Ariana Madix Explains What Tom Sandoval Did to Her Dog

Ariana Madix

Heavy/NBCUniversal Ariana Madix.

Ariana Madix made a stunning claim about Tom Sandoval in the “Vanderpump Rules” season 11 trailer. In a sneak peek for the upcoming season of the Bravo reality show, set to debut on January 15, 2024, Madix alleged that her ex attempted to “kill” her dog.

Madix and Sandoval were together 10 years before he betrayed her in a shocking cheating scandal with former castmate Raquel Leviss in March 2023.

Here’s what you need to know:


Ariana Madix Explained Her Comment About Tom Sandoval

In May 2023, Madix told the “Call Her Daddy” podcast that one of the only things that would have prevented her from returning to “Vanderpump Rules” would be if she felt “unsafe or if her dog was unsafe.”

She ultimately felt safe enough to return to the Bravo reality show. But in the “Vanderpump Rules” season 11 trailer, Madix is seen screaming at Sandoval in an emotional scene shot a few months after their split. “Ruin my life, my home, and then attempt to kill my f******g dog!” she shouts at her ex. ”My lawyer will be dealing with you.”

In November 2023, Madix was asked about the dog allegations during an interview with Us Weekly at BravoCon in Las Vegas. When asked about the context of “what was going on” when she made the claims about Sandoval, Madix hesitated to answer at first. “Just reckless, careless behavior,” she said, before clarifying that the dog she referred to was not her late dog, Charlotte York, who died in August 2022 at age 18.

“Not Charlotte, Mya,” Madix said of the pit bull she adopted with Sandoval in 2020. “Yes, just reckless, careless stuff. Nothing new that’s like out of the ordinary,” she added of her ex’s alleged behavior.

“I mean obviously emotions are heightened,” Madix explained of the “Vanderpump Rules” scene. “And yeah that’s all.”

While some fans speculated that Sandoval may have neglected the dog when Madix was out of town, others reacted with surprise in comments to a YouTube video of the interview.

“She made it seem like he tried to kill the dog and now it’s nothing, that is weird. Wonder what happened?” one fan asked.

“I do NOT like Ariana,” another wrote. ”She made a big deal about the dog, yet here, she said it was no big deal, nothing out of the ordinary. “

Heavy has reached out to a rep for Sandoval for comment.


Ariana Madix Said Mya Was ‘Terrified of Tom’ When They First Adopted Her

In April 2020, Madix and Sandoval adopted Mya Moon, a gray and white pit bull mix, from a rescue facility, according to BravoTV.com.

Madix later documented Mya’s progress in an Instagram post as she noted the dog didn’t like Sandoval at first. “A short time ago, she was terrified of Tom because of her past,” Madix captioned a photo of the dog. “She wouldn’t come near him and if he had anything in his hands. She would leap onto me like a scared little baby. In a couple of short weeks, she’s gotten to where she will now sleep on top of his head. I’m so proud of my little fam.”

After her split from Sandoval, Madix made it clear that Mya was her dog. She told “Call Her Daddy” host Alex Cooper that she had no intention of sharing custody of the dog like exes Tom Schwartz and Katie Maloney do with their two pups, Butter and Gordo VonFriendenheimer.

“I paid for the adoption,” Madix said of Mya. “My name is on her adoption papers. I paid her vet bills. I took her for walks, I gave her baths. These are all things that I would do that he wasn’t doing.”

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