The internet is abuzz with news of Coffee the dog and her alleged abuse before New York Mets and occasionally New York Yankees games. Apparently frequent attendees of New York MLB games see Coffee before every game at one stadium or the other, no matter if there is rain, shine, or thunderstorms. She is forced to wear ridiculous costumes, like that of Groucho Marx wearing a Mets jersey. While Coffee’s owner is not the first person to dress their pooch in humiliating attire, it is that added on top of the other allegations that have MLB and dog fans in an uproar.

According to the Facebook page, Stop Abusing Coffee, the poor pooch 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 &amp; no food, water or rest. Something needs to be done about this.” Coffee’s <a href="http://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/StopAbusingCoffee"><span style="color: #0000ff;">Facebook </span></a>page has over 5,000 fans and building quickly.

There are photos surfacing which prove she is wearing a shock collar, as well as photos that show Coffee missing the majority, if not all, of her teeth.  When you start scrolling through the photos on her  Facebook page, you are made all too aware of how she is being mistreated. She is basically being used as a circus animal in order to beg for donations to support her owner.

A petition has been started at <a href="http://www.thepetitionsite.com/15/stop-abusing-coffee-the-dog-meant-to-sit-with-a-pipe/"><span style="color: #0000ff;">The Petition Site</span></a> to try to liberate Coffee if you are interested in signing. I did. It would be nice if members of the NY Mets organization would speak out with their thoughts as well. Although Coffee is not affiliated with the Mets, they should have some “pull” as to what goes on in their front yard.

For more information, there is an interesting <a href="http://deadspin.com/5804023/this-poor-dog-is-forced-to-sit-outside-mets-games-with-a-pipe-in-its-mouth"><span style="color: #0000ff;">Deadspin </span></a>article out on Coffee's abuse as well.

Photo credit: Facebook/Stop Abusing Coffee