Meet Winnie, the Golden Retriever Service Dog Who Joined a University's Marching Band with Her Owner

The service animal marches beside her owner, Gabi Riessen, while she takes part in the University of Northern Iowa's color guard

• University of Northern Iowa sophomore Gabi Riessen's golden retriever, Winnie, has become the star of the school's color guard

• The pup, who serves as Riessen's service animal and aids in the management of her postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome, has assumed an unofficial role on the team

• Riessen said that fans have responded positively as a whole to Winnie's participation in the marching band, and she is grateful to have the dog present

One unofficial member of the University of Northern Iowa's marching band has taken to the field (on all fours) in full regalia, and fans love it.

UNI sophomore Gabi Riessen's journey with her golden retriever service dog, Winnie, began about 18 months ago. Riessen initially attended a different college and faced difficulties participating in band and theater due to her need to have a service animal present, per UNI.

Riessen, per the school, has postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS), a condition that "causes a number of symptoms when you transition from lying down to standing up, such as a fast heart rate, dizziness, and fatigue," according to the Cleveland Clinic. The school noted that Winnie's role is to notice changes in her owner that would come before fainting. This information allows Riessen to get to a safe spot to avoid injury while Winnie lies beside her for protection.

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Following her freshman year at the other unnamed institution, Riessen transferred to UNI after hearing positive things about its programs. Once a student, she reached out to the school's color guard team director, Justin Mertz, who Riessen said was "more excited to have a dog in the band than I am," per the school.

"As we talked through things, it became more and more clear to me that not only did I think that it would be OK, I actually thought we'd be able to make it work very, very well," Mertz said of Riessen's request, per ABC affiliate KCRG. "I'm a music educator, and we believe that music is for everyone, and it's our mission to provide these musical and educational opportunities for every single student."

However, despite being allowed to join the team with Winnie, Riessen had some initial concerns about the pup's ability to participate.

"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," she recalled. "Mertz said, 'Let's try it,' and we did. Usually, Winnie isn't spatially aware of things. But when we would march forward and backward, she picked it up with no problem. Honestly, I think she's a better marcher than me. She's just really good at adapting to any situation I put her in."

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Riessen noted that during their performances, Winnie is given a pair of noise-canceling headphones so she isn't disturbed by bandmates playing their instruments around her.

With help from these preventative measures, Winnie has joyously taken on her role as a part of the color guard.

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"There's so many people watching her, and she eats it up," Riessen said, per 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."

Naturally, Riessen is equally grateful for Winnie's role in her life, both on and off the field.

"Winnie has made it where I can be like a normal person again," she shared. "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."

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