In this first week of April, we were so glad once again see the enthusiasm that our readers have for sharing their photos of their beloved pets — and their ability to capture the essence of each of them.

A couple of weeks ago, we posted a video of a dog who found a steadfast playmate in, of all things, an otter!

This week's theme, "best animal buddies," is based on the premise that animals forge relationships with each other. This slideshow shows very essence of what animals are so adept at teaching the rest of us: Love one another.

You'll see photos of pets (and wild animals) who have cultivated friendships like no other. We've included a special story of a Doberman who rescued and "mothered" a litter of bunnies.

Would you like to see your pet in next week's slideshow?

Participating in our weekly photo blog is easy! Simply email a photo of your pet to ppsa2mi@gmail.com any time for our weekly Pet Photo Friday feature.

Be sure to include the name of the animals, as well as their ages and city or township of residence in your email. Photos should be 1200 pixels wide and in .jpg format.

We put the week's photos into a slideshow, publish and promote each Friday here in the Pets section.

Lorrie Shaw is leads the pets section for AnnArbor.com. Follow her daily pet adventures on Twitter.