An Orange County jury has convicted a dog trainer and his assistant in connection with the deaths of 11 dogs that occurred in Irvine. Kwong "Tony" Chun Sit, the 24-year-old owner and operator of Happy K9 Academy, was found guilty of multiple counts of animal cruelty and abuse, as well as attempted destruction of evidence.
His co-defendant, Tingfeng Liu, a 24-year-old woman who lived and worked with Sit, was convicted of being an accessory after the fact and other misdemeanor charges.
The case drew widespread attention after concerned dog owners contacted law enforcement, suspecting foul play. Officers intervened and prevented the immediate cremation of most of the deceased animals, allowing investigators to gather crucial evidence.
Sit and Liu had been dropping the dead dogs off at pet crematoriums across Southern California in an attempt to dispose of the evidence.
According to court testimony, families entrusted their dogs to Sit for training, paying up to $1,000 per week for his services. The first death occurred on June 12, 2025, when a dog named Shadow died while in Sit's care.
Less than a week later, on June 18, ten more dogs—Ziggy, Miko, Rosie, Theo, Puffin, Cody, Zoe, Luna, Bang Bang, and Saint—died under similar circumstances.
Although the exact cause of death remains unclear even after a two-week trial, evidence showed that investigators recovered the bodies of nine dogs before they could be cremated. Autopsies revealed that eight of the animals died from heat stroke, and one from blunt-force trauma.
Prosecutors noted that some dogs had blood on their faces, fur, or paws.
An Irvine police officer who spoke with Sit detected a strong smell of bleach coming from his van, which was filled with dog carriers. This led prosecutors to allege that the dogs died inside the vehicle, which they described to jurors as a "death bed." The defense argued there was no direct evidence that the dogs died in the van and denied that Sit was responsible for their deaths.
Liu’s attorney maintained that she was simply following Sit's instructions.
In total, Sit was convicted of a dozen felonies and several misdemeanors. He faces a potential sentence of more than 13 years in prison.
Liu is expected to be released for time served. Both defendants have remained in custody since their arrest and are scheduled to return to court for sentencing on July 10.
The verdict has sparked outrage among animal lovers and pet owners in Orange County, who are demanding stricter regulations for dog training facilities.