
Animal control officials have examined Coffee, the dog often seen panhandling outside Mets and Yankees games in New York City, and say the pooch bears “no signs of abuse or neglect.”
The dog, which is typically dressed in baseball jerseys and earns $75 in a day’s work, was examined Wednesday by the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.
It was determined that she bore no signs of abuse or neglect,” the ASPCA said in a statement. “The ASPCA will continue to monitor this situation and be prepared to take action, in the event that any New York State animal cruelty laws are being violated.”
The owner, Norberto Fernandez, of Queens, New York said he is a professional dog trainer who rescued the pooch from the streets and taught it to pose and hold a pipe in its mouth.
“All I do is train dogs and people are starting to hate on me — they’re surprised of all the tricks my dog can do,” Fernandez said.
The dog wears a Wright No. 5 jersey for Mets games, pinstripes for Yankee games and has a plastic container for donations at her feet when she is working.
Some animal lovers have alleged that she works without water or rest — allegations Fernandez denies.
Outcry over Coffee’s situation prompted the creation of a Facebook page, ” HYPERLINK “http://www.facebook.com/StopAbusingCoffee” \t “_blank” Stop Abusing Coffee,” that has more than 8,200 fans.
Some of Coffee’s Facebook followers also insist she wears a shock collar.
The dog owner’s daughter, Wendy Fernandez, says Coffee does not wear such a device, and an ASPCA veterinarian found no evidence of one on Wednesday.
Norberto Fernandez said that the collar that Coffee is seen wearing can be filled with ice to keep the pooch cool when she wears a baseball jersey in the summer heat.
Story by Elaine Furst for Dog Files
View more videos at: http://nbcnewyork.com.






