Tom Schwartz Says He Has Found a ‘Great Balance’ Co-Parenting Dogs with Ex Katie Maloney (Exclusive)

Tom Schwartz and Katie Maloney are doing well so far with shared custody of the puppy.

The Vanderpump Rules stars are “in a really good place,” Schwartz told PEOPLE at the series’ 11th season premiere in Los Angeles on Wednesday, and that includes how they’re taking care of their shared dogs, Butter and Gordo.

“We have a great balance,” he says of their “joint custody” arrangement, but admits that “it can get ugly.”

“I feel like we went through some tough times in our relationship after the divorce. I feel like we always handle it decently — for the most part.” He teases that fans will get to see some of their newfound dynamic “play out this season.”

Schwartz, 41, and Maloney, who filed for divorce in 2022, “have a good flow right now,” he adds. “And I’m so happy.”

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Katie Maloney and Tom Schwartz. Todd Williamson/Bravo via Getty (2)

When it comes to the possibility of either of them moving out with other people — or moving away in general — and ending their joint custody agreement, bar owner Tom Tom says, “I hope not.”

However, Schwartz wants to leave Los Angeles soon.

“I think I got maybe five — I think I have 10 years left, tops,” he tells PEOPLE. “I’m thinking I want to live with some goats up in the mountains. Colorado, maybe Wyoming.”

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He described the dogs as “my two favorite creatures on planet Earth,” and in 2021 shared an adorable snap of each of them in the bathtub, saying they “bring us great joy every day.”

Butter and Gordo were also a key part of the couple’s lives during the 2020 quarantine.

Schwartz even admitted that they “have a little bit of attachment issues” after the foursome’s time together.

“They were our companions though, you know, when it was the worst,” he told Bravo’s The Daily Dish. “They were always there for us. They brought us a lot of joy this year. But he definitely has attachment issues.”

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Since their split, Maloney, 37, and Schwartz have worked to find a new normal in their relationship.

In February 2023, she told PEOPLE that they had created some “distance” to help them stop being a couple after Schwartz described them as “still close.”

“I think that a little bit of distance from each other is probably the healthiest thing. So I think we’re discovering that right now.”

They are “not best friends,” but “trying to find that kind of sweet spot,” she added.

“Because we have dogs and a lot of love for each other and I just feel like he’s still such a big part of my life and not having him in my life just feels so weird.”

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Source: HIS Education