Kristen Bell, who credits her love of dogs for the reason she has been a vegetarian since the age of 11, has launched a new project to benefit the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) and the organization’s efforts to take care of rescued animals with special needs.

Bell is dedicating the project to her Labrador named Sadie who was recovered from the destruction of Hurricane Katrina. The actress explains that when she first met Sadie, the 11-year-old pooch was in bad shape with missing teeth and in need of surgery. Bell writes, “What I loved so much about Sadie was that – through it all – the pain, the loss she’d just experienced, the uncertainty of what was next, she was just this total loveball. I saw that all this dog needed was a place to hang her hat. And I was going to give it to her.”

The 30-year-old is using actor Edward Norton’s Crowdrise—a social networking and crowdsourcing platform—to raise the funds for HSUS. The money raised will be earmarked for special needs pets at HSUS shelter partners.

Visit The “Special Needs” Pet Project to support Kristen’s fundraiser!