Very few might know this history: Reno’s current puppy stores got here because a convicted felon sold them when he went to jail.
The Franks family owned Brock’s Pups in South Lake Tahoe, Lil’ Pups in Carson City and Puppy World in Meadowood Mall.
In 2009, Old Man Franks was removed in handcuffs from his SLT store: arrested for drug trafficking to minors.
His grandson and another employee were likewise arrested for parole violations.
Found guilty and sentenced to 11 years, Mr. Franks put his stores up for sale.
Franks found buyers in Joe Young and Mike Schneider, who renamed the store Pets-R-Us. It subsequently closed, after mounting public pressure spearheaded by Puppy Mill Free Reno, including pressure from the conglomerate Mall Management based in New York City.
According to Mr. Young, Mr. Schneider and he were to go in halves on the purchase, but Mr. Schneider reneged on the deal at the 11th hour. Joe went ahead with the purchase and hired Mr. Schneider as general manager, which he performed for 6 months to the day when he quit and opened a rival store, the now scandal-ridden Puppies Plus. It could be inferred he had the funds all along.
Northern Nevada Can’t Let This Happen Again
Should the jury find Mr. and Mrs. Schneider guilty, everyone thinks the stores will close.
The store closing permanently is not the likely case!
Though the Schneiders may be barred from interacting with animals, they may be allowed to own the stores, but not manage them.
Or the judge may include in his sentence that the Schneiders may no longer own businesses having to do with animals.
And then they sell them.
And we know of at least one potential willing buyer. Actually, two.
That’s right. Guilty or not, jail time or not, stores could continue in Sparks, Carson City, Incline Village and other unincorporated areas of Washoe County unless councils and commissions all the way to Douglas County PASS THE BAN WE’VE BEEN ASKING FOR SINCE 2013.
Reno is taking care of the problem by passing a prohibition on the sale of dogs and cats in retail stores including current stores and hopefully effective immediately upon passage in the Spring.
All local jurisdictions must follow suit
Puppy Mill Free Reno/Sparks/Washoe asked our former Sparks City Council champion, now state senator, Julia Ratti last October to sponsor statewide legislation banning puppy stores. She heartily agreed.
Hopefully we’ll see a statewide ban after the next legislature meets in 2021, but the more towns pass a ban, the more likely a statewide ban would follow suit.
And there’s another scenario that has a 50% chance of happening: the Schneiders are found innocent. 😱
