Denise Richards' dog Hank dies at 13

Denise Richards and her daughters are mourning the loss of a beloved pet this week. Richards tweeted on Monday (Jan. 21), along with the above picture (right):

"last night we lost our beloved Hank..I will miss him dearly,13 yrs old ..been there for me thru it all Best dog ever & part of our family."

She adds later, "Thank you so much for your kind messages about Hank...it means alot to me. You guys are the best..so thoughtful & kind...xo."

Richards is a known animal lover. She and her daughters recently adopted a lab puppy from the North Shore Animal Shelter in the wake of Hurricane Sandy, which brings her total number of dogs and cats up to, well, a lot.

"I always say too many to count. I have a lot. I converted my garage into a dog bedroom," Richards tells US Weekly. "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."