"The abuse of animals will never be tolerated, and their abusers will be held accountable under the full weight of the law," Orange County D.A. Todd Spitzer said
Credit: Orange County District Attorney’s office
NEED TO KNOW
- Kwong Chun Sit, who operated Happy K9 Academy, was convicted of 11 counts of animal cruelty and seven misdemeanor counts of attempting to destroy evidence
- He was arrested in June 2025, after an owner reported suspicious behavior and inconsistent explanations from Sit about the death of his dog, prompting authorities to discover multiple dog deaths
- Sit’s girlfriend, Tingfeng Liu, 24, was also convicted and faces a maximum sentence of four years
A dog trainer in Irvine, Calif., has been convicted of the deaths of 11 dogs.
Kwong (Tony) Chun Sit, 54, was convicted of 11 felony counts of animal cruelty, seven misdemeanor counts of attempting to destroy evidence, and one misdemeanor count of destroying evidence, the Orange County District Attorney's Office announced on Wednesday, June 17. He could be sentenced to a maximum of 13 years and 11 months in prison.
Sit's girlfriend, Tingfeng Liu, 24, was also convicted of one felony count of accessory to a felony, one misdemeanor count of destruction of evidence, and two misdemeanor counts of attempted destruction of evidence. She faces a maximum sentence of four years.
Sit operated Happy K9 Academy, which advertised a variety of boarding and training services, training sessions between one and four weeks, and priced from $999 to $3,399. He was arrested in June 2025 after one of the dogs' owners alerted authorities, reporting that Sit texted him that his dog had died in its sleep and had been "lovingly cremated."
"There were no signs of pain or struggle, and it was truly unexpected. I am deeply saddened by this loss," Sit continued his text on June 18, 2025, per the D.A.'s office.
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The Irvine Police Department's Animal Services Unit immediately began investigating and recovered the bodies of multiple dogs at different crematoriums. The first dog was dropped off on June 12, 2025, and the other 10 were dropped off on June 18, 2025.
It was discovered that two of the dogs were cremated, and their cause of death was not revealed because they were cremated before authorities were alerted. Eight of the remaining nine dogs died from heat stroke, and the ninth dog died from blunt force trauma.
Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer condemned Sit and Liu and said in a statement, “The greatest fear dogs have is that you will never return when you leave them behind, and because of the unbelievably cruel actions of Mr. Sit and Miss Liu, that fear became a tragic reality for 11 dogs who will never have the chance to reunite with their families."
“There is a special place in hell for someone who abuses animals, and there is an extra special place in hell for someone who could beat a puppy to death and then feign being heartbroken over her death knowing full well that he is the reason that puppy died such a horrific death," Spitzer said. "The abuse of animals will never be tolerated, and their abusers will be held accountable under the full weight of the law.”
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