diff --git a/rethinkstuff/__init__.py b/rethinkstuff/__init__.py
index 8be31a7..a4d5488 100644
--- a/rethinkstuff/__init__.py
+++ b/rethinkstuff/__init__.py
@@ -94,7 +94,9 @@ class Rethinker(object):
                 except ValueError:
                     return r.connect(host=server)
             except Exception as e:
-                self.logger.error('will keep trying to get a connection after failure connecting to %s: %s', server, e)
+                self.logger.error(
+                        'will keep trying after failure connecting to '
+                        'rethinkdb server at %s: %s', server, e)
                 time.sleep(0.5)
 
     def wrap(self, delegate):
@@ -147,18 +149,26 @@ class ServiceRegistry(object):
             # self.r.table('sites').index_create...?
 
     def heartbeat(self, status_info):
-        '''Returns id of rethinkdb document (generated by rethinkdb on first insert)'''
-        status_info['last_heartbeat'] = r.now()
-        if not 'first_heartbeat' in status_info:
-            status_info['first_heartbeat'] = status_info['last_heartbeat']
-        status_info['last_heartbeat'] = r.now()
-        if not 'host' in status_info:
-            status_info['host'] = socket.gethostname()
-        if not 'pid' in status_info:
-            status_info['pid'] = os.getpid()
-        result = self.r.table('services').insert(status_info, conflict='replace', return_changes=True).run()
-        # XXX check
-        return result['changes'][0]['new_val']
+        '''
+        Returns updated status info on success, un-updated status info on
+        failure.
+        '''
+        updated_status_info = dict(status_info)
+        updated_status_info['last_heartbeat'] = r.now()
+        if not 'first_heartbeat' in updated_status_info:
+            updated_status_info['first_heartbeat'] = updated_status_info['last_heartbeat']
+        if not 'host' in updated_status_info:
+            updated_status_info['host'] = socket.gethostname()
+        if not 'pid' in updated_status_info:
+            updated_status_info['pid'] = os.getpid()
+        try:
+            result = self.r.table('services').insert(
+                    updated_status_info, conflict='replace',
+                    return_changes=True).run()
+            return result['changes'][0]['new_val'] # XXX check
+        except:
+            self.logger.error('error updating service registry', exc_info=True)
+            return status_info
 
     def unregister(self, id):
         result = self.r.table('services').get(id).delete().run()
diff --git a/tests/test_rethinker.py b/tests/test_rethinker.py
index 4ca224b..be5b15d 100644
--- a/tests/test_rethinker.py
+++ b/tests/test_rethinker.py
@@ -213,6 +213,34 @@ def test_service_registry(r):
     assert len(svcreg.available_services("yes-such-role")) == 2
     assert len(svcreg.available_services()) == 4
 
+def test_svcreg_heartbeat_server_down(r):
+    class MockRethinker:
+        def table(self, *args, **kwargs):
+            raise Exception('catch me if you can')
+
+    class SortOfFakeServiceRegistry(rethinkstuff.ServiceRegistry):
+        def __init__(self, rethinker):
+            self.r = rethinker
+            # self._ensure_table() # not doing this here
+
+    # no such rethinkdb server
+    r = MockRethinker()
+    svcreg = SortOfFakeServiceRegistry(r)
+    svc0 = {
+        "role": "role-foo",
+        "load": 100.0,
+        "heartbeat_interval": 0.4,
+    }
+    # no exception thrown
+    svc0 = svcreg.heartbeat(svc0)
+
+    # check that status_info was *not* updated
+    assert not 'id' in svc0
+    assert not 'last_heartbeat' in svc0
+    assert not 'first_heartbeat' in svc0
+    assert not 'host' in svc0
+    assert not 'pid' in svc0
+
 def test_utcnow():
     now_notz = datetime.datetime.utcnow()  # has no timezone :(
     assert not now_notz.tzinfo