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The Panther Marching Band, the University of Northern Iowa’s (UNI) marching band, attracts attention with its cute and “golden” members. That’s Winnie, a golden retriever who is a second-year service dog at UNI.
In an interview with KCRGWinnie’s Fuman And UNI sophomore Gabi Riesen said, “I’m a member of the marching band, so that means she’s also a member of the marching band.”
Winnie, a golden retriever, is Riesen’s service dog. in university articlesRiesen revealed his relationship with Winnie and how he ended up forming a marching band with Winnie.
Riesen transferred from Denison, Iowa, majoring in elementary education. From her previous school, “I encountered an obstacle.” She attends bands and plays because she has a service dog.
In the article, Riesen revealed that she decided to transfer to UNI because two of her friends were attending UNI. And because she wants to enjoy her college life to the fullest by being by Winnie’s side.
“One of my best friends is Len. She’s on the color guard team and she told me how much she loves it and how great coach Justin Martz is.” said Riesen.
“So she emailed me and I reached out to him to see if there was a possibility of joining the band with Dog, and we met and talked. He was in the band more than me.” I’m sure you’re excited to have a dog.”
Currently, Winnie is a member of the Panther Marching Band. He marches with Risen and stays by her side on the front lines.
Mr. Riesen also revealed: “Honestly, I think she’s a better marcher than me. She’s really good at adapting to any situation I’m put in.”
Winnie also reveals that she loves the attention she gets as a member of the marching band. Mr. Riesen reveals: “A lot of people are paying attention to her, and she eats it all up.”
But before Winnie is a member of the Panther marching band, she is first and foremost a service dog for Leisen.
As a service dog, Winnie helps Riesen manage Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome (POTS), a chronic condition that causes problems with a person’s autonomic nervous system.
Riesen briefly describes POTS: “For me, that means randomly passing out without warning. My heart rate fluctuates more than others.”
Winnie is trained to detect changes in Liessen that indicate fainting. She then warns Riesen of the upcoming faint and allows the UNI sophomore to move to a safe location to avoid injury. She then lies next to Riesen to protect her.
Ms. Riesen said Winnie gave her “A normal feeling”. “Winnie made me feel like a normal person again,” Riesen said.
“She lets me know if I’m okay, so I can play in band, I can go to class, and I don’t know if going to college is an option.” I didn’t.
And while service dogs can’t be petted “during working hours,” Winnie is different. Riesen revealed that she doesn’t mind people petting Winnie, restoring the sense of normalcy that Winnie gave her.
“If we’re not doing anything, we’ll let her pet her, because she deserves to be a dog and deserves to have fun. I don’t want her to be so firm that she misses it.” That’s why. she said.
