People’s pets are essential to their day-to-day lives. One pet owner may wake up to the delight of having a cat on her head. Another is “protected” from the UPS guy or the mailman or feels loved when their cat climbs up on their lap, only to feel a warm substance dribbling down their leg (don’t ask). Pet owners get exercise from walking their dogs or just from chasing them around the house. Though they may come with pros and cons, pets provide their owners with the constant unwavering companionship that we all want and need. They’re very important to to our lives, and we wouldn’t be complete without them.

This winter, photojournalist Sarah Slaten interviewed a variety of people about living with pets. This week’s Tuesday Top 10 tells the meaningful stories of people and (more importantly) their animals.

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