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Raquel Leviss opened up concerning the drama surrounding her canine Graham, who she beforehand shared with ex-fiance James Kennedy, on the debut episode of her new podcast.
In addition to sharing behind-the-scenes particulars concerning the pup, and why she couldn’t maintain the animal amid her months-long keep at a psychological well being remedy facility final yr, the Vanderpump Rules alum, 29, known as out Lisa Vanderpump, 63, for attempting to make use of the animal for a “storyline” whereas additionally making an attempt to bait her into returning for season 11.
“Graham, my mini goldendoodle was gifted to me by my parents for a graduation gift. The same day I got him was the day James and I got our own apartment in LA so we raised him together,” Raquel revealed on the January 8 episode of Rachel Goes Rogue.
According to Raquel, she believes it’s “important” for folks to know that James might not be a match canine dad or mum.
“My intentions aren’t to bring someone down but I feel like it’s an important piece in this puzzle. The truth of the matter is James was not a good dog owner in the way that James would taunt Graham, and he would just antagonize him,” she alleged. “He would pick Graham up off the couch when he was sleeping and not expecting it so that would shock him. He would encourage Graham to bite his hands and it really reinforced that biting behavior with Graham. And the moments when he did drink too much and he was unhinged and yelling, Graham would hide under the couch. And dogs pick up on that kind of energy. So I’m sure that played a part in his behavior.”
“I would do my best to stop James from tormenting Graham but I felt myself nagging him… So I would like nag and nag and I would stop but I would express that this was really bothering me,” she continued.
Because Graham wasn’t well-behaved in the course of the time he was dwelling together with her and James, Raquel put him in particular socialization coaching after their breakup. Unfortunately, the canine nonetheless bit folks — together with her mother.
“My parents were taking care of Graham for me while I was at The Meadows. One day I got a phone call from my mom and she was in a panic on the phone. She said that she’s on her way to the emergency room because Graham bit her, and she has a gash on her finger where the doctor said he couldn’t even stitch it up. It was just like a chunk of flesh missing, and he recommended that we put the dog down and I didn’t want that… [And] the [foster families] that did take him in said it wasn’t a good fit,” she continued.
Although Raquel may have left The Meadows to maintain Graham, she knew that there was extra work to be achieved and opted to remain on the facility. In flip, her household discovered a breed-specific goldendoodle rescue, which promised to maintain the rescue adoption below wraps.
“They had Graham adopted out to a new owner. [But] the owner returned Graham in three days because it bit him,” she defined. “So they scanned his microchip and saw that it was me registered with the dog so they decided to contact Vanderpump Dogs. So [Lisa Vanderpump] adopts him, doesn’t tell me or anybody. Keeps it a secret because we all know her first priority is a storyline.”
At the time this was all taking place, producers had been attempting to get Raquel to movie forward of the solid’s journey to Lake Tahoe however she declined. And one week after doing so, Raquel noticed Graham’s photograph on social media.
“I surrendered all rights to Graham when I gave him to the rescue to be rehomed with a good family who’s experienced with dogs who have aggressive behavior. And Lisa goes and adopts him, takes him to Lake Tahoe, and surprises James with Graham… Basically, the story that they put out there is that Lisa told everyone that I surrendered my dog at a kill shelter and he was hours away from being euthanized,” Raquel acknowledged.
Prior to confirming her exit from Pump Rules, Raquel felt that Lisa’s aim wasn’t to make sure the protection of Graham, who has since been renamed “Hippie,” however to lure her into an on-camera confrontation.
“I was only a week out of my treatment and their whole plan was to get me to Tahoe so that they could drop this bomb on me… I texted [Lisa] saying I don’t support Graham with James. He needs to be with an owner that knows how to work with troubled dogs… I would not live with myself if I didn’t express these concerns and something were to happen,” Raquel revealed. “So she called me. I expressed my thoughts but her concerns more aligned with me coming back to do the show, and she said (mocking Lisa’s voice), ‘Oh darling, why don’t you just come to Villa Rosa and bring me some flowers and explain why you left SUR so abruptly without notice, and apologize. And then you can explain your side of the story.’”
“I feel like they were almost using him as bait… trying to get me to come back and explain myself. But I realize that if I were to explain the real story, they wouldn’t air it,” she added.
Vanderpump Rules season 11 premieres on Tuesday, January 30, at 8/7c on Bravo.
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