Originally Posted by LoveMyJake  I agree with you that people should speak up sooner, but it's not as easy as that sometimes. I did speak up to people about her in order to avoid another puppy going into her home. I tried to do it "behind the scenes", if you will, because I didn't want to stir up any trouble on YT. I did not know about the money Janell loaned her until AFTER I had already brought Lily home. I didn't feel that it was my place to say anything about that because I knew that Janell was giving her time to pay. You have to realize how very hard the whole situation was for me. I thought long and hard before I actually spoke up to people. I knew in my heart that I was doing the right thing, but it wasn't easy to do. The last thing I wanted to do was to publicly humiliate Willow. I knew that I had to try to stop anymore puppies from going into that home, but I wanted to go about it in a way that would save embarrassment to all involved. I also did not know many of the people involved so I wasn't sure how they would perceive me. At the time, things were very rough because I was trying to care for a very sick puppy, and I didn't want to put myself in a situation where I would have to defend myself if I had exposed her publicly. My one regret is that I didn't take pictures while I was there. I did take my camera and had intended to take pictures of Lily and the other puppies with Willow. But, once I saw the living conditions and how sick Lily truly was, my main concern was getting her home and taking care of her. After Lily passed, I had a very hard time. I had been caring for her 24/7, so I got attached to her very quickly. I had convinced myself that she would be okay, and she did seem to get so much better at first. I even blamed myself, thinking that maybe I didn't do enough. I felt like I had failed Lily. So, I was dealing with alot of different emotions at the time. I still have a hard time with it. But, I knew that once Janell posted about her, that I needed to also speak up. I don't want anyone to ever have to go through what my husband and I did. And, I don't want any other little innocent puppy to go into that home. Many, many people knew the truth. I even got a nasty PM from someone who was mad that I got Lily so young. Yes, I got her very young. I would never ever do that normally. I honestly felt it was in Lily's best interest to come home with me. It wasn't a decision I made easily. I wanted to help her in any way I could. I wanted her to get good vet care and to at least have a chance at life. And, I knew that even if she was not going to make it, that she would at least be able to experience being loved and cared for in the short time she was here. That is the one thing in all of this mess that I know for sure. Lily KNEW that she was very much loved.
So, I feel that although I did not speak up publicly, I did everything I could to make sure no other puppy went to Willow. I felt so relieved when I found that the sale was cancelled. I felt like I possibly saved one more little innocent life. I probably should have tried to do more, and I apologize for that. |