Miss USA Tara Connor is fresh off a stint at rehab and gracing the latest cover of New York Dog Magazine slated to hit stands on February 12th.

Cuddling a five month old pooch named Pudding, Tara chats with Entertainment Tonight about adventures in dog raising. Tara grew up with dogs on her family’s farm in Russell Springs, KY, so got along great with Pudding, who was found abandoned in Downtown Manhattan.

Tara rose to fame in a firestorm of controversy last month when the now twenty-one year old was allowed to keep her crown after admitting to underage drinking in NYC nightclubs-there were also reports that the beauty queen was witnessed sniffing cocaine.

Tara will hit the interview scene with an appearance on “The Tonight Show with Jay Leno” on Friday February 2.