was going to be in band from that moment.

Once she reached high school, she did it all — pep band, jazz band and, of course, marching band.

While her previous university didn't allow Winnie on the field, the golden retriever has proven herself to be a natural marching band member. She marches alongside Riessen, knowing when to turn and when to stop.

“She picked it up faster than I did,” said Riessen, laughing. “She just wears her headphones. She adapts so fast to any situation... I don’t even know how she does it.”

Riessen was diagnosed with postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome, also known as POTS, a chronic condition that causes an abnormally rapid heart rate when standing up from a sitting position. The diagnosis in 2023 interfered with her senior year of high school.

“There was a point where I couldn’t stand up without passing out,” Riessen said. “It was really draining, mentally and physically. I didn’t experience my senior year of high school because of all this.”

Riessen fought for six months to get her diagnosis, and once she could start walking on her own again, she knew she needed a service dog to help her.

Now, a year and a half later, Winnie is trained to alert Riessen if her heart rate gets too high and alert others if she needs help. She goes everywhere with Riessen — even on the field during halftime of football games.

"Without Winnie, I don't think college would even be possible," she said.

Riessen and Winnie march on, even on the football field

Winnie stands next to Riessen, her cowboy hat fitted, earplugs in and her uniform on. Riessen takes the front line of the marching band, cymbals in hand. Winnie stays calm, cool and collected. The crowd goes wild — for the game, of course — but Winnie has already stolen their hearts from the moment she steps onto the field.

“The constant reaction is so funny, and Winnie loves it,” Riessen said. “She loves attention.”

And attention Winnie gets. She is the star of the marching band’s show.

“I feel really excited to be there,” Riessen said. “I know that if I mess up, it’s probably fine because they aren’t going to be paying attention to me, they’re going to be paying attention to Winnie.”

When Riessen wanted to transfer to UNI, she reached out to the marching band director, Justin Mertz, to make sure having Winnie by her side wasn’t going to be a dealbreaker — they’re a package deal, after all.

“When Gabi first approached me, my first reaction was actually one of sadness because she was explaining how at her previous institution, she wasn’t allowed to do any music-making activities because of the service dog,” Mertz said.

“I was having trouble imagining the kind of music educator that would tell a student ‘no.’ Then I did what band directors do — I went into problem-solving mode,” Mertz continued. “I became convinced it would be great for her to participate, and that the Panther Marching Band would be a great place for someone like Gabi. And so far, that’s proven to be true.”

And so, Riessen took to marching with Winnie by her side.

“It’s so funny because Winnie is not a spatially aware dog,” said Riessen, laughing. “She thinks she’s this tiny little dog, but as soon as we got on the field, I think she was a marcher in a past life. She knows right when to turn around and when to stop.”

Mertz said Winnie took to the field easily during practice.

“We never had to do an additional rep for Winnie. We never had to learn something differently to make an adjustment for her. Winnie just made it happen,” he said.

Winnie’s next appearance on the field will be 4 p.m. Saturday at UNI’s home game against South Dakota State University. This time, she’ll be dyed purple.

“If you’re willing to think outside the box and be flexible and understand that sometimes things can look and function in ways you didn’t plan for, this activity can be for everyone, truly,” Mertz said.

Riessen and Winnie, a dynamic duo, become campus celebrities

UNI showcased Riessen and Winnie's story in Inside UNI , making the duo on-campus celebrities.

“This story speaks volumes,” Pete Moris, director of university relations, said in a statement to the Register. “Our faculty and staff at UNI are truly committed to student success, and that caring spirit often extends well beyond the classroom. Creating opportunities for memorable experiences and meaningful relationships is embedded in our culture at UNI.

“It didn’t surprise any of us when we learned how quickly Justin Mertz and the rest of the Panther Marching Band embraced Gabi and Winnie,” Moris continued. “And you have to admit, Winnie looks pretty adorable wearing her band uniform!”

Riessen, now getting emails and having people approach her to meet Winnie, has become a campus celebrity “by default,” she said.

“The real celebrity is Winnie.”

Kyle Werner is a reporter for the Register. Reach him at kwerner@dmreg.com.

This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Meet Winnie the dog, the newest member of UNI marching band, who's already stealing hearts