Latest news with #TingfengLiu
Daily Mail
7 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Dog trainer and his girlfriend arrested for 'killing' 10 dogs in their care following owner's tip-off
A California dog trainer and his girlfriend were arrested after authorities discovered that at least ten dogs died while under their care. 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
Daily Mail
17 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Animal trainer and his girlfriend are arrested for killing 10 dogs in their care
A California dog trainer and his girlfriend were arrested after authorities discovered that at least ten dogs died while under their care. Kwong 'Tony' Chun Sit, 53, and his girlfriend, Tingfeng Liu, 23, were arrested and booked into Orange County Jail on Thursday for animal cruelty and destruction of evidence after ten dogs reportedly died while in their care, according to investigators. The Irvine Police Department said they received a call on Wednesday from a pet owner who claimed that they had received a message from their dog trainer saying that their dog has died in their sleep and has been cremated. 'The one family reached out to us [and] thought it was kind of suspicious that their healthy dog died with this trainer,' Kyle Oldoerp, a spokesperson for the Irvine Police Department, told The Los Angeles Times. As the department's Animal Services Unit began investigating, they discovered that at least ten dogs had died in the trainer's care - with nine believed to have died on the same day. Authorities said they then quickly recovered multiple dogs at different crematoriums. 'Our Animal Services Unit and patrol officers immediately began investigating the circumstances. In the initial stages of the investigation, it was determined that at least ten dogs had died in the trainer's care. IPD quickly recovered multiple dogs at different crematoriums,' a press release from the department reads. Kwong 'Tony' Chun Sit, 53, and his girlfriend, Tingfeng Liu, 23, were arrested and booked into Orange County Jail on Thursday for animal cruelty and destruction of evidence after ten dogs reportedly died while in their care Based on suspicious activity - including the attempted cremation of the animals - Sit and Liu were arrested. Police are now working with veterinary professionals to perform necropsies and determine whether the deaths were accidental or intentional. '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,' the department's statement continued. 'If they all died of an accidental poisoning, or something that was all the same, then it's like, OK, maybe this is accidental,' Oldoerp said. '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' - is facing serious scrutiny. The academy, which specializes in 'obedience, behavior modification, and service dog training,' advertised a compassionate approach to dog training on its Yelp page. Numerous pet owners have since taken to social media to post one-star reviews, sharing similar stories of their dogs dying while in Sit's care '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,' the company wrote on its Yelp page. However, numerous pet owners have since taken to social media to post one-star reviews, sharing similar stories of their dogs dying while in Sit's care. 'I would give zero stars if I could. Do NOT send your dog here unless you want to be told that your dog died peacefully and the body has been cremated without consent. Shameful. There's a special place in hell for you Tony,' a user by the name Jessica J. posted to Yelp. 'Tony killed my dog Saint! he lied and said that she died peacefully in her sleep - she had no illnesses!! he sent her off to get cremated without our consent!!!! he sent a text HOURS after she died not even a phone call!!' Aimee L. of Glendale, wrote. 'My 5 month old Pomeranian, Cody, died under the care of Tony Sit. My Angel Cody was a healthy dog with a great personality, full of energy and full of love! The night my Cody died apparently 9 innocent dogs died too!' Mary B., a resident of Rancho Palos Verdes wrote. 'I'm praying that the parents of these innocent dogs find comfort and peace knowing that justice will be done to this monster! praying that this monster never be allowed to hurt another innocent dog ever again! I'm so sorry Cody my baby that I trusted this monster!' the user added. Another user, posting under the name Amelia S., of Los Angeles, wrote: 'Not ok to have multiple dogs who died same day and not own some mistake, foul play, poison, or heat exposure or something!' 'This man needs to never ever be able to touch a pet again and go behind bars for a very long time!! Very unhappy pet lover! NEVER EVER CONSIDER THIS SERVICE!' the post continued. 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. The investigation is ongoing.
CBS News
2 days ago
- CBS News
Irvine police arrest animal trainer and his girlfriend after 10 dogs die in his care
Irvine police arrested an animal trainer and his girlfriend on Thursday after 10 dogs died in his care. Detectives began their investigation into trainer Kwong (Tony) Chun Sit, 53, and his girlfriend Tingfeng Liu, 23, after the dog's owner received a text message from the suspect on Wednesday saying that their dog had died in its sleep and had been cremated, according to the Irvine Police Department. After determining that at least 10 dogs died in Sit's care, officers recovered some of the animals' remains at different crematoriums, according to investigators. "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," said in a statement. Officers booked Sit and Liu in Orange County Jail for animal cruelty and destruction of evidence after the attempted cremation of the dogs, according to Irvine PD. Detectives believe Sit worked with other pet owners in Southern California, under several company names, including "Happy K9 Academy." Irvine police urged any owners whose dogs died while under Sit's care or anyone with information about the case to contact investigators at rsteen@
