Puppies Plus owners charged with illegally practicing veterinary medicine, animal abuse
RENO, Nev. (News 4 & Fox 11) — According to the Washoe County District Attorney on Wednesday, the owners of Puppies Plus and Puppy Love have been indicted on felony charges involving the illegal practice of veterinary medicine and animal abuse.
On August 28, the Washoe County Grand Jury handed down the six-count Indictment against Michael Schneider and Leilani Tau-Schneider, who own Puppies Plus in Reno, and Puppy Love in Sparks.
The Indictment charges the two owners with one felony count of Torturing and/or Killing an Animal and five felony counts of Practicing Veterinary Medicine Without a License.
The charges relate directly to the owners’ conduct from May 2017 through October 2017.
More specifically, the Indictment charges Michael Schneider and Leilani Tau-Schneider with "routinely performing or instructing their employees to perform various veterinary techniques on the dogs in their store without consultation from a licensed veterinarian and, in one instance, failing to provide appropriate veterinary care to a sick dog, which resulted in its death."
The charges indicate a pattern of mistreatment of dogs by the owners of Puppies Plus and Puppy Love.
This Indictment was the result of a two-year investigation by Washoe County Regional Animal Services.
This is an ongoing investigation. If anyone has any additional information about Puppies Plus or Puppy Love, please contact Washoe County Regional Animal Services at pets@washoecounty.us.
