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Last year when I gave up my day job to stay home and write full time I thought my dogs would be so excited not to have to spend their weekdays in their crates. I assumed they would love me more because I would be home with them all day, every day, instead of just on weekends. I envisioned them lounging in their little beds in my study, sleeping happily. But I was wrong.   My ten-year-old Chihuahua (Pedro) ignored me most of the day, unless he had to go outdoors. He would sleep on the sofa in the living room and I would barely know he was there. However, my two-year-old miniature Dachshund (Hazel) sat by my feet under my desk and whined most of the day. She wanted attention and hated that I spent more time on my computer writing than I did playing with her.   But then things changed. This year, Hazel is perfectly content with sitting at my feet. She only whines occasionally and usually for a good reason. She either has to go out or she's bored. But Pedro is now behaving so strangely. He climbs into one of the little beds in the corner of my study, but he has to be covered (head and all) with a blanket. And guess who has to cover him every time he moves? He has to go out almost every hour, and not to do his business. Sometimes he just wants to sit out in the yard or nose around in the shrubbery. We have an electric fence so I do not need to worry about him leaving the yard, but I have to worry about him getting sunburned. He doesn't have much hair left and the vet told us to be careful not to let him get too much sun. In fact, I have to dress him in polo shirts in the summer months to protect him from the sun. She even suggested putting goggles on him. Though I don't think Pedro would go for that.   Now instead of clothes shopping online for me, I find myself shopping for my seven-pound little guy. I had no idea how many things there were to buy for dogs. And they are so darn cute. You could actually go broke.   So, while I find my dogs to be quite annoying at times, how can you not love them?