Annabel and Henry Winter had always wanted a dog, so much so that in elementary school, Henry wrote a persuasive essay for his fourth-grade class about why he thought his family should get a dog. A year later, at Henry’s fifth-grade graduation, the Winter family visited his kindergarten teacher, and they told her about Henry’s essay. She took his mom aside and told her that “Every family needs a dog.” That’s how Marty came along.

Their father, Dave Winter, a journalism teacher at McCallum, set up a plan to surprise Henry and Annabel. He told Annabel and Henry that they were going to one of Henry’s chess competitions. But instead, he took them to the dog shelter where he had already picked out Marty. His wife had discovered Marty online and had sent him to the shelter to see if he was the dog for them to adopt.

When Winter and his kids walked in to the shelter, the person behind the front desk greeted them asking “Are y’all here for Marty?”

At first, Marty had a lot of rules. He couldn’t get onto the furniture or sleep in their beds, but according to Annabel, Marty quickly charmed his parents into letting him do whatever he wanted.

“At first Marty was pretty hesitant and reluctant to really interact with anyone, but he soon got a little more comfortable with our family,” Henry Winter said. “He was a little infamous for systematically breaking the rules we thought we were going to follow, such as no dogs on the beds/couch, etc. He really liked to sit on the floor vents to stay cool.”

But as time went on, they quickly changed how they treated the new addition to their family.

“My family was just so excited to have a dog, and we spoiled him rotten with peanut butter cakes and so many toys even though Marty was really picky about treats and stuff,” Annabel Winter said. “Even my mom, who was unsure about getting a dog, fell in love with Marty because he brought so much joy to our house.”

Despite breaking some initial rules, Marty quickly became an integral part of the family. Wherever they went, so did he. On their trip to New Mexico one year, because he couldn’t really keep up on long hikes, the family bought Marty a doggie backpack to carry him around with them. Each family member took turns carrying him on their back while he peeked over their shoulders to see where they were going.

Long before that vacation, the Marty and his humans settled into a daily routine.

“Every day before school, my dad would wake me up before the sun came up so we could take Marty on a walk together,” Annabel Winter said. “I have really fond memories of spending the mornings with my dad and Marty and telling him what phase the moon was in every day.”

Marty’s adventures expanded beyond his humble home to the far boundaries of McCallum High School’s hallways, frequently accompanying Mr. Winter in the newspaper room. Sophie Ryland, who was co-editor-in-chief throughout the 2018-2019 school year, remembers her freshman year fondly. It was also Dave Winter’s first year, so they adapted to McCallum together. Ryland remembers spending many class periods and late nights in room 134 basking in Marty’s presence.

“I remember texting my best friend at the time, who wasn’t even in newspaper or yearbook, things like ‘Marty is here today!’ and she would try to find an excuse to come visit him,” Ryland said. “I hope he was happy, too, with us all cooing over him. I know he probably snuck some spilled pepperoni on the floor from our pizza orders as part of the deal.”

Ryland fondly remembers everybody being enamored with Marty, and that Dave Winter found joy in seeing their reactions to having a warm companion while they worked endlessly on articles and page designs during newspaper late nights. 

“Marty was basically our unofficial mascot,” she said. “I could tell [Winter] was happy that we all adored Marty so much, just like he did. My family currently has a poodle mix, which I believe Marty was, and they are incredibly smart and affectionate dogs, so it’s no surprise to me that Marty was such a meaningful companion to Mr. Winter, his family, and our MacJournalism family as whole.”

Marty quickly became a frequent visitor to Room 134.

“I’ll never forget chasing Marty down the school hallways at 6 p.m. on a random Wednesday, or the times when we would coax him with a treat to cooperate while taking staff photos, or us all competing for his affections on those lucky mornings when we were graced with Marty’s presence,” Ryland said. 

Marty’s affection touched many hearts over the years including Alice Scott, a former staffer who made history under  Winters’ teaching. She was named the 2022 NSPA Broadcast Journalist of the Year, the 2024 Texas and JEA National Journalist of the Year as well as being Shield co-editor-in-chief for two years. Since the beginning of Scott’s journalism career, Marty’s name has been synonymous with excitement.

“I remember my sophomore year coming to school,” Scott said. “I was the online co-editor-in-chief that year, so I was in the class with all the other editors, and I would always hear people talking about Marty. I was like ‘Marty? Who’s Marty?’ I very quickly came to learn that Marty was Mr. Winters’s dog.”

Walking into first-period newspaper class can be tiring, however, Marty always raised the staff’s energy levels according to Scott. 

“You always knew that Marty was at school if the door to the newspaper room was closed, because that door was never closed,” Scott said. “It was always one of those things that brightened your day a little bit, especially during newspaper. It’s first period, and you’re tired. it’s 9:02 in the morning, maybe you didn’t have your coffee, and you walk into the newspaper room and Marty’s there. It brings a smile to your face. It was very clear that Mr. Winter loved Marty. He would come up in conversation all the time.”

Marty was a prominent member of the newspaper family and never shied away from becoming the subject of many inside jokes passed around by journalism students.

“One specific memory that I have is my senior year, a few other editors and I all went to the TAJE Fall Fiesta convention in San Antonio,” Scott said. “I don’t remember how it came up, but Mr. Winter said, ‘We’re in Marty-Tonio,’ and it was so funny that we said it the whole trip. We came back and said ‘Oh yeah, we were in Marty-tonio,’ and nobody knew what we were talking about. It was like our own little inside joke.” 

Another former staffer, Elisha Scott, who met Marty during her freshman year in 2018, got to enjoy all four of her years alongside Marty and saw Winters’s love for Marty flourish as the kids got to know him.

“You could tell how much Mr. Winter loved Marty by the way that he would talk about him,” she said. “He would tell us stories of the things he did at home. He continues to do that and reflect on his time with Marty on his Instagram with his Marty Monday posts. And, equally, you could tell how much Marty loved him. He was always by Mr. Winter’s side when he was visiting.”

Elisha Scott distinctly remembers the late nights where Marty accompanied the staff.

“I have one video on my phone that I hold close to my heart of us throwing his tennis ball down the hallways for him to chase during a late night,” she said. “It always makes me smile when I come across it in my camera roll. Late nights were my favorite part of being on staff, but when Marty was there it made it even more special for me because we could all bond over our love and excitement for him being there” 

Marty touched the hearts of many people, and although he passed away last summer, the memories countless people made with him still go strong.

“Mr. Winter is such a fantastic teacher, someone who was a huge mentor for me,” Ryland said. “So, when I heard about Marty’s passing, I was so sad for his sake as well as my own. He was a special dog and a beloved fixture in our classroom, as well as an important part of the Winter’s family. I hope it gives Mr. Winter some comfort to know that Marty could brighten many people’s day with just his presence.” 

To remember Marty, Winter continues to post “Marty Mondays” on his Instagram account every single Monday.

“My dad is really grateful for Marty, which is why he does the Marty Monday posts every single week,” Annabel Winter said. “When my dad is passionate about something, he doesn’t give up on it, hence the long streak of posting every day on the MacJournalism Instagram. My dad loved Marty so much and thinks and talks about him all the time, so I think it’s just his little way of keeping Marty with him and not letting him be forgotten.”

Henry agrees that the Marty Mondays are a way for Winter to stay connected with his friend.

“My dad and Marty were best buds from the very beginning,” Henry  said. “I think Marty got really comfortable with my dad very early. I think the loss of Marty has been really hard on my dad. He told me that he does Marty Mondays because he is afraid Marty will stop appearing in his social media feed, which is really one of the ways my dad can hold onto the memory of Marty.”

Continuing to keep Marty’s memory alive is something that Elisha Scott shared she admires.

“I was sorry to hear of Marty’s passing, but I love that Mr. Winter isn’t letting his presence fade by incorporating him into his Instagram posts,” Elisha Scott said. “I hope that when my dog passes I’ll be able to do the same thing because they really are like family members and they change your life.”

Even after moving away to attend the University of Arkansas, Annabel Winter still misses the little unique aspects of Marty that used to surround her daily life.

“Marty used to come into my room all the time in high school to dig through my trash can like a little raccoon, and I didn’t think I’d miss it because I had to get up and take out the trash every time,” she said, “but now I really miss his little random visits.“

If she had to pick just one thing, Annabel would choose to simply walk Marty, one last time.

“If I could go back and do something with Marty it would just be to go on a walk with the whole family around our block,” Annabel said. “Marty was always excited to go on walks, but even more so when he had all of his people with him. I know my dad would really love that, too.”

Marty was Winter’s right-hand man, helping to cheer on the staff through every long night, and every early morning. Marty will live forever, deep in the hearts of every newspaper staff member who knew him, and every single heart he touched.

“My dad has had a lot of awesome dogs in his life,” Annabel said. “Marty was his best friend.”

More love for Marty:

“Marty was the most charming guy, and everyone in that class knew it. The second time Marty ever came into our class he had a diaper and my friend and I couldn’t stop laughing. We found it so funny and endearing, and I could tell that Mr. Winter felt the same way.”

—sophomore Shield staffer Carlo Hinsdale

“My sophomore and junior years of high school were especially difficult for me mentally, and the only class I ever really looked forward to was journalism. It was a great mental break for me because it was the only class I really felt I could creatively express myself in. I remember there was one day in particular that was especially hard for me, and it just so happened to be the day that Marty decided he would not be left at home. Mr. Winter said he invited himself into his car, insisting he go with. He always seemed to do this when I needed it the most. He is my biggest argument for why all schools should have on site emotional support animals 😉 Any time Marty came to school, I would stay back for lunch and just hang out with him. He was sort of an old-soul dog, could have cared less about all the attention on him — he was just looking for dropped snacks. If you packed a lunch, he was more likely to grace you with his presence in hopes you would cave and feed him against his dad’s wishes. I noticed Baxa always pretended not to notice when Marty was in. Credible deniability and whatever. He was a pretty untouchable little felon on campus. His cuteness kept him in the pockets of campus politicians.”

—MacJ 2024 grad Morgan Eye

“He was the sweetest boy. He epitomized the phrase “loyal hound.” My password to the Shield website even references Marty because he was truly a core part of the newspaper. He always kept things paw-sitive.”

—junior staffer Beatrix Lozach