Movie hunk Matthew Mcconaughey has a new canine companion to replace the faithful pet he toured America with for 12 years.

The actor and his labrador/chow mix, Ms Hud, were inseparable until she her battle with cancer last year (05).

McConaughey is now the proud owner of a red healer called FOXY, who he introduced to the world on Oprah Winfrey's chat show on Wednesday (08FEB06). But he admits his new dog has a lot to live up to.

He says, "Ms Hud, that's a good woman there... I got her in a pound in Tucson, Arizona, 12 years ago and cancer got her.

"We went on a road trip from California to Florida and back. She got diagnosed with cancer in Louisiana on the way east. We got her leg amputated on the way back.

"We went for swims in the river... in Texas, and then we made it back, and the night she got me back home she fell off the bed and looked up and was like, 'Hey man... I need a little help.'

"I took her to the hospital that morning and her hind legs were paralysed... The doctor said, 'We've amputated hind legs before but that's with dogs who have two front legs.'

"He and I looked at each other and I said, 'Ms Hud, do you wanna be a one-legged dog?' and she looks up and she says, 'Let me move on, Pop,' so we let her move on."