Jordan’s Prize Panda
I want to Please!
While you can not see his wounds, like you can on Bullet, you can see his emotional scars very clearly.
This little Aussie boy born on 10/27/05 is an AKC registered purebred. He was surrendered by a hobby breeder after a friend tried to help an overwhelmed dog-owner. Jordan has not been properly socialized because he has lived his entire life in an outdoor kennel run. He was covered in fleas, and has some hair loss because of it. He is at least 10 pounds underweight, and quite pitiful.
Jordan is at Val-u-Vet right now, under the care of Dr. Kim and the Val-u-Vet team. He has been heartworm tested, and unfortunately, the result was positive. It is amazing how many litters this boy has produced, and probably for good money, yet left without heartworm protection. I wonder if his original breeder cares that he was purchased, breed, and forgotten… all for the love of money.
Not only does he have heartworm, he has intestinal worms as well, which we will treat him for. Today, we will be evaluating if Jordan is healthy enough to be neutered. If this can be done, we will also have his teeth cleaned, fully vaccinated, and microchipped.
Jordan didn’t give anyone at the vet’s office a hard time. Although he is shy at first, he enjoys being petted. Jordan needs to get healthy again, and then slowly introduced to new environments so that he can increase his self-esteem. We are very tight for fosters right now, but if it’s a fit, Maria DeRosa has offered to help.
While Jordan was not in a kill shelter, he surely was slowly dieing of starvation, and if left in that environment, he would have died from the untreated heartworms.
There are many lessons to be learned here, and the most important one to me is not only how cautious we must be about hobby breeders, but how quickly someone can find themselves in a hoarding situation.
If you think you might be interested in giving Jordan his forever home, please first review our Dog Tips page then read about our Adoption Process and e-mail holly.thedogliberator@gmail.com
May 29th:
Jordan is now being fostered by Maria in Deltona. You remember her: she fostered Creampuff and adopted Spike the Wonder Dog! Maria and her family are very experienced dog people and Spike has a unique spirit about him; we think that combination is going to be a key to helping Jordan win back his self-confidence. One thing that Maria noticed right away is that Jordan’s bowl are a little loose and he has a smell about him. In my experience, that is a good indication of a food sensitivity. Given that this poor boy was almost starved to death, it really should be no surprise to us, should it. Add a little pumpkin to his food, move him to a more organic blend, and I think we’re going to see a difference.
Please read Maria’s comments about Jordan’s progress, but here’s a video for you!
Jordan was adopted today by Kip!
01/03/12: Maria DeRosa received an email from Kip that Jordan escaped, was struck by a car and tragically killed. Kip has been working on re-socializing the fearful boy, brought Jordan to our reunion and worked with Paul Pipitone on increasing Jordan’s recall. My heart goes out to Maria, her family, and Kip. I know how hard they worked on helping Jordan with his issues. ~gisele
12 Comments
Maria DeRosa
05.31.2011
The pumpkin is working wonders
I also changed brands on the soft food and he is feeling (and smelling) much better today. He has even given up a few smiles for me 
Spike says that he is not ready to play yet. Jordan is still seeking refuge in his crate but Spike lays next to him and grooms him through the crate. Jordan is happy to follow him around the yard but he is still insecure inside. He prefers to stay in the crate (I leave the door open) and observe our family. Baby steps….
Jordan LOVES the kids (8 and 10 years old). He responds very well to them and even wags his tail when he sees them coming. He is going to make and EXCELLENT family dog.
Maria DeRosa
06.03.2011
He came out of his crate to greet me when I got home from work today! Yay! He was much more comfortable today and I let him go free in the back yard. Until today, I kept him teathered because I wasnt sure I could get him back. He happily trotted around the back yard with Spike and even played a bit. We spent a few hours out there and he did something new… instead of darting into his crate when we came in, he went and laid down next to it and he and Spike are napping together right now
HUGE progress!
Maria DeRosa
06.03.2011
some new photos http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.1777016264974.2092414.1226383383&l=83e0a26b9c
Maria DeRosa
06.03.2011
He is WONDERFUL with children. He sat with my 8 year old for a long time while she pulled all the mats out of his hair…. video http://www.facebook.com/?ref=home#!/video/video.php?v=1777045305700&comments
Maria DeRosa
06.05.2011
He is now coming and going out the back door on his own and has even wandered around the living room a bit. He comes out of the crate (willingly) for Connie (8 years old) and he LOVES her!
Jordan belongs to a child…. but who is the lucky child?
Maria DeRosa
06.07.2011
foster update: After a week of having him stabelized, I agree that he has a food sensitivity/allergy. Yesterday, we changed to a raw food diet called “satin balls”. It took me about an hour to prepair 2 1/2 weeks of dog food for 2 dogs… the cost was $15. Jordan seems to like the “stinky” food best (tuna) so I added a can of tuna in oil to his bowl. He gobbled it all up and asked for more
This morning, his eyes were clear, sparkling and happy. Breakfast was an even bigger hit then dinner. I’m going to take more pictures and video tonight. Th diet change cause a complete transformation in this little guy! He is starting to open up now and he has wonderful temperment/personality. He is going to make a wonderful addition to someone’s family! Stay tuned for new pictures 
Maria DeRosa
06.16.2011
I am very proud to announce that Jordan is now leash trained and house broken.
After his bath, I wrapped him in a towel and he was very content to sit on my daughters lap on the couch while she dried him. I took a video and will upload soon….
I am going to weigh him this weekend to see just how much weight he has put on but he is looking much healthier. The homemade dog food is working wonders. I have found his favorite to be fish…. he loves tuna and sardines. I usually mix one or the other with about a 1/2 cup of rice. I sneak in the “satin balls” in as treats but he has no preferance for eating them as a meal. Due to the small size of his stomach, I feed him breakfast and dinner but I also offer him a light lunch as well. He almost never finishes his whole bowl of food, so we have been feeding him smaller amounts, more frequantly. He seems to be doing much better on this diet.
Jordan has finally relaxed and is learning to trust us. I gave him a bath the other night and he did wonderfully
Yesterday, I bought him a brush and my daughters and I took turns brushing him last night. We brushed him for over an hour. He loved it! He stood still and turned and moved so we could get all the hard to reach places. Guess what I found under all of that matted hair? A beautiful shiney coat, new hair growth where he had lost his hair from all the stress and poor diet and I FOUND A BELLY! Thats right – a belly!!! I was so happy to find some “meat on his bones”
Last night during dinner, we had a very loud thunder storm. I expected that he would have an issue…. he did not. He came out of the crate and laid under the kitchen table with Spike so he would not be alone. He was trembling a bit but not bad and he never barked, etc. He just stayed close to Spike until it was over.
Socializing is going very well. He has abandoned his crate (about 3-4 days ago) and decided that he doesnt like to be alone. He has been sleeping with Spike in his crate. Since the 1st night he bunked with Spike, he has started playing with him too. I still do not see him interested in balls, toys or frisbees but he loves to run around the back yard and chase/be chased by Spike and/or the kids. I have seen NO herding behavior at all. Jordan learned to run last week and hasnt stopped since. Running makes him very happy. I can tell that he didnt know how to run before because 1- I didnt see him do it for almost 2 weeks and 2 – he does not run like a dog does… he runs like a deer. I think he is still trying to figure out those new legs
Tomorrow night, Jordan is going to visit Spike’s favorite place – the ball field. We are also going to take them to the doggie park this weekend – stay tuned for pictures
Maria DeRosa
06.22.2011
Jordan is 21 pounds today
He has gained 4 pounds since I picked him up. He has a beautiful, shiny thick coat and there are no more bald spots. He has learned to play, run, love and trust. He now runs the back yard with a smile on his face and his head heald high. He is fully house broken and leash trained and he is ready to start obediance training.
He is ready for his human to come for him
Maria DeRosa
06.24.2011
new video of Jordan and my “Little Liberators” http://www.facebook.com/?ref=home#!/video/video.php?v=1810515342430
JOSEPH C. TRIOLO
06.24.2011
JORDON’S STORY HAS TOUCHED MY HEART…. PLEASE LET ME KNOW HOW HE IS DOING AND WHEN HE MIGHT BE AVAILABLE. I LIVE IN JACKSONVILLE FLORIDA AND HAVE BEEN LOOKING FOR AN AUSSIE FOR A FEW WEEKS NOW.IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO TALK WITH ME 904-891-7737 I AM ALSO ON FACE BOOK
Gisele
06.24.2011
please review our adoption process and contact us via email, thedogliberator@gmail.com
Maria DeRosa
07.02.2011
Dinner was over…play time begins. We went outside for our usual hour of ruff and tumble, tag Im it and bark at the moon. Jordan was in an exceptional mood tonight… he was running with Spike and he stopped and looked back at me with a big doggie grin. I smiled back and he ran over and stole a kiss….he is so sweet. I pet his head and told him he was a good boy. We came inside and I was giving out treats… beef basted bones (the only kind Jordan will eat). When I turned to give Jordan his, he was standing behind me with a toy in his mouth – tail wagging. First time ever =) Having a dog like Jordan around sure does make you stop and smell the roses. Its amazing what we take for granted…the little things that seem so unimportant. Like playing. He will be here a month on Sunday and has made amazing progress. Soon, he may actually know what to do with that toy.
The Whole Pet Diet
08.14.2011
[...] Maria DeRosa & Jordan The Aussie Rescue 14 Aug No Comments » Posted By: Andi on Aug 14, 2011 in Uncategorized For the love of Jordan A few months ago, I was given Jordan’s Prize Panda to foster. Here’s his short story: He was a very sick dog who was starved, almost to death. Jordan is a 5 year old Australian Shepherd. They are supposed to be between 35 and 40 pounds. Jordan was 17 pounds when I picked him up. He came with 2 very large pill bottles, a large container of de-worming medicine, lots of instructions and a leash. At first glance, he looked like a skeleton with some hair. Most of his coat had fallen out. What remained was matted and dead and this dog smelled like death. Literally. He would not look me in the eye but when I moved his head to look at his, they were cloudy and the whites were yellow. I brought him to my house, fixed up his crate with some soft bedding, a big beefy bone and a toy and took him outside to try to get him to relax. The first thing I noticed was that Spike (my dog) would not play with him. To this day, Spike has never met a dog he didn’t play with, except Jordan. The next thing I noticed was VERY lose stool…. every hour or so. I followed all of the instructions with the medication and I tried to feed him….. first a bowl of kibble. It didn’t matter where I tried to feed him or what was going on or not going on around him…. he wouldn’t touch it. The medication said “Take with a bowl of food.” So, fasting was not an option. I added 1/2 can of pedigree moist. He ate some. He vomited. This went on for 2 days. Medicines, food, vomit, repeat. I called Gisele, The Dog Liberator….. Crying. After an hour long talk, we decide that 1. I am Italian and trying to feed him too hard….lol. To love them is to feed them….. What can I say? 2. If you didn’t eat for 4 + weeks and was starving, then given a Big Mac what do you supposed would happen? 3. Let’s add a little pumpkin to his food to settle his stomach. Medicines, food, vomit, repeat. The dog is now 16 pounds. I start giving him pedialite instead of water. The next day, I get an email…. one that literally changed my life. Kip had been surfing the Dog Liberator website, interested in adopting a dog (not Jordan) and came across Jordan’s story. He emailed Holly, who then forwarded it to me. He explained that his mother had a dog that was the same breed, with the same symptoms, which turned out to be a gluten allergy and that it was fairly common. Easy fix = Organic food. I stopped at the pet store on my way home from work to look for organic food and had a heart attack. That stuff is expensive!!! I picked up a small bag, went home and fed Jordan. He ate it (with reluctance, as always); he gagged a bit but no vomit. Interesting…… The next day was a Friday. I fed the organic food in the morning…… He did not eat. AT ALL. Scared me to death. That night, I saw Spike lying against Jordan’s crate, trying to groom him through the door. The door was always open but Jordan never came out. Since it was a weekend, I had time to Google and Google and Google some more. I had quite a few “ah ha” moments and on Saturday, I started both Spike and Jordan on a raw food diet. After what I learned over that weekend, my dog will NEVER eat commercial dog food again. I started slow…. raw chicken. I only had boneless breasts in the house. Chicken cutlet night for us I trimmed all the cutlets for the human dinner and then took 1 breast, diced it and added it to the trimmings. I then divided it into 2 dog bowls and gave it a try. Spike’s an easy dog for the most part – I had never seen him so happy I played outside with him for a while and when I came back in, found an empty dish in Jordan’s crate. That was a first… he looked happy as well – also a first! I got him out of the crate and took him outside. If you hit the link above and watched the video, it’s the first time you see him without the leash on…. He had more energy. Spike started playing with him. I guess that meant he was feeling better. Sunday, I found the recipe for satin balls. It was a good day at my house. I only allowed Spike to have them as treats, since they put weight on fast… I was already considering getting him a tee shirt that said “Butter Ball”. Satin Balls did not “cure” my problems with Jordan but I was quickly on the right path. What I found was that Satin Balls is too rich for a malnourished dog. So, He would get 1 serving of satin balls, divided into 2 small meals. I added a third and fourth meal (all small) which would consist of either chicken or tuna with brown rice. The rice worked out wonderfully for Jordan, but not for Spike…. it gave him “the runs”. More research…. healthy dogs just don’t need that much fiber. The answer – I made white rice instead of brown and then added chicken broth until it looked like soup. I stored it in a Tupperware container and Jordan would get a spoon of this with his meat (to help gain weight and bind him) and Spike just got double meat and sometimes veggies. By Monday, Jordan’s eyes were crystal clear and sparkling. My God, they were beautiful….I could see forever in his eyes……… I think that was when I fell in love . I could already see new hair growth in his bald spots and he was learning how to play with Spike. In just 3 days, Jordan made a complete turnaround. When I got to work, I emailed Kip to thank him and to let him know he was right. We chatted back and forth for a few weeks about it and a month later, Kip adopted Jordan How lucky is he…? The day Jordan was adopted, he was 22 pounds. He had a full coat and he was smiling. Every day was a new challenge for Jordan and every day was an achievement. He was by far the hardest case I have had but he was also my favorite. Jordan was a very picky eater which feeds right into my Italian side, so I got to learn lots of dog food recipes….I am obsessive, so I didn’t stop until I found a recipe that Jordan could not possibly say no too. It was also a mistake because once I started cooking for them, Jordan didn’t turn back. He refused all food, unless it was cooked …. Here’s one of his favorites: Tuna Roll 1 can of Tuna in water (or prefererably fresh Tuna – 5 oz.) 1 tbsp. olive oil 1 celery stick 1 large carrot 1 tsp. lemon juice 4 tbsp. cottage cheese Blend all ingredients together in a food processor – add the lemon juice last. Mold and shape into a roll and cut into portions when chilled. Kip sends me regular updates on Jordan and he is still thriving on organic based foods. I cannot wait to see him at the reunion or for a play date…. that little Aussie Boy has a piece of my heart! His is still the only adoption that has made me cry and I think about him all the time. “What I can give you; no one can ever take away.” For all those who ask me how I do it….. Fostering dogs and then letting them go. I ask you, how do you read this story and NOT? http://thedogliberator.com/jordans-prize-panda/ [...]
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