Denise Richards adopts dog rescued in Hurricane Sandy

Denise Richards and her new addition, Tara. (North Shore Animal League)

Denise Richards' crowded house is about to get even more crowded. The 41-year-old, who lives with her three daughters, her father, and a house full of dogs in Los Angeles, just added another four-legged friend to the family.

Over the weekend, Richards flew to the East Coast and visited Long Island's North Shore Animal League America to help promote the non-profit's animal rescue efforts in the wake of devastating Hurricane Sandy and encourage the public to adopt a pet.

The actress did such a good job, she even convinced herself, and ended up adopting an adorable little dog named Tara.

"During their visit Denise and her family fell in love with Tara the Labrador Mutt-i-gree puppy and welcomed her into their home!" The North Shore Animal League posted to its Facebook page on Saturday along with a pic of Richards and her new canine companion.

Denise Richards and a dog she adopted in 2011, Chocolate Chip. (INFDaily.com)

Though this particular dog is a puppy, the animal lover also has a penchant for older dogs, and has adopted several over the years that she's found through another animal charity, Best Friends Animal Society. Richards works with the organization's Pup My Ride program in Los Angeles to help transport dogs from kill shelters to various humane societies and foster homes. "I usually end up with many that can't make the transport, dogs that are too old or sick or injured," she told omg! earlier this year. "My heart always goes out to the ones that are older. We adopted a 16‑year‑old dog because I just could not see her ending her days after 16 years at a shelter."

As for how many dogs she has now, well ... "I always say too many to count. I have a lot.  I converted my garage into a dog bedroom," Richards said in the interview. "And it's good for my girls. For my daughter's birthday party, in lieu of gifts, we asked if anyone was interested in donating blankets and dog food and cat litter and my daughter dropped it off at the shelter.  So, it's nice for them to know and to learn to give back. And they're very nurturing, which is great for the animals, too."

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