diff --git a/CHANGELOG.md b/CHANGELOG.md
index ce887df..43a8e4e 100644
--- a/CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -1,5 +1,14 @@
 # Changelog for DS API rubygem
 
+## 1.5.3 - 2025-04
+
+- (Jon) Improved API request logging with query string information, which can
+   assist in debugging and monitoring.
+- (Jon) Reordered rescue statements to ensure error handling priority;
+   connection failures are now handled after service exceptions.
+- (Jon) Resolved a bug that caused an error when the API returns a nil item list
+   by providing a default value of 0.
+
 ## 1.5.2 - 2025-03
 
 - (Jon) Updated API logging and response handling
diff --git a/lib/data_services_api/service.rb b/lib/data_services_api/service.rb
index b5cef91..bde2d24 100644
--- a/lib/data_services_api/service.rb
+++ b/lib/data_services_api/service.rb
@@ -38,11 +38,11 @@ def api_post_json(api, json)
 
     # Get parsed JSON from the given URL
     def get_json(http_url, params, options) # rubocop:disable Metrics/MethodLength, Metrics/AbcSize
+      # create a well formatted query string from the params hash to be used in the logging
       query_string = params.map { |k, v| "#{k}=#{v}" }.join('&')
-
       # parse out the origin from the URL, this is the host but including protocol and port
       origin = http_url.split(URI.parse(http_url).path).first
-
+      # initiate the message to be logged
       logged_fields = {
         message: generate_service_message({
                                             msg: "Calling API: #{origin}",
@@ -67,7 +67,7 @@ def get_json(http_url, params, options) # rubocop:disable Metrics/MethodLength,
       # now parse the response
       response_body = parse_json(response.body)
       # log the number of rows returned
-      returned_rows = response_body['items'].length
+      returned_rows = response_body['items'] ? response_body['items'].size : 0
       # log the response and status code
       logged_fields[:message] = generate_service_message(
         {
@@ -101,12 +101,12 @@ def get_from_api(http_url, accept_headers, params, options) # rubocop:disable Me
       instrument_response(response, start_time, 'received')
 
       ok?(response, http_url) && response
-    rescue Faraday::ConnectionFailed => e
-      instrument_connection_failure(http_url, e, start_time)
-      raise e
     rescue ServiceException => e
       instrument_service_exception(http_url, e, start_time)
       raise e
+    rescue Faraday::ConnectionFailed => e
+      instrument_connection_failure(http_url, e, start_time)
+      raise e
     end
 
     # Parse the given JSON string into a data structure. Throws an exception if
diff --git a/lib/data_services_api/version.rb b/lib/data_services_api/version.rb
index 2731821..9c4d4eb 100644
--- a/lib/data_services_api/version.rb
+++ b/lib/data_services_api/version.rb
@@ -4,7 +4,7 @@
 module DataServicesApi
   MAJOR = 1
   MINOR = 5
-  PATCH = 2
+  PATCH = 3
   SUFFIX = nil
   VERSION = "#{MAJOR}.#{MINOR}.#{PATCH}#{SUFFIX && ".#{SUFFIX}"}"
 end