UPDATE, February 15, 2023: 

The Washoe County District Attorney's office has filed a motion to dismiss charges against the two owners of Puppies Plus, a Reno business that has been shut down. 

Michael Durand Schneider and Leilani Tai-Schneider were facing felony charges of practicing veterinary medicine without a license and torturing and/or killing an animal. 

The Washoe DA's office says as they gathered additional evidence, the State  'determined that the charged offenses cannot be proven at trial'.

The office said as the case progressed, they gathered facts and circumstances on the case that now justify dismissal. 

You can find the full motion below. 

Download PDF Motion to Dismiss Charges against Puppies Plus owner

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UPDATE: A judge has set an April 2021 trial date for the owners of Puppies Plus who are both accused of animal abuse. 

The original trial date was set for May of 2020 but got continued. 

On Friday, December 20th, a judge denied a motion to dismiss charges against Michael Schneider and Leilani Tau-Schneider.

Both face charges of practicing veterinary medicine without a license and Leilani faces a felony charge for the death of a puppy.

Original Story, November 2019: Lawyers for the two co-owners of Puppies Plus in Reno and Puppy Love in Sparks are seeking to dismiss a case against their clients. 

Michael Schneider and Leilani Tau-Schneider are charged with six felonies. Five of them are for practicing veterinary medicine without a license. The Washoe County District Attorney's Office says the Schneiders ordered their employees to perform various veterinary techniques without consulting a licensed veterinarian.  

"Whenever we of course go forward with a prosecution, we do have a high level of confidence in our evidence and in the charges that we bring forward," Michelle Bays, Chief Investigator for the Washoe County District Attorney's Office said. "In this case, we of course have an indictment."

Their attorneys say they actually did not break the law. They say state law allows pet owners and their employees to administer medications, similar to parents giving their children prescription medicine.

"The vets prescribed them the medicine, told them how to administer it, told them the other treatments to do," Carter King, Michael Schneider's attorney said. "They were constantly in contact with vets."

The defendants did not enter a plea for those five charges, so Judge Scott Freeman entered a "not guilty" plea for them. The defense attorneys say they "stood mute" because they filed a Writ of Habeas Corpus which is essentially a motion to dismiss the case. They say the Schneiders did not break the law and that the case is based on hearsay.

"It's just so far from reality that we believe that this is one of the best defensible cases we've had in a long time," King said.

Tau-Schneider pleaded not guilty to the sixth charge of animal torture. Authorities say Tau-Schneider failed to provide veterinary care to a sick puppy, leading to its death. Her attorney says she only tried to treat the sick puppy. The prosecution has to prove malicious intent, which her attorney says does not exist.

"The state is proceeding on a theory of negligence which is contrary to the statute," Rick Cornell, Tau-Schneider's attorney said. "Per the statute, they have to show willful maliciousness."

The defense attorneys say the Schneiders have sold thousands of puppies during their eight years in business, with many satisfied customers. Some of them showed up for the arraignment to show their support.

"After their arraignment, the courtroom almost emptied out," King said. "They must have had 40 supporters here. They're good people but of course their reputation is being dragged through the mud."

"They're very solid people," Cornell said. "This is one of those cases where you have two very law-abiding citizens who have been unfairly accused. "They've done nothing wrong. They've done nothing wrong by statute. They've done nothing wrong by regulations. They shouldn't be prosecuted, period."

King says he thinks the Schneiders are being targeted because some people do not approve of puppy stores.

"They can say no more pet stores," King said. "California, no pet stores. Las Vegas, no pet stores. Here, it is a legal occupation. So what they're doing is attacking the pet store owners instead of the idea of 'Should there be pet stores?'"

The City of Reno is holding a meeting Thursday at 6:00 PM. The agenda shows that the council will discuss a moratorium on new pet stores in Reno. The mayor wants to discuss the issues and challenges of so-called puppy mills, as well as what the city can or cannot do about them.

Michael Durand Schneider and  Leilani Tai-Schneider