Former Irvine dog trainers convicted in deaths of 11 dogs; D.A. calls actions 'unbelievably cruel'
Key takeaways
- An Irvine dog trainer who operated Happy K9 Academy was convicted of killing 11 dogs by keeping them in small crates in a hot van and lying to the pets’ owners about the deaths, authorities said.
- Sit faces a maximum sentence of 13 years and 11 months in prison, authorities said.
- Since their arrests, the defendants have remained in custody on $500,000 bail after prosecutors said Sit and Liu were “packed and ready to flee when they were arrested last June.”
Kwong (Tony) Chun Sit of Irvine, left, and Sit’s girlfriend, Tingfeng Liu of Vista, were convicted on animal cruelty charges in the death of 11 dogs. (Irvine Police) By Seamus Bozeman Follow June 17, 2026 6:50 PM PT 1 3 min Click here to listen to this article Share via Close extra sharing options Email Facebook X Linked In Threads Reddit Whats App Copy Link URL Copied! Print 0:00 0:00 1x This is read by an automated voice. Please report any issues or inconsistencies here.
An Irvine dog trainer who operated Happy K9 Academy was convicted of killing 11 dogs by keeping them in small crates in a hot van and lying to the pets’ owners about the deaths, authorities said.
The trainer, Kwong (Tony) Chun Sit, 54, was convicted on 11 felony counts of animal cruelty, seven misdemeanor counts of attempting to destroy evidence and one misdemeanor count of destroying evidence, the Orange County district attorney’s office said in a press release. Sit faces a maximum sentence of 13 years and 11 months in prison, authorities said.