Dog trainer and his girlfriend arrested for 'killing' 10 dogs in their care following owner's tip-off
Kwong 'Tony' Chun Sit, 53, from Irvine, and his 23-year-old girlfriend Tingfeng Liu, of Vista, were arrested and booked into Orange County Jail on Thursday for animal cruelty and destruction of evidence, according to investigators.
Irvine PD said it received a call on Wednesday from a pet owner who claimed that they'd got a message from their dog trainer saying that their pet had died in their sleep and was cremated.
Spokesman for Irvine PD Kyle Oldoerp told The LA Times: 'The one family reached out to us [and] thought it was kind of suspicious that their healthy dog died with this trainer.'
As the department's Animal Services Unit began investigating, it discovered that at least ten dogs had died in the trainer's care - with nine believed to have perished on the same day.
Authorities said they then quickly recovered multiple dogs at different crematoriums.
Based on the suspicious activity, including the attempted cremation of the animals, Sit and Liu were arrested.
The police statement said: 'We are working closely with veterinary professionals who will perform necropsies to determine how the dogs died. Our priority is determining if the death of the dogs was accidental or intentional.'
Oldoerp said: 'If they all died of an accidental poisoning, or something that was all the same, then it's like, OK, maybe this is accidental. But if it's not, and they're different causes, then that could take us down a different path.'
Sit, who worked with pet owners across Southern California under various business names, including Happy K9 Academy, faced serious scrutiny as that company, which specialized in 'obedience, behavior modification, and service dog training', advertised a compassionate approach to dog training on its Yelp page.
Monster! Numerous pet owners posted one-star reviews of Sit's business and shared similar stories of their dogs dying while in his care
Sit's company's Yelp page said: 'At Happy K9, our mission is simple yet profound – to enhance the bond between you and your furry best friend through effective, compassionate training. We believe that every dog has the potential to be a well-behaved, joyful companion, and our aim is to unlock that potential.'
However, numerous pet owners used social media and posted one-star reviews as they shared similar stories of their dogs dying while in Sit's care.
Irvine PD urged people who may have used Sit's services and were notified of their dog's sudden passing while in this care to make contact the Irvine Police Department while the investigation's ongoing.
Poor reviews: Grieving owners made their feelings known
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