Tuesday, 28 July 2026, 2:39
An Irvine dog trainer was sentenced to nearly 12 years in prison after 11 dogs died in his care—many from heatstroke in a sweltering van—and he tried to hide the evidence by impersonating owners and having the animals cremated.
Kwong (Tony) Chun Sit, 54, who ran Happy K9 Academy in Irvine, was sentenced July 10, 2026, to 11 years and 10 months in state prison. He was convicted in June of 10 felony counts of animal cruelty and two felony counts of animal abuse, as well as misdemeanor counts of attempting to conceal evidence and concealing evidence. He was acquitted of one count of animal cruelty and nine counts of animal abuse. His girlfriend, Tingfeng Liu, 24, of Vista, was sentenced to three years in Orange County jail after being 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. The couple had been held since their arrest in June 2025 on $500,000 bond, with prosecutors stating they were 'packed and ready to flee.'
The case unraveled when the owner of a dog named Miko received a text from Sit on June 18, 2025, claiming the dog had died peacefully in its sleep and had already been cremated. The text 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.” Suspicious, the owner contacted Irvine police. Investigators later recovered the bodies of multiple dogs at various crematoriums, dropped off by Sit or Liu. All but one of the dogs were brought to crematoriums on June 18, 2025; the first dog was dropped off on June 12, 2025. Necropsies revealed that eight dogs died from heatstroke, and one dog, Rosie, a sheep dog poodle puppy, died from blunt force trauma combined with heatstroke. Two dogs were cremated before their bodies could be examined. According to prosecutors, the dogs were kept in small crates inside a hot van, leading to their deaths.
The incident occurred in Orange County, California, specifically in the city of Irvine, around 35 miles southeast of downtown Los Angeles.
Animal cruelty cases involving heat-related deaths in vehicles are not uncommon in California, but the scale and deliberate cover-up in this case drew widespread attention. The Orange County District Attorney's Office emphasized that the deaths were not accidental, citing the methodical disposal of evidence. The case also highlights the risks of unregulated boarding and training facilities, where pets may be left unattended in dangerous conditions.
During the sentencing hearing in Santa Ana, pet owners delivered emotional testimony about the impact of the deaths. Amy Caramanzana told the court, "My family will never be the same." Chris Davis described the past year as "horror" and expressed hope for closure. Caramanzana also voiced the lingering questions: "We wonder what she endured, whether she was afraid, whether she cried for us, whether she spent her final moments believing we had abandoned her." Another dog owner, April Ledoux Hernandez, said, "I did my due diligence and there was no reason for me not to believe my baby was not going to be safe." Judge Kim Menninger addressed the circumstances, stating, "Were they always expecting the dogs to be inside of a van? I would certainly think not. Certainly not a van that had no air conditioning or water or any ability for these animals to be treated like animals." Near the end of the hearing, Sit disputed the allegations through a translator, claiming the dogs were in an air-conditioned space and that a power outage occurred overnight, which he discovered only the next day. He apologized and said he has not been able to find peace in his heart. Liu also spoke through an interpreter, saying she was sorry for the wrong decision she made and apologized to the dog owners. The judge sentenced Sit to 11 years and 10 months in state prison, and Liu to three years in state prison.
Through an interpreter, Sit told the dog owners in court Friday, “I apologize. Please accept my sincere apology for the deaths of every dog.” Sit said he has “not been able to find peace” since the dogs died. “My own dog died.” Sit denied that the dogs died in his van as prosecutors have alleged. “The dogs did not die in the van,” Sit said. “The van was only used to transport them to their training sessions.” That prompted Orange County Superior Court Judge Kimberly Menninger to ask Sit if he would say where the dogs died. After consulting with his attorney, Kate Corrigan, Sit said he wanted to offer more details. “I want everyone to know the truth,” Sit said. “The dogs were staying in an air-conditioned space.” He said he checked that night and it was working, but the next day he found out there had been a power outage overnight. Sit said he got into dog training because his pet helped him get through a divorce in 2019 that left him feeling suicidal. Liu said through a translator that she was “very sorry. I made poor decisions because of my ignorance of the law … I was not prepared to make a statement so I am a little nervous but I want to say I’m really, really sorry for what happened.” Menninger apparently did not believe Sit’s explanation as she referred to the canines dying in the defendant’s “hot van with no water” when explaining the punishment she decided on. The judge also referred to the death of Rosie, who she said was beaten. Sit has credit for 773 days behind bars and Liu has credit for 772 days in jail.
According to Deputy District Attorney Danica Drotman, the dogs stayed at the Happy K9 Academy for one- to two-week training periods. When authorities investigated Sit's home, an officer discovered his Mercedes-Benz van filled with canine carrying containers that reeked of bleach. Deputy District Attorney Michael Chay argued that the dogs were left in the vehicle, stating, "That van was a death bed." Evidence indicated the dogs had been crammed into carriers that were too tight for them. When police asked Sit where his own dog was during the incident, he stated his dog was inside his air-conditioned apartment with him. Following the deaths, Sit sent clients text messages claiming the dogs "died peacefully" in their sleep overnight, offering refunds and stating the dogs would be cremated. Sit and Liu then took the bodies to multiple crematory services. While two dogs were successfully cremated, authorities stepped in to prevent the remaining cremations. The 11 dogs that died under Sit's care were identified as Shadow, Ziggy, Miko, Rosie, Theo, Puffin, Cody, Zoe, Luna, Bang Bang, and Saint.
Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer condemned the actions, stating: "These were not just dogs; they were family members, childhood companions, and loving protectors. A Christmas present for an 8-year-old boy, picked out of the litter because he licked the little boy first. Instead of years of memories with their beloved pets, eleven families must forever relive the horror of knowing their loved ones died stuck in tiny cages and trapped in a hot van with no way out until they died horrifically painful deaths. The defendants then worked methodically together to make the dogs disappear, dropping off their bodies at different times, in different vehicles, and at different crematoriums to hide the evidence of the heartless killing of 11 defenseless animals. This was not an accident; it was an act of evil."
Deputy District Attorney Michael Chay further criticized Sit's actions, arguing that the text messages to customers were "lie after lie after lie because we know the truth. We know he was not actually sorry... and it was painful and they suffered... It wasn't unexpected. If anything, it was preventable." Chay also noted that a prosecution expert testified that the puppy Rosie was "so afraid she urinated on herself" before dying of "blunt force trauma to the head."
Sit's attorney, Kate Corrigan, told NBC Los Angeles that the dogs' deaths were a tragedy and not intentional. "The dogs were discovered in the early hours of the morning when my client woke up," Corrigan said. "I think, from there, it was something he had never experienced before, and panic took over. ... It took over what his thought process would normally have been." Corrigan also argued that things happened very quickly and "were not the fault of Mr. Sit," instead describing the timeline as "one bad decision after another" born out of panic attacks. Liu's attorney, Fred Fascenelli, argued his client was simply an employee following orders, stating, "There's no proof she knew a crime had been committed." He pushed back against the cover-up narrative, stating, "I don't see a nefarious aspect of cleaning up after a number of animals had passed away," and noted that Liu had openly asked Sit if he really wanted to leave the bodies at a landfill.
While necropsies confirmed that heat stroke killed eight dogs and blunt-force trauma killed a puppy named Rosie, it remains unclear exactly what caused the deaths of the remaining two dogs. The exact nature of the relationship between Sit and Liu also remains disputed, as prosecutors alleged they were romantically involved, but defense attorneys have not confirmed this. Prosecutors said Liu was Sit’s girlfriend, but probation officials said that was not true and that Liu had a boyfriend at the time and only worked for Sit for a few weeks on social media and advertising, but she never got paid.
Following the sentencing, victim pet owner Amy Gutierrez said, "Quite frankly, I don't think 11 years is enough, not at all, not even a little bit." Another victim, Chris Davis, stated, "I can't imagine it ever happening again, but it can. But as a society, we have to make sure that it doesn't. He deserves every day that he got, and that he hopefully will come to some type of epiphany. But I don't think he has yet."
One of the dog owners said the death of her pet was especially painful because there was no clear-cut evidence as to how the dogs died. Chris Davis told Menninger of the grief he has struggled with since his pet Luna died under Sit’s care. “I keep wondering what if I picked her up the day before,” Davis said, adding he “went into a deep state of depression” after Luna died. Bang Bang’s owner said her pet was being trained to be a service dog. “I am not emotionally prepared to replace him,” she said. “My family has been torn to pieces.” Ziggy’s owner said her pet was adopted as a puppy and grew to be enormous. She said her son was 8 when the puppy licked his face at the adoption center. “So, you could say they chose each other,” she said. Ziggy “really didn’t know his own strength,” and was fond of “jumping on” people, so he was sent to the trainer to help him with that, she said. Zoe’s owner had a statement read aloud in court saying she envisioned the puppy growing up with the daughter she was pregnant with when they adopted their pet. But after she was told her dog died under Sit’s care, she had a miscarriage and lost her child at 6 1/2 months pregnant, she said. “Within weeks, I lost both of them, both of my girls,” she said. “The future I envisioned for my family disappeared at once.”
Another victim urged the court to hold the defendants accountable. “Let it stand as a warning to every person who believes they can abuse the innocent without paying the price. This is your price. May the consequences of your choices follow you both far longer than the sentence this court imposes,” the victim said.
Prosecutors said that 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. Evidence revealed that the texts sent to two different owners were nearly identical, except for the dogs' names. For example, a text sent to one owner read: "I'm so sorry to let you know that Luna 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 offer compensation. Luna has been lovingly cremated."
The sentencing brings a measure of justice for the families of the 11 dogs, but as Gutierrez noted, 'There are no words that can bring them back.' The case serves as a stark reminder for pet owners to thoroughly vet boarding facilities and for authorities to enforce animal welfare laws strictly.
