When Pictures Speak a Thousand Words – Harvey, Dexter and Bella Need Help

Photo Credit: Paws R Us SA

Three Jack Russells are hopeful for a happy ending, but need help to find one.

Johannesburg, South Africa (13 March 2026) – The team at Paws R Us need help to give a trio of Jack Russells a chance at happiness again. They joined the shelter on the 24th of February. Their story had us in tears.

As they spent their last night in the comfort of their home, the organisation shared this:

“Tonight will be the last night in their beautiful home. Tomorrow…they will come to our shelter site. We will give them a safe haven, and we will push hard to find them good homes. But that does not stop the heartbreak and the pain, and the fact that in a few hours time, everything they have ever known will be turned upside down.”

The three were surrendered to Paws R Us in heartbreak.

“Their human Dad must downscale and move into a retirement space – his health has been declining, and he cannot hang onto the big house with the big gardens and the magical pool anymore.”

The pool was their favourite thing, and their home, a safe and loving space.

“When you walk into their yard, and see them running around as a trio, their favorite ball toys in their mouth, splashing in the pool and smiling wide, its surreal to know that this will all end.” Paws R Us shared, days before the trio joined them.

Harvey, Dexter and Bella have been in the kennels for almost three weeks now. They are cared for, fed, walked, and receive as much love as their carers can give. Still, their systems are in shock and longing for the feeling they once knew so well as ‘home.’

The pictures speak a thousand words.

“The photo on the left was taken on Sunday 01 March at their home. The photo on the right was taken on Wednesday 04 March at the shelter.”

Seeing them in such low spirits has shattered the team at Paws.

“Sometimes, we fall so deeply in love with a particular dog, or a family-unit of dogs. Some just travel deeper into our hearts – so much so, that as we get into bed at night, these 3 faces are ever-near. It has created a restlessness in our spirits that is hard to carry,” the team shares. “The heavy sense of responsibility for finding them something that will make them just as happy as they were. Our minds tell us that it is not our burden to carry, that we are simply ‘agents’ working with the decisions of others… but our hearts tell a different story. We feel every ounce of their pain and confusion, and it wears you down to the bone.”

The organisation has put the call out on social media to find them a family and a home with a pool, where they can splash and play, and feel as loved as they always have been.