A requiem for Uncle Louie, the Holstein Fresian bull
He was only a couple of days old when we brought him home. We named him after Danny DeVito's character in Taxi.L

ouie grew into a beautiful, handsome Holstein Fresian bull. He and Penelope were inseparable companions and we looked forward to the day they would welcome a new calf of their own to the farm.

Louie was a gentle bull. He loved scratching on his bristle post, would moo back and forth to us and would help push his feed trays over to us when they were out of reach. The only mistake he ever made in his short two years of life was to wander off the property for only a few minutes. This only happened once, as a new fence went up immediately to assure he would never go visiting again. Louie had caused no harm to anyone or anything. He was a sweet bull, who had grown up with horses and sheep.

Shortly after this walk at the end of August, Louie's demeanor changed overnight. The night before he was enjoying his food and making all the funny little noises he made when he was eating. By the next morning, he was like a zombie and would not eat. He moved in slow motion and he had welts with little bleeding holes. At the time, we assumed they were green fly bites, but we knew something was not right so we began looking for a vet to take care of him.

We quickly found that finding a vet for a cow, much less a bull, was next to impossible. Louie never got back to who he had been. Gone was the joyful creature we knew.

After several more bouts of these mysterious welts, the discovery of empty rat poison boxes outside the field and the added discovery of a shot-out waterline, we made the horrifying realization that Louie had been shot so many times he had no chance for survival and that he very well may have been poisoned to boot.

For three months we tried to get Louie help — from early September until his horrific death. The Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals was called to help us and The New Jersey Department of Agriculture (NJDOA) was called and came out to us and tried diligently to find us a vet for Louie. The state police were called and reports were filed.

One morning at the end of November, poor Louie could no longer stand up. He would try to move his head to look at us when we spoke to him, but it took all his energy to make eye contact with us. That night Dr. Ron McAlister came to his aid and mercifully put Louie to sleep as he lay there moaning. His blood pressure was so low that the procedure was difficult, but Dr. McAlister braved the cold and worked with Louie until it was done. It was heart wrenching.

Thank God for Dr. Ron McAlister, of Kennan McAlister Equine. For three long months we were unable to find a bovine veterinarian who would come out, then Dr. McAlister came.

The NJDOA came back out and performed an autopsy on Louie. This was so not the outcome we wanted, but it confirmed that Louie had been shot and showed damage to multiple organs. Samples were taken and we are awaiting the results of testing.

The NJDOA is working with the New Jersey State Police to investigate and we wait.

Who would think in Upper Freehold that such a depraved person exists? Who would think a friendly bull would draw such hatred to be treated in this way?

Poor Penelope has not stopped mooing for her mate since he passed. If you are out by the Assunpink Wildlife Management Area and you listen on the wind, you will hear her sorrowful wails.

So, we wait.

Joan Jones and the DeSoucey family

Upper Freehold