Irvine Dog Trainer Convicted of Animal Cruelty, Destruction of Evidence in Connection with Deaths of 11 Dogs Trainer’s girlfriend convicted of assisting in cover-up; the couple[...]

Irvine Dog Trainer Convicted of Animal Cruelty, Destruction of Evidence
in Connection with Deaths of 11 Dogs
Trainer's girlfriend convicted of assisting in cover-up; the couple dropped off the dogs' bodies
at different crematoriums to avoid suspicion and destroy evidence.

Santa Ana - An Irvine dog trainer has been convicted of killing 11 dogs by keeping the animals left in his care in small crates in a hot van where they died of heat stroke and then impersonating the pets' owners to have the dogs' bodies cremated in an attempt to conceal how the dogs died. The man's girlfriend was convicted of assisting in the cover-up. The couple dropped off the dogs' bodies at different crematoriums in the area in an apparent attempt to avoid suspicion.

Rosie, a sheep dog poodle puppy, died from blunt force trauma and heat stroke. Ten other dogs died from heat stroke.

Kwong (Tony) Chun Sit, 54, of Irvine, and his girlfriend, Tingfeng Liu, 24, of Vista, have remained jailed in lieu of $550,000 bail after Orange County prosecutors successfully argued a significant deviation from the $20,000 bail schedule was warranted given the fact that the couple was packed and ready to flee when they were arrested last June. The couple was ordered to surrender their passports, not have access to any animals, and stay away from the victims' families.

On June 18, 2025, one of the dog's owners received a text message from Sit which read:

"I'm so sorry to let you know that Miko passed away peacefully during the night while resting. There were no signs of pain or struggle, and it was truly unexpected. I am deeply saddened by this loss.

Out of respect, I will refund the full training fee and offer additional compensation. The body has been lovingly cremated, and I will keep the ashes safe for you until you're ready. Please know my thoughts are with you. If you need anything, I'm here for you.

Sincerely,

Tony"

Irvine police began investigating the couple after Miko's owner contacted police last June to report that he had received a message from their dog trainer saying their dog had died in its sleep and had been cremated.

Based on the call from one of the dog owners, the Irvine Police Department's Animal Services Unit immediately opened an investigation and was able to recover the bodies of multiple dogs at different crematoriums that had been dropped off by either Sit or Liu.

The owners of the dead dogs were notified via text that their pet had passed away and had been cremated.

Sit, who operated Happy K9 Academy, was convicted of 11 felony counts of animal cruelty, seven misdemeanor counts of attempting to destroy evidence, and one misdemeanor count of destroying evidence. Liu was 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.

Sit faces a maximum sentence of 13 years and 11 months, and Liu faces a maximum sentence of four years in custody. Necropsies performed on nine of the dogs revealed that eight of the dogs died from heat stroke and the third dog, Rosie, died from blunt force trauma. Two of the dogs were cremated before they could be recovered.

All but one of the dogs was dropped off at crematoriums on June 18, 2025. The body of the first dog was dropped off on June 12, 2025.

Happy K9 Academy advertised online a variety of boarded dog training services, including one-to-four-week training sessions ranging from $999 to $3,399 offering an assortment of behavioral training along with daily videos sent to the dogs' owners.

"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," said Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer. "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. The abuse of animals will never be tolerated, and their abusers will be held accountable under the full weight of the law."

Deputy District Attorney Danica Drotman and Deputy District Attorney Michael Chay of Animal Cruelty Unit are prosecuting this case.

Click here for full press release.