Which does not explain her lie. She would only lie about a live animal being a robot if she knew that she could not mail a live animal in that manner.
People lie when they believe they have more to gain from lying than telling the truth.
If she really believed it was a robot, she would never have put a battle of water next to it. Robots don’t need water bottles.
If she knew it was a dog, but didn’t want to pay the necessary cost of shipping a live animal to the buyer, she has a motivation for lying.
Who suggested she believed it was a robot? I don’t think anyone thinks she’s delusional....she’s just mentally incompetent. That’s why putting a bottle of water, which a puppy wouldn’t be able to open, doesn’t make any sense to people who ARE mentally competent. And neither does covering the holes you made with tape.