IRVINE, CA — An Orange County animal trainer and his girlfriend were arrested after at least 10 dogs have died while in their care, police said Saturday.
Kwong (Tony) Chun Sit, 53, of Irvine, and his girlfriend, Tingfeng Liu, 23 of Vista, were arrested Thursday on suspicion of animal cruelty and destruction of evidence, according to the Irvine Police Department. The arrests were made after a pet owner reported Wednesday that they received a message from their dog trainer saying their dog died in its sleep and was cremated.
The department’s Animal Services Unit and patrol officers began investigating and determined that at least 10 dogs had died in the trainer’s care, according Kyle Oldoerp, a spokesperson for the department. Police recovered multiple dogs at different crematoriums.
Detectives believe Sit worked with pet owners across Southern California under different company names, including “Happy K9 Academy,” police said.
“We are working closely with veterinary professionals who will perform necropsies to determine how the dogs died,” Oldoerp said. “Our priority is determining if the death of the dogs was accidental or intentional.”
Based on suspicious activity after the incident, including the attempted cremation of the dogs, Sit and Liu were arrested and booked into Orange County Jail, police said.
Anyone who has been notified of their dog’s sudden passing while in Sit’s care or has information related to the case, was asked to contact rsteen@cityofirvine.org.
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