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Denise Richards has expanded her family. “The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills” alum revealed that her daughter surprised her on Easter by gifting her a new dog.
Richards is a mom to three daughters, Sami, Lola, and Eloise, but the home she shares with her kids and husband Aaron Phypers also includes a menagerie of pets. And now, there’s one more.
Here’s what you need to know:
Denise Richards Shared Photos of Her New Addition, a French Bulldog Named Maverick
On April 9, 2023, Richards posted a photo to Instagram that showed her cuddling a small French bulldog. A second pic showed the pup sound asleep on a gray blanket.
“Happy Easter!!! 🐣” Richards captioned the pics. “My daughter brought a surprise & adopted this lil one for me. His name is Maverick after Tommy Cruise @romcruise in #topgun obviously. He’s a little buttercup we love him already. Have a wonderful Easter… 🐣.”
Fans and friends reacted to the news of Richards’ new addition.
“Stop it right now!!!!!!💗💗💗,” wrote RHOBH star Sutton Stracke.
“He’s adorable!! Happy Easter! 🌷🐣🐰,” added Camille Grammer.
But some commenters were skeptical about how Richards got the dog. “’Adopted’ the most sought after pure bred right now, sure,” one commenter wrote. “He looks bought not adopted,” another speculated.
Richards did get the seal of approval from the animal rights organization People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals.
“How sweet! 😍 Happy Easter to your family, and a warm welcome to Maverick 🐣🐶 #AdoptDontShop,” came a comment from the official PETA Instagram account.
Denise Richards is a Huge Animal Lover
Richards has always been an animal lover, and her soft spot is for dogs. “I’ve always been a huge dog lover,” she told The Guardian in 2022. “If there’s a lost dog in the neighborhood, they will always find me. Everyone says that I’m like Dr Dolittle and Evan Almighty, where the animals will flock to you.”
A look at her Instagram page over the years shows that Richards has been a doting mom to many pets.
According to BravoTV.com, Richards has owned dogs, cats, horses, and even a pig. She has even posted a photo of her potbellied pig, Rosie, lounging with her in her bed. Other pets have included a Golden retriever named Tucker, another dog named Lily, a French bulldog, Leo, a poodle mix, Luke, Henry, a beagle mix, Baby, a sweet pug, and a chihuahua mix named George. Richards has also fostered puppies in the past.
Richards previously told New You that she sometimes volunteers at animal rescue shelters. “There are rescue organizations and I also work with the Eastwood Ranch Foundation,” she said in an interview. “You can donate old blankets, towels and food – they need everything.”
Richards also talked about her own experience with fostering. “I have two litters ready to be fostered out,” she said at the time. “It is hard not to get attached. I love having a lot of life around so it is a very chaotic household.”