Irvine dog trainer, girlfriend arrested after 10 dogs died under their care, police say
The Brief
Irvine police arrested an animal trainer and his girlfriend after ten dogs died while in his care.
It's unclear if the dogs' deaths were accidental or intentional.
IRVINE, Calif. - An Irvine dog trainer and his girlfriend were arrested after at least ten dogs died while under their care.
What we know
According to the Irvine Police Department, Kwong (Tony) Chun Sit, 53, and his girlfriend Tingfeng Liu, 23 were arrested on June 19 for animal cruelty and destruction of evidence after ten dogs reportedly died while in their care.
On Thursday, police said they received a call from a pet owner who reported that they had received a message from their dog trainer saying that their dog had died in their sleep and had been cremated.
As the department's Animal Services Unit began investigating, they discovered that at least ten dogs had died in the trainer's care.
The police department said they quickly recovered multiple dogs at different crematoriums. Based on suspicious activity, including the attempted cremation of the dogs, detectives arrested Sit and Liu.
The police department is working with veterinary professionals who will perform necropsies to determine how the dogs died and if it was accidental or intentional.
Detectives said Sit worked with pet owners across Southern California, under different company names, including "Happy K9 Academy."
What they're saying
On Yelp, several people have posted one-star reviews saying the same story-- their dog died in their sleep and was cremated.
The police department is urging people who may have used Sit's services and were notified of their dog's sudden passing while in this care to contact the Irvine Police Department at rsteen@cityofirvine.org.
The Source
Information for this story came from the Irvine Police Department.
