Irvine animal trainer convicted of killing 11 dogs, cremating their bodies to hide the evidence
An Irvine animal trainer and his girlfriend were convicted of killing 11 dogs in their care and cremating their bodies to conceal how the pets died.
The Orange County District Attorney's Office said Kwong (Tony) Chun Sit, 54, faces a maximum sentence of 13 years and 11 months after a jury found him guilty of:
- 11 counts of animal cruelty
- seven misdemeanor counts of attempting to destroy evidence
- One misdemeanor count of destroying evidence.
Sit's girlfriend Tingfeng Liu, 23, faces a maximum sentence of four years in custody after a jury found her guilty of one count of being an accessory to a felony, one misdemeanor count of destruction of evidence and two misdemeanor counts of destruction of evidence.
"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," District Attorney Todd Spitzer said.
Prosecutors said the 11 dogs died of heat stroke after Sit, who operated Happy K9 Academy, left them in a hot van in June 2025. In addition to heat stroke, a necropsy for one of the dogs, Rosie, added blunt force trauma as the animal's cause of death, according to the OCDA.
"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," Spitzer said.
After the dogs died, Sit sent a text to the owners. One of the dog owners, Steve Kotlow, shared the text message he received while Sit was caring for his dog. Prosecutors also shared a text Sit sent to another owner. The two are nearly identical, apart from the dogs' names.
"I'm so sorry to let you know that Luna passed away peacefully during the night while resting," the text message to Kotlow read. "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 Irvine Police Department began investigating Sit shortly after the owners shared the text messages with officers. Prosecutors said that Sit impersonated the pets' owners to have the dogs' remains cremated, then Liu helped him drop off the bodies at different crematoriums "in an apparent attempt to avoid suspicion."
Detectives recovered the remains of nine of the dogs. Two of the pets were cremated before officers arrived.
Prosecutors said Sit and Liu were packed and ready to flee when officers arrested them in June 2025.
