Trainer Tony Sit convicted for deaths of 11 dogs

A former Irvine dog trainer, Kwong (Tony) Chun Sit, was convicted on 11 felony animal cruelty counts for deaths of 11 dogs he and his girlfriend, Tingfeng Liu, allegedly caused by keeping the animals in small crates inside a hot van and lying to owners about w

For the families who handed their dogs to Happy K9 Academy, the text message came with a familiar kind of reassurance: their pet had “passed away peacefully during the night,” with “no signs of pain or struggle.”

But prosecutors say the message was part of a deliberate deception—one that followed 11 dogs into a hot van. kept in small crates. until some died of heat stroke and at least one suffered blunt force trauma. On top of the deaths. the cases turned on what came after: prosecutors said Sit impersonated owners and had the dogs cremated while concealing the true causes.

Kwong (Tony) Chun Sit. 54. was convicted in Orange County after authorities connected him and his girlfriend. Tingfeng Liu. to the deaths of the 11 dogs taken in for training services. The Orange County district attorney’s office said Sit was convicted on 11 felony counts of animal cruelty. along with seven misdemeanor counts of attempting to destroy evidence and one misdemeanor count of destroying evidence.

The district attorney’s office said Sit faces a maximum sentence of 13 years and 11 months in prison.

Liu, 24, of Vista, was convicted on 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 up to four years in prison.

Since their arrests, the defendants have remained in custody on $500,000 bail. Prosecutors said Sit and Liu were “packed and ready to flee when they were arrested last June.”

The investigation gained traction after one dog owner grew suspicious and tipped authorities off a day before the arrests. That owner told police they had received a message from the trainer saying their dog had died in its sleep and been cremated.

In one of the texts prosecutors said Sit sent to victims, he reportedly wrote: “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.”

Irvine police spokesperson Kyle Oldoerp said the family that contacted authorities had a reason for concern. The spokesperson told The Times that the family thought it was “kind of suspicious that their healthy dog died with this trainer.”

Prosecutors said the deaths occurred after Sit kept the animals in small crates in a hot van. They said the dogs died of heat stroke, and that at least one dog died due to blunt force trauma. To conceal what happened, prosecutors said Sit impersonated owners and had the dogs cremated.

Happy K9 Academy, operated by Sit, promoted dog training services, including one to four-week training sessions priced between $999 and $3,999. In a statement after the convictions, Orange County Dist. Atty. Todd Spitzer said the work was built around the fear dogs have when they’re left behind—then argued that fear became reality for 11 dogs who will never return home to reunite with their families.

“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 Ms. Liu, that fear became a tragic reality for 11 dogs who will never have the chance to reunite with their families,” Spitzer said.

The case ends a criminal chapter that began with owners reaching out and a message that sounded like comfort. Prosecutors say what followed was anything but: animals placed into cramped conditions in extreme heat. owners told a story about peaceful deaths. and evidence concealed through actions that court records say culminated in convictions.

Irvine dog trainer Happy K9 Academy Kwong Chun Sit Tingfeng Liu animal cruelty Orange County district attorney animal deaths evidence destruction