Panhandling Pooch Not Mistreated, Says ASPCA

An image from the Stop Abusing Coffee Facebook page points out what witnesses say is a shock collar under the bandana Coffee always wears in public

As promised, an update on Coffee, the NYC dog who sits outside the city’s major-league ballparks and panhandles in costume for hours at a time with a pipe in her mouth. Some baseball fans and dog lovers believe Coffee sits so long because when she would try to lie down, her owner would surreptitiously shock her.

An ASPCA veterinarian examined Coffee, a 5-year-old pit bull mix, at her owner’s home in Queens.The vet said Coffee performed all her tricks without a shock collar, just with voice control, according to the Associated Press.The animal-welfare organization said it would continue to keep an eye on the situation, and would examine her at some point during a stint at a ballpark.

Meanwhile, fans of the Stop Abusing Coffee Facebook page are outraged.

“I would not enjoy clinching a pipe in my mouth with no hands to take it out and rest my jaw, all the while sitting in 95 degree temps with a fur coat and a T-shirt on, waiting for my “MASTER” to click his remote on my shock collar. If that how he trains dogs, I would suggest he is not the great dog trainer he calls himself. Whether this is abuse by definition of the law or not, it is inhumane, uncompassionate AND TRASHY to make this dog pander for money. GET A JOB MAN!”  writes one upset Coffee friend.

Dogsters, what do you think? Has the ASPCA done enough? Should investigators have asked what that object around her neck in photos is, or visited her during one of her work days? Of is finding a happy, wagging dog who seems healthy evidence enough that she’s not being mistreated?

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Baseball Fans Cry Foul Over Treatment of Panhandling Dog

A costumed dog named Coffee sits outside pro ballparks in NYC, pipe in mouth, for hours at a time (Photo from Facebook page "Stop Abusing Coffee")

The ASPCA is investigating the well-being of a costumed dog who sits outside New York City’s professional baseball stadiums for hours at a time, pipe in mouth, collecting money for her nearby owner.

Observers say she seems to be toothless, and wears a shock collar. Whenever she tries to lie down because of fatigue, she suddenly sits right back up – likely jolted into panhandling mode again by her owner.

Coffee in another getup (Photo: Jason Long, via MSNBC)

“Coffee is FORCED to sit outside Citi Field with a pipe in her mouth every Mets home game for hours on end with a shock collar on & no food, water or rest. Something needs to be done about this,” one baseball fan wrote on the wall of the Facebook page Stop Abusing Coffee, which calls for investigation of her possible abuse.

Jason Long, a baseball fan who could no longer stand to see Coffee’s situation, started the Stop Abusing Coffee Facebook page earlier this month when he watched the tired dog try to lie down, only to see her  immediately sit back up. It was clear to him that the shock collar was behind her decision not to lie down.

He decided to rally he public and animal welfare officials into action.

“Thousands and thousands of people go to Citi Field and Yankee Stadium unaware of Coffee’s suffering,” he told NBC New York. “The mission of the page is to bring animal cruelty awareness to the public and give Coffee a better forever home.”

Unfortunately, since receiving the allegations against Coffee’s owner, the ASPCA has not been able to locate Coffee. I hope the owner doesn’t go into hiding for too long, because if she’s not earning money for him, there may be more reasons to be concerned about her well-being.

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Panhandling Pooch’s Owner Interviewed, Says No Abuse

(Photo: Courtesy Gothamist)

Earlier today we brought you the story of Coffee the Dog, who baseball fans say is forced by her owner to sit outside New York City’s professional baseball stadiums for hours with no food or drink and a pipe in her mouth. Observers say that when she tries to lie down, her owner uses a shock collar to make her sit back up.

NBC New York found out who the owner is, and went to his apartment to interview him. Apparently he has been bringing Coffee to the stadiums for years. He says he is a professional dog handler, and claims no wrongdoing, He says the dog isn’t wearing a shock collar, but an ice collar. (Is that indeed a remote for a shock collar in the owner’s hand, as the photo claims? I know it’s not a remote for an ice collar. Could by some stretch of the imagination be a walky-talky?)

The owner told a reporter he rescued her from the streets. And a woman in the household says she has seen the owner give the dog water at the games. Contrary to previous reports, in the video Coffee has plenty of teeth (although it doesn’t look it in the photo above).

You can see the video on the NBC site. It doesn’t come with embed code for me to be able to include it here.

On the Facebook page Stop Abusing Coffee, readers said the interview was a sham, and that the owner had time to prepare the ice collar for the visit. One wrote: “The evidence is in the videos and pictures. 1. Shock Collar. 2. Trained to hold a pipe in her mouth not allowing her to pant. Pipe held in with adhesive 3. Sitting in her own Urine for hours. 4. Sitting in a straight up right position not being able to lay down. If goes to lay down jumps right up immediately because of shock 5. Sitting more then 6 hours with no food and water in sight. 6. Covered in clothes, sunglasses and bandana to hide the shock collar. 7. Pandhandling over $400 a night but claming $75 in tips. 8. Quoted as saying all money raised goes to animal shelters. This is all backed up by VIDEO AND PICTURES”

What do you think, Dogsters? The dog was very waggy when she got attention from the reporter; Could she be being treated decently after all? Or is there indeed foul play involved with making the pooch into a panhandler?

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