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Irvine Dog Trainer and Girlfriend Plead Not Guilty to Animal Cruelty Charges in 11 Dog Deaths

Jailed on $550,000 bail each, they face an ongoing probe into the dogs’ deaths after preliminary necropsies found heat stroke and blunt-force trauma.

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – JUNE 19: An LAPD officer walks near masked federal agents staged outside a gate of Dodger Stadium on June 19, 2025 in Los Angeles, California. The Los Angeles Dodgers said in a statement that federal ICE agents requested permission to access Dodger Stadium parking lots but were denied entry. (Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images)
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“Saint,” who was adopted from the Baldwin Park animal shelter by an El Monte family, is one of 10 dogs who died under the care of 53-year-old Kwong “Tony” Chun Sit of Irvine, Saint’s owner Aimee Gutierrez said. (Photo courtesy Aimee Gutierrez)

Overview

  • Kwong “Tony” Chun Sit pleaded not guilty to 11 felony counts of animal cruelty, 11 counts of caretaker abuse and multiple evidence-destruction charges, and Tingfeng Liu entered a not guilty plea to accessory and destruction counts.
  • Prosecutors raised each defendant’s bail to $550,000 after finding they had packed belongings and appeared ready to flee following the discovery of the fatalities.
  • Investigators recovered bodies and cremated remains from several Southern California crematoriums where the couple allegedly attempted to destroy evidence.
  • Preliminary necropsies on three dogs identified two deaths from heat stroke and one from blunt-force trauma, with six additional post-mortem examinations still pending.
  • Police are urging other pet owners who used Sit’s training services, including under names like Happy K9 Academy, to come forward if their dogs died while in his care.