“Been a big empty space in my life since.”

Virgin River star Martin Henderson has opened up about dealing with the loss of his beloved dog Sammy.

The actor, also known for his roles on Grey’s Anatomy and slasher movie X, took to Instagram to reflect on Sammy’s passing. Henderson posted a picture of himself cuddling a pup, explaining how he hadn’t been able to spend much time with dogs since losing Sammy.

“Many people ask me where Sammy is. I’ve mentioned before that he sadly passed away two summers ago,” the star wrote.

“Been a big empty space in my life since which I’ve managed to fill with a huge amount of gratitude for the blessing he was in my life and all the love we shared,” he continued.

“I haven’t felt much like interacting with dogs since case it still hurts me a lot to come close to what I’ve lost since his passing but I must be healing because this little bundle of fur and sweetness was a joy to snuggle.”

Sammy was a fix presence on Henderson’s social media, with his latest appearance dating back to April 2022. At the time, the New Zealand actor posted a cute snap of Sammy licking his face, writing: “Lots of you have been asking about Sammy. So here he is! Like all of us he is getting on in age, but still full of LOVE !”

Henderson is next to appear on the two-part Virgin River Christmas special, which he teased in a further post on Instagram.

“Get your hot coco or eggnog ready folks!! Or your sunscreen if you’re down under! The Virgin River 2 episode Christmas special extravaganza is dropping November 30th on @netflix,” Henderson captioned a still of him in character as Jack Sheridan and co-star