Artem, a serviceman of infantry battalion of the 61st mechanised brigade, pets a dog in a trench at a position near the frontline, in Kharkiv region, Ukraine on January 6, 2024. (Photo by Sofiia Gatilova/Reuters)

Pet dogs wearing sunglasses and face mask on board a tricycle are pictured in Chinatown district of Manila on January 20, 2023, ahead of the Lunar New Year of the Rabbit which falls on January 22. (Photo by Ted Aljibe/AFP Photo)

A confiscated pet lion poses with a dog as it arrived back home from the Phnom Tamao Wildlife Rescue Center after Prime Minister Hun Sen ordered authorities to return the animal in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, July 5, 2021. (Photo by Cindy Liu/Reuters)

Truffle hunter Carlo Marenda pets his dog Buc as they search for white truffles through the Langhe Countryside in Roddi, near Alba, north-western Italy, on November 8, 2020. Despite new measures to stop the spread of the Covid-19, truffles hunters are allowed to search in the countryside in Italy. (Photo by Marco Bertorello/AFP Photo)

It's often said that pets and their owners can start to look alike, but these adorable photographs take the old mantra to a new extreme. They are the work of Svetlana Valyiskaya (27), from St Petersburg, who snaps pets in everyday poses in her spare time from her job as a commercial photographer. The vibrant costumes and scenes, which Svetlana designs herself, have made the photos a hit in her native Russia – and it's not hard to see why. She said: “I really love animals, they are loyal, faithful and true and always interesting to work with – plus they never criticise the photographs afterwards”. (Photo by Svetlana Valyiskaya/Mercury)

Photographer and animal lover Chris Keeney shows how to use a PetCam with your own pet and offers expert technical know-how and inspiring creative suggestions to get you started. This is Coulee, a border collie/golden retriver mix from Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada. (Photo by Chris Keeney/Princeton Architectural Press)

A dog waits to be blessed by a priest outside San Anton Church in Mijas, near Malaga, Spain, January 17, 2017. Hundreds of pet owners bring their animals to be blessed every year on the day of Saint Anthony, Spain's patron saint of animals. (Photo by Jon Nazca/Reuters)

A trainer tries to convince a dog to jump over an obstacle during the Dog Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Sunday, September 18, 2016. Owner of the dog park and organizer of the animal event Marco Antonio Toto says his goal is to socialize humans and their pets while celebrating sports. (Photo by Silvia Izquierdo/AP Photo)