...THE PAIN WAS TOO DEEP!
Written by Chloe Heydenrych
Professional photography by Roxanne Wilkins Photography
Cancer unexpectedly took our beautiful boys’ lives – Duke on the 3rd of October and Storm on the 14th of October 2025.
Life has a way of quietly reshaping itself after loss, especially when love once filled every corner of your home. After losing Duke and Storm, we truly believed our hearts might never be ready for another dog. The grief felt too fresh, too heavy, and the silence they left behind was overwhelming.
After losing Storm, I struggled to sleep at night. I struggled to carry on with daily life without a shadow at my feet, without my best friend beside me, without anyone I could simply talk to – someone who understood me without ever needing to speak. In that quiet space he left behind, we came to understand something important: there’d never be a right time to welcome another dog into our lives.
Then one day, my mom sent me a screenshot of a Facebook post on Hartbeespoort Animal Welfare Society (HAWS). It was a puppy named Bruno. The moment I saw him, I began crying – the same deep, unmistakable tears I cried all those years ago when I first knew Storm was meant to be ours. It felt too familiar, too emotional to ignore, and we took it as a quiet sign to open our hearts again.
Still, the guilt lingered. I worried that I hadn’t grieved long enough, that I might unconsciously look for Storm in him, or expect him to fill a space that wasn’t his to carry. It didn’t feel fair. But as my mom gently reminded me, every dog arrives with their own story, their own spirit, and their own way of loving. And River (as we renamed him) certainly does!
While he’s entirely himself, he carries just enough of Storm’s spark to make us smile. His energy, his charm, his presence – he’s earned the title of “Mr Personality, Version Two” all on his own. In his own quiet, joyful way, River is filling a broken heart and making a family feel whole again. As for Gizmo (also a foster failure whom we adopted from Animal Anti-Cruelty Bellville eight years ago), he’s beginning to greet him with curiosity and quiet confidence. There’s a gentle adjustment happening – a few reminders here and there about who the new boss of the house is, but it’s clear that best friends are growing, one tail wag at a time.
River is learning fast, picking up all his tricks to show off at puppy classes in February. He’s busy showing off his big personality while still figuring out how his legs work. He can’t wait for beach trips and dog park runs, McDonald’s drives, getting all the yummy treats, and being called “pretty” every single day.
The Heydenrych Home is busy, happy, and full of tail wags again.
Thank you, HAWS, for allowing him to be a part of the Heydenrych Family. And thank you, Stephne Jackson from Watershed Animal Rescue and Rehabilitation Fund, who was immediately on board in helping to get River home from Hartbeespoort to Cape Town.
