Actress Denise Richards used her Hollywood profile to promote shelter animal adoption through a monthly television segment launched in partnership with Best Friends Animal Society and Access Hollywood Live in February 2011. The initiative introduced viewers to rescued animals looking for permanent homes, beginning with Rascal, a tan Chihuahua rescued in the Los Angeles area. Richards, a longtime supporter and ambassador for Best Friends, helped bring attention to animals that needed adopters. Her involvement extended beyond television appearances: she also adopted a blind dog named Preston through the organisation. The effort combined celebrity visibility with a practical goal, encouraging viewers to consider adopting pets from shelters and rescue groups.
Best Friends Animal Society announced the television segment on February 24, 2011. In May 2011, Fox News reported that she had adopted a blind dog named Preston through Best Friends Animal Society.
Richards said she contacted the organisation after her mother’s dog, Sheena, died. The monthly feature on Access Hollywood Live was designed to introduce an adoptable animal to viewers and provide information for people interested in offering a pet a permanent home. The initiative gave shelter animals exposure beyond the people who visited adoption centres. By presenting individual pets on a television programme, the segment allowed viewers to learn about animals that might otherwise have received less public attention. The television segment formed part of those broader efforts. Best Friends partnered with Access Hollywood Live to introduce adoptable animals to a wider audience and encourage people to consider bringing a shelter pet into their homes. Richards’ involvement with animal welfare was not limited to promoting adoption on television. She wanted to adopt an animal that might be harder to place, and eventually brought Preston home.
In a follow-up article published on February 15, 2012, Best Friends reported that dogs and cats from its Los Angeles programmes were regularly appearing on television, including on Access Hollywood and FOX’s Good Day LA.
The organisation’s mobile adoption coordinator, Jf Pryor, said many animals found homes after appearing on television, with some adoption enquiries arriving as soon as the following day. Preston’s adoption was separate from the television segment featuring Rascal. The two stories nevertheless show different aspects of Richards’ work with Best Friends, from encouraging viewers to adopt shelter animals to adopting a dog herself.