An Irvine animal trainer and his girlfriend were charged in connection with the deaths of 11 dogs, including nine whose bodies were recovered by police, authorities said Monday.
Kwong Chun Sit, 53, was charged with 11 felony counts of cruelty to animals, 11 felony counts of animal abuse by a caretaker, and six misdemeanor counts of attempt to destroy evidence and a count of destroying evidence.
Co-defendant Tingfeng Liu, 23, of Vista, was charged with a felony count of accessory after the fact and two misdemeanor counts of attempt to destroy evidence and a count of destroying evidence.
Both pleaded not guilty at their arraignment and were scheduled to return to court July 1 in the Harbor Justice Center for a pretrial hearing.
Police recovered the cremated remains of one dog, nine bodies and the remains of two other canines, according to Irvine police spokesman Kyle Oldoerp.
The pair trained and boarded animals, Oldoerp said. One couple dropped off a dog for boarding and “touch-up training,” and then were told the dog died in the custody of the trainer, he said.
“It was a whole mix of different” breeds of dogs, Oldoerp said. “All were under 3 (years old).”
Police were contacted by a pet owner about 5:25 p.m. Wednesday saying they had received a message that their dog had died in its sleep and was cremated, Oldoerp said.
Police recovered multiple dogs at separate crematoriums, according to Oldoerp.
Sit operated Happy K9 Academy, according to the Orange County District Attorney’s Office.
Prosecutors alleged that necropsies showed two dogs died from heat stroke and a third from “blunt force trauma.” Necropsy results are pending for six of the canines, prosecutors said.