Coco, a 10-month-old Pomeranian, was dropped off for a routine bath at a dog grooming salon in the Roma neighbourhood of Mexico City. Less than an hour later, the family was told he was dead. Security cameras inside the business filmed a 20-year-old employee, identified as Kevin Armando “N”, striking the puppy.
Mexico City police detained Kevin Armando “N” on 22 June at the salon, Spa-Pet, on the corner of Medellín and Coahuila streets. He was handed to the public prosecutor. The Mexico City Attorney General’s Office opened an investigation into animal cruelty, an offence that carries up to six years in prison in the capital when it causes an animal’s death.
According to the owners’ complaint, reported by Excélsior on 22 June 2026, Coco was left at the business for a routine bath. The surveillance footage, now the central piece of evidence, shows the puppy held firmly on a work table and handled roughly. The animal stops reacting. The worker then tries to revive him several times.
“Apprentice”
The owner of the business said the young man was an “apprentice”, according to Excélsior. The same footage shows he was working without the immediate supervision of a more experienced employee.
The case went viral after a post by journalist Carlos Jiménez on the social network X on 22 June. Other customers then described online the mistreatment of their own pets at the same establishment. Coco’s family is demanding that the investigation target the salon itself, not only the employee.
Animal-rights groups have protested to demand justice and tighter oversight of such businesses.
A fast-growing industry
Grooming salons, pet hotels and boarding centres have multiplied in Mexico over the past decade. Specialists cited by Excélsior warn that staff training and oversight remain inadequate.
Coco’s death joins a series of animal-cruelty cases that have drawn public outrage. In Mexico City, animal cruelty is a crime. The penalties will depend on forensic findings and on what investigators are able to establish.
For now, the exact cause of Coco’s death rests on the results of the examinations ordered by the prosecutor.
