Ariana Madix reveals she ‘plans to keep’ the dog she shared with ex Tom Sandoval after his affair

Ariana Madix intends to retain custody of the dog she previously shared with ex-boyfriend Tom Sandoval during their relationship of more than nine years.

The Vanderpump Rules star, 37, plans to keep the dog after her split from Tom, 39, due to the recent scandal that he was having a six-month affair with co-star Raquel Leviss, from 28.

Two sources close to Madix said People that the dog they shared will probably end up living with her.

This comes several days after Sandoval opened up about how he regrets cheating on Madix and wishes he had handled things differently.

When it came to the pup, a source said that although the former couple adopted the pup ‘together’, the pet really does belong to Madix.

“They got the dog together, but Ariana is more of a dog person,” the first source said. She’s more into Ariana than Tom. I can’t imagine her letting Tom take the dog or giving him away.

Another source close to the model shared: “It’s her dog and she plans to keep it.”

Madix and Sandoval first adopted the pup, a gray and white pit mix, in April 2020, according to Bravo.

The following month, Madix revealed the dog’s name by sharing a photo to her Instagram stories of the dog curled up on a bed.

She wrote: “Once upon a time, I had my own pillow @mya.moon.madix.”

Earlier in the week, Tom was asked by a TMZ cameraman about the scandal while going to a band practice at Pop Music Studios in Los Angeles’ San Fernando Valley.

The cameraman asked if he could go back and change how it all happened, Tom said ‘hindsight is always 20/20 man’.

The cameraman pointed out that many of the Vanderpump Rules cast members cheated on the show and asked him why he thinks he’s getting so much attention for his scandal.

“I think it was really unexpected,” Tom said.

Tom then clarified what hindsight means to the camera: “You think about all the things you should have done, could have done better… in hindsight… looking back on how you handled it.”

“And yes, I could have handled things a lot better,” Tom said.

The cameraman said, ‘Okay, so you regret cheating on Ariana… like maybe you could have done a lot better…’

‘Of course. Of course…’ Tom said as he walked away.

Hours earlier, Jax Taylor revealed that there were “almost fights” during the taping of Vanderpump’s Rules meeting last week.

The 43-year-old reality star confirmed that a fight almost broke out between two male cast members during an interview with Extra on the red carpet at the iHeartRadio Awards, implying that it was Tom Sandoval and Tom Schwartz.

“I heard it was crazy, I heard it was everything everyone was going to be,” he said.

Jax said the meeting was “awkward,” noting that “there was security there” and “almost fighting.”

When asked about the rumor that two cast members had to part ways and that Tom Sandoval and Raquel Leviss, 28, had no one on their side, Jax said: “Yeah, I don’t know what I’m allowed to say. … I have a feeling it’s the two guys… In fact, I know because I talked to him. [Tom Schwartz].’

“I spoke to him right after it happened because I communicated with everyone,” he added.

Jax, who was with his wife Brittany Cartwright, weighed in on photos of Tom and Raquel sitting together and chatting outside the gathering.

“Well, you know, they put themselves in the situation… I don’t really feel bad for them,” Jax said.

‘They knew exactly what they were doing. This was not a mistake. This wasn’t like, “Oh, a connection,” Jax said.

‘This has been going on for a long time, with premeditation. The lack of empathy… I’m sorry, you deserve everything that’s happening to you, you know it.’

‘It’s an incredible situation to be in… You have to own it, you have to be a man. This is the moment that Tom Sandoval needs to learn how to be a man… because he’s never been one before, so this is the moment.

Brittany added that she was excited to see the show because of Lala Kent’s “comebacks and quick wit”. She walks in and makes me laugh out loud. I can not wait to see it.

The couple said there was no way Ariana, 37, would accept Tom Sandoval back, with Brittany noting that Ariana “will shine and be amazing after all this drama is over.”

‘I have to be honest… I saw her about two hours after the meeting. They all came to the bar we were all at and I held her for about 30 seconds. She walked into the bar, she pointed right at me and I hadn’t seen her in a long time. I just hugged her and said, “You know what? You’re going to thrive. You look better already.” She’s already shining,’ Jax said.

After Sandoval and Raquel were verbally ‘killed’ by their co-stars for betraying Ariana for starting their affair in the midst of Sandoval’s nine-year relationship with Ariana, they dined alone, according to TMZ.

On Friday, a source close to the production teased part of the drama for TMZ.

“It was like a nuclear bomb went off in the studio,” the source said, before noting that no one person “sided with Tom and Raquel.”

According to a seating plan, released by Bravo prior to the meeting, Sandoval was seated next to Leviss.

Ariana placed herself just two seats away from her cheating ex and next to Cohen.

However, a restraining order, which was dropped on Friday, between Scheana Shay, 37, and Raquel created some logistical complications.

To comply with the order and keep the women 100 feet away, Bravo switched Raquel to Scheana.

After the meeting, Leviss revealed that he had his lawyer take his case with Shay after the “court calendar” and that he had already filed “the appropriate court-requested paperwork” to dismiss his Temporary Restraining Order (TRO).

She continued: “We have informed the court that I will not be moving forward with a permanent restraining order.”

The announcement came hours after Shay’s lawyer, Neama Rahmani, told DailyMail.com in a statement that the documents the 54-year-old Bravo host handed over to her client “have no legal significance”.