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)

A 15-year-old girl denied a horse from her parents has turned to a cow to fulfil her riding dreams. Teenager Regina Mayer, from southern Germany, is able to ride her cow, Luna. She has even trained her bovine pet to soar over a beer-crate hurdle like a regular show jumper. Why, you may well ask, when most cow-owners are surely content to let the creatures chew and lactate and sit down to indicate the imminent arrival of rain? Well, Regina's parents wouldn't let her have a horse.

A replica of the truck made from matchsticks by Janusz Urbanski is pictured at his flat in Ruda Slaska, Poland May 4, 2016. Janusz Urbanski has a one of a kind chessboard he never plays, a personalised guitar he does not strum and a boat he cannot sail. Why? They are all made from tens of thousands of matches. For the last 40 years, the former Polish miner and ironworker has harboured a passion to build replicas of objects, buildings and famous sites with just matchsticks and glue. (Photo by Kacper Pempel/Reuters)

This combination photo of images released by HBO shows Emilia Clarke portraying Daenerys Targaryen in “Game of Thrones”. The final season of the popular series premieres on April 14. (Photo by HBO via AP Photo)

The popular K-pop group Blackpink watch the fireworks at Etihad Park from the stage at the end of the show in Abu Dhabi on Saturday, February 4, 2023. (Photo by Live Nation Entertainment)

Colored Pencil and Origami Landscapes: Ivanova's version of the popular Snake game features a chain-link origami snake chasing a butterfly. (Photo by Victoria Ivanova)

Ecuadorean spontaneous bullfighters participate in a popular bull festival called Las Canteras del Antisana at Pinantura village on the base of the Antisana volcano in Quito, November 28, 2015. (Photo by Guillermo Granja/Reuters)

A shoe and a plastic halloween pumpkin are pictured at the scene where a stampede during Halloween festivities killed and injured many people at the popular Itaewon district in Seoul, South Korea on October 30, 2022. (Photo by Yonhap via Reuters)