10 Dogs Died in His Care — Now a California Trainer and His Girlfriend Are Charged with Animal Cruelty

A California dog owner entrusted a pet to a professional trainer, only to receive a text days later claiming the dog had died unexpectedly in its sleep — prompting immediate suspicion that something amiss had happened.

After the owner contacted police and investigators began digging into the dog trainer, authorities allege they also recognized something was off. The Irvine Police Department said in a news release last Thursday that a local dog trainer and his younger girlfriend had been arrested after it was discovered that at least 10 dogs had died in their care.

The department said Kwong Chun Sit, 53, and his girlfriend Tingfeng Liu, 23, were both arrested and charged with animal cruelty and destruction of evidence last week. The arrests were made “based on suspicious activity after the incident, including the attempted cremation of the dogs,” the release said.

“We are working closely with veterinary professionals who will perform necropsies to determine how the dogs died,” the release added. “Our priority is determining if the death of the dogs was accidental or intentional.”

The Los Angeles Times reported that investigators believe nine of the 10 dogs died on the same day. Irvine police said their detectives “recovered multiple dogs at different crematoriums” around the local area.

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Investigators said they believe Sit previously worked with pet owners across Southern California under several different company names, including “Happy K9 Academy.”

Police said in the release that there may be other pet owners who sent their dogs to Sit for training and were later notified via text that their pet had died. Authorities are asking anyone with information about the case to come forward.

Kyle Oldoerp, a spokesperson for the Irvine Police Department, told the Times that while investigators are working to determine whether the dogs’ deaths were accidental or on purpose, Sit is “still responsible for the well-being of these animals.”

According to a website listing for Happy K9 Academy in Orange County, Sit charged customers between $1,000 to up to $3,400 for obedience training courses.

PEOPLE has reached out to Sit for comment but did not receive a response Monday.