Details keep trickling out about the Vanderpump Rules Scandoval and its aftermath. Aside from milquetoast apologies and statements of thanks/acknowledgement, the main players aren’t saying much. We’ll have to wait for the full story as the rest of the season plays out, but for now we’ll have to tide ourselves over with third-party interviews and “sources.” The latest? Two sources have told People that Ariana Madix will be keeping Mya, the dog she and Tom Sandoval adopted in 2020. They got the dog together, but it’s Ariana’s dog and she plans to keep it.
Ariana Madix will likely get custody of her and Tom Sandoval’s dog after their split.
Madix, 37, and her fellow Vanderpump Rules star, 40, broke up after nine years when it was revealed he was having an affair with Raquel Leviss, 28, allegedly for six months.
Two sources tell PEOPLE that the dog the now-exes shared will likely stay with Madix.
One insider says that though Madix and Sandoval adopted the pup “together,” the pet really belongs to Madix.
“They got the dog together, but Ariana is more of a dog person,” says the first insider. “It’s more Ariana’s than Tom’s. I can’t see her letting Tom take the dog or giving it away.”
Another source close to Madix adds, “It’s her dog, and she plans on keeping it.”
Madix and Sandoval first adopted the pup, a gray and white pit mix, in April 2020, according to Bravo. The next month, Madix revealed the dog’s name.
Sharing a photo to her Instagram Story of the dog snuggling in a bed, she wrote, “Once upon a time, i had my own pillow @mya.moon.madix.”
Mya Moon also has her own Instagram profile, and her bio proudly notes that Madix is her mom.
Along with their pup, Madix and Sandoval are also figuring out what to do with their San Fernando Valley, California, home as they’re still living together, a rep for Sandoval told PEOPLE earlier this month.
“They own the house together, and what happens next with the property will take time to sort out,” said the rep. “This isn’t something that’s going to be decided in a weekend.”
The pair, who made their relationship public in 2014, dropped $2.075 million on a newly completed 4,334-square-foot home in the Valley Village neighborhood in 2019, according to property records obtained by PEOPLE.
It doesn’t say whose name is on the pup’s paperwork, which was the defining factor in my friend’s own dog custody case. But hopefully Tom Sandoval isn’t enough of a villain to fight Ariana over the dog (ahem, Matthew Lawrence) when he’s the one who cheated on their 10-year relationship with one of her friends. The source says Ariana is more of a dog person than Tom, which is true. She had her dog Charlotte for 18 years and in a recent ep, Tom gave her a hard time about picking up Charlotte’s medication, so he doesn’t seem like the most attentive to pets. Besides, I’m sure it will be easy enough for him to replace Mya with Raquel’s dog, Graham.
Also, on the topic of Tom and Ariana splitting things up, they haven’t decided what to do about their $2 million house yet and they’re still living together. But Raquel was spotted at Tom and Ariana’s house the other day while Ariana is out of town filming a movie. Her reps insist it wasn’t a sleepover, but she had an overnight bag with her. Yes, Ariana and Tom both own the house, but this just seems so flagrant and disrespectful and insensitive. Maybe Ariana doesn’t care anymore now that they’re actually broken up and the cheaters were probably doing the same thing before they got caught, but still.
Doggos gotta stay with the humans who love and genuinely care for them. Vs. Use them as some kind of prop for their persona.
Speaking of which I am slightly curious what new identity Sandoval will construct as part of his redemption arc. He seems so dumb and self absorbed it’s sure to be ham-fisted and messy. I don’t think he and Rachel have the smarts to attempt a speidi.
I think Tom is done on the show especially if they bring back the OGs like Kristen, Jax and Stassi…the cast will make his and Raquel’s life miserable to push them away or they will end up all having to shoot their scenes separately which isn’t good for the show.