A bona fide movie star visited Rogers Elementary School students last week.

Marshall, a rescue dog with three legs, will have his life portrayed in a movie later this year. Cindi Willenbrock, Marshall’s owner, read to students from ‘Marshall the Miracle Dog,’ a book she authored about Marshall’s life.

Principal Patrick Keenoy told students, “We are here to celebrate and learn. Miss Willenbrock and her dog Marshall are here to talk about character, integrity, and a number of positive things.”

But the first part of Marshall’s life actually features a number of negative things, according to a news release. The rescue dog, who is missing his left front leg, was taken from an animal hoarder in Marshall.

But Willenbrock dwelled on more recent events in Marshall’s life.

“We’re here to celebrate our differences. I would love for you to be able to celebrate his differences and our own differences,” she stated in the release. “Because that is part of our story and what makes us unique.”

Willenbrock said Marshall’s first owner had 82 dogs on her property.

“She wasn’t doing a good job with these dogs, taking care of their needs,” Willenbrock stated. “We need to take care of our pets by giving them fresh water, food and taking them outside. They didn’t have dog beds. They didn’t have toys. They didn’t know when food would arrive.

“And so the reason why Marshall is missing his front leg and has a scar on his face is that Marshall was bullied by some of the other dogs he lived with.”

Willenbrock said when food arrived, all of the other dogs would rush for it.

“And Marshall was one of the sweeter, gentler dogs,” she said. “And so what happened is some of the other dogs attacked Marshall because they wanted his food.”

Besides a broken leg, Marshall suffered bite marks all over his body, according to Willenbrock. He lived with a broken leg for a week before he received treatment.

Missouri Humane Society veterinarians found the infection in Marshall’s leg was so severe they had to amputate it.

Willenbrock read from the book she authored about Marshall’s life.

“I awake that day with the same hungry belly I always wake up to,” said Willenbrock, reading in the voice of Marshall. “And I think I must have had an awful nightmare about bullying and being attacked again by the other dogs. But then, when I stand up and look into my empty dog bowl I realize it was not just a bad dream.”

Marshall would rise to see another day, learning to walk again on his three legs.

Marshall made an impression on Rogers second-graders.

Logan Hartsell stated in the release, “At first he lived in a pen and I learned he lost a leg because all the other dogs attacked him to try to get to the food.”

Alyssa Nguyen stated, “And when this guy from the Humane Society saw Marshall laying down he brought Marshall to the Humane Society to help him.”

Adis Keranovic relayed what he learned about what happened after Marshall was rescued.

“He went to the hospital for surgery and the nurses kept working on him,” Adis stated. “He died three times and the doctor kept on saving him.”

Ellie Curcuru stated, “The lady that adopted him took him home. When she pulled up to the house, Marshall heard the dog the lady already had at home barking. When she let the other dog out, he brought one of his tennis balls and set it down in front of Marshall.”

Willenbrock explained that after Marshall’s recovery, he was put up for adoption. That’s when she found him.

“It’s true I had a rough start to my life back in the pen,” Willenbrock said, reading Marshall’s firsthand account. “Each day passed so slowly. But the day the Humane Society rescued me, they gave me a new life. And now I live in a beautiful home and I have unconditional love and acceptance exactly as I am.”

Besides the book “Marshall the Miracle Dog,” Willenbrock said the dog’s life will be portrayed in a movie to be released this summer. To view a trailer, visit Marshall’s website,

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