This Monday (23rd), Chinese American dog trainer Tony Kwong Chun Sit (Kwong “Tony” Chun Sit) from Irvine, California, was charged with animal abuse, allegedly leading to the death of at least 11 dogs, facing a maximum of nearly 14 years in prison.
According to the Orange County District Attorney’s Office, 53-year-old Tony Kwong Chun Sit and his 23-year-old girlfriend Tingfeng Liu are accused of being involved in the deaths of the 11 dogs under their care. They also posed as pet owners to cremate the dogs’ bodies and disposed of them at different crematoriums to cover up the deaths and destroy evidence.
The bail for the two individuals is currently set at $550,000. Prosecutors stated that considering the suspects had packed their bags ready to flee when they were arrested, the significant increase in bail from $20,000 was deemed reasonable. They have been ordered to surrender their passports and have no contact with any animals.
The suspects operated the “Happy K9 Academy,” where they provided training and boarding services for various dogs, including behavior training courses ranging from one to four weeks priced from $999 to $3,399, which also included sending training videos to the dogs’ owners daily.
A dog owner alerted the Irvine police after receiving a text from the dog trainer stating that their dog had died and been cremated. Upon investigation, it was discovered that more than one dog had died, leading to the arrest of the two suspects the following day after the report was received.
The police found that two dogs died from heatstroke, one from blunt force trauma, two had already been cremated, and the cause of death for the remaining six dogs is yet to be determined.
It was revealed that the suspects had taken the first dog to a crematorium on the 13th of this month, and by the 18th, a total of 11 dogs had died and been taken to different crematoriums. Anyone with information is urged to contact the Irvine Police Department: [email protected].
“Our dogs love us unconditionally, and someone who claims to love dogs and treats customers’ dogs as their own must be held accountable for the deaths of these pets. Bringing in a girlfriend to cover up their animal abuse is truly sickening,” said Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer. “No animal should be killed and discarded like trash. Animal cruelty is intolerable, and we will prosecute this case and all animal abuse cases to the full extent of the law.”
Tony Kwong Chun Sit faces 29 charges, including 11 felony animal cruelty charges, 11 felony animal caretaker cruelty charges, and 7 misdemeanor charges of attempting to destroy or destroy evidence, with a maximum sentence of 13 years and 11 months in prison.
Liu, who hails from Vista, San Diego County, is accused of assisting in taking the dogs to the crematorium. She faces 1 felony accessory charge, 1 misdemeanor evidence destruction charge, and 2 attempted evidence destruction misdemeanors, with a maximum possible sentence of 4 years in prison.