Owners claiming insurance for 'depressed' dogs

http://www.thisismoney.co.uk/money/news/article-3202604/Is-dog-depressed-Pet-owners-turn-insurance-policies-psychological-help-poorly-pooches.html

Seriously?

Increasingly busy work lives and a rise in internet use are being blamed for many animals being ignored at home — triggering a surge in levels of anxiety, depression and poor behaviour.

I think this should sum it up! The anxiety/'depression' is the fault of the owner! Why on Earth are people trying to claim insurance money for something like this? A lot of people lead busy lives, and yet they still manage to care for their dogs. Running the risk of sounding cruel, but dogs are a luxury animal. If a person lives such a busy life that they can't spare time to care for an animal properly, why on Earth would they get one?

I know that situations change, and I sympathise with cases where a person suddenly has to change jobs/move house/other or has just adopted a previously abused/neglected dog, which may take time to repair. But aside from this, unless there's a medical reason for a dog's malaise, why would money from an insurance company solve it? I really don't like the idea of using drugs to lift a dog's mood, when the problem could be rectified simply by the owner taking proper care of the dog.

Pauline and Colin Attridge from Addlestone, Surrey, became worried after their new rescue dog Amber appeared unhappy in their home.

The two-year-old Spitz cross breed barked constantly and was always extremely nervous when people or animals it did not know were around.

The Attridges, who are life-long dog owners, feared that a traumatic episode in Amber’s previous life must be behind the problems.

Though their dog hadn’t attacked anyone, the Attridges feared for the safety of their young grandchildren when they were playing with the pet.

So the couple took her to the vet, who diagnosed anxiety and devised a plan to help her relax and improve behaviour.

This includes using a hand-held device to communicate with Amber through clicks to let her know if she is behaving correctly.

Pauline, 73, a retired nurse, says: ‘Amber is much quieter and calmer now.

‘When she is in a situation where previously she would become upset, she is as good as gold.’

This is something I can understand. The dog was unhappy through no fault of the owners and clearly benefited from the clicker training.