Meet the Mets’ newest scandal.
The famed pipe-smoking “Mets Dogs” who pose for pics with fans outside Citi Field are drawing renewed protests from activists who are slamming the gig as “absolutely cruel.”
Decked out in a Mets jersey, cowboy hat and sunglasses, Lia the canine is one of four pitbulls who have worked every home game for 17 years in rain or shine — and who prompted angry animal lovers such as Greenpoint, Brooklyn’s, Mike Amory to show up at Wednesday’s game with a sign calling out the dog’s owner.
“I love going to the games and this is a black mark on those games. I think a lot of fans feel the same way and if enough of us come together and say, we are sick of seeing this, we can pressure this guy out,” said the 34 year old, who has been protesting outside the stadium every home game since August.
There have been protests and petitions over the alleged dog abuse since owner Charlie Fernandez first started the photo op gig with pups Coffee, Sushi and Lola 16 years ago — but outrage simmered in recent years after the calls to action were met with silence.
Amory, a licensed therapist, renewed the protests this month after hearing rumblings on social media that Lia was being forced into submission via shock collar hidden beneath her bandana.
“It’s just seeing that dog in all weather, wearing tons of clothing and it could be like 100 degrees out, it could be raining. I was out here when it was raining a couple weeks ago. Dog’s out there in the rain. Without an umbrella,” said Amory.
The Brooklynite dresses up with a dog snout, ears and paws — and a pipe in his mouth to match Lia’s — and begs people to donate to animal activist funds or the Pete Alonso Foundation rather than supporting the alleged abuse.
“You’re not seeing the dog walk around. You’re not seeing it really engage. It’s very subdued. It’s just kind of sitting there. It creates a visceral feeling. That doesn’t seem right to me.”
But Fernandez denied he was abusing his four Mets dogs, pointing to the water bowl stationed next to the dog’s donation box. Lia did not drink the water while The Post was in attendance Wednesday.
“I am not abusing no animals. I train animals. I educate animals,” the self-professed dog trainer told The Post in Spanish, saying he doesn’t ask for money from fans despite his sign that reads: “Thank you for the picture. But don’t forget. I don’t like cheap people.”
At The Post’s request, Fernandez stripped Lia of her Mets garb to prove she wasn’t wearing a shock collar. Instead, the dog’s bandana was lined with ice packs that were no longer cold.
After an NYPD referral, the ASPCA has investigated reports of abuse but found no evidence of abuse or neglect, the organization confirmed.
A rep for the Mets told The Post: “The New York Mets organization is in no way affiliated with this individual and their dog and do not condone their behavior.”
Fernandez claimed he was the true victim following Amory’s protests, showing The Post Instagram DMs calling him an animal abuser.
“If the dog were tired, he would yawn and open his mouth and he would drop the pipe. But my dog is not tired. You can never make a dog do something that it doesn’t want to do. If the dog wouldn’t like the pipe it would just spit it out,” Fernandez said.
On Wednesday, two other protesters silently joined Amory as thousands of fans streamed into the arena to watch the Mets demolish the Phillies, 6-0.
One woman grabbed one of Amory’s signs and shouted at a pack of strangers who had thrown money into Lia’s money bucket: “Don’t give them money!”
“This guy has a dog out here for hours. It doesn’t matter if it’s freezing cold, or boiling hot,” the woman, who declined to share her name, told The Post.
Fans on Wednesday were split on whether Lia and her fellow canines were suffering abuse.
Dog owner Justin Guardino, 26, from Queens, worried that Lia does not exhibit signs of a healthy animal.
“From what I read, a dog is supposed to pant. I have never seen him pant. He’s got the stupid pipe in his mouth … Every single game to have him out here for hours and hours. It just feels a little wrong,” he said.
Attorney John Winton, 31, agreed, calling the situation “absolutely cruel and ridiculous.”
“I’ve been coming to Mets games for years. It’s just not safe dog ownership. It’s not normal dog behavior, and it’s absolutely animal cruelty, and it’s a shame the Mets haven’t done more to stop it, and it’s a shame that the NYPD hasn’t done more to stop it,” he said.
Longtime Mets fan Bonnie Paley, 66, however, said she saw “no problem” with the act.
“He’s not doing anything,” Paley said. “I’ve been coming to a few Mets games for years and I’ve always seen his dogs. And I find that it’s very entertaining. I don’t see no cruelty.”
Tom Nyhus, 63, agreed, saying: “I see people dress up their dogs in lots of different things. sweaters in wintertime, mittens on their paws, is that abuse? … I just think she likes to hold the pipe in her mouth.”
Bobby S., 62, said seeing the dog was “part of coming to a Mets game.”
As the area outside stadium cleared for the first pitch Wednesday, Fernandez undressed Lia, collected her belongings and returned home, saying he’d be back with one of his other canines to greet fans when the game concluded.
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