Throughout the course of the long war in Afghanistan, Coalition troops have relied on thousands of military working dogs to help keep them safe, and make their jobs easier. The dogs are trained to detect explosives, to find illegal drugs, to search for missing comrades, or target enemy combatants. Not only are they active on the front lines, but behind the lines they serve as therapy dogs, service dogs, and loyal companions. They also share the same risks as the ground troops, suffering injuries and sometimes death on the battlefields. Gathered here are images of these dogs and their handlers in Afghanistan and back home, from over the past several years, part of the ongoing series here on Afghanistan.

Danila Shmelev, an artist from Moscow, Russia, works on a 3-D picture in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Monday, February 27, 2017. Artists who focus on 3-D pictures have gathered in Dubai for the Dubai Canvas 3-D Art Festival, which runs from March 1 through March 7. (Photo by Jon Gambrell/AP Photo)

In this May 3, 2016 photo provided by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, a deer with its head caught in the globe from a lighting fixture over its head stands in the woods in Centereach, N.Y. The deer was able to extricate itself with the help of Environmental Conservation Officer, Jeff Hull. Hull wrestled with the deer for a while and the globe shook free in the process. (Photo by New York State Department of Environmental Conservation via AP Photo)

Seehund “Bruno” looks out of his transport box before making his way to the water on the beach of the island of Juist, Germany on August 14, 2013. Four young seals were released after six weeks of recovery at a rescue station in Norden-Norddeich. (Photo by Carmen Jaspersen/AFP Photo/DPA)

Robert Price of TREWGrip LLC demonstrates a TREWGrip handheld rear-type keyboard and air mouse for Apple and Android tablets at the “CES: Unveiled”, media preview for International CES, at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center in Las Vegas on January 5, 2014. (Photo by Robyn Beck/AFP Photo)

This handout photograph released by Taipei City Zoo on July 11, 2013 shows a newly-born panda cub of giant panda Yuan Yuan in an incubator at Taipei Zoo in Taipei. The public will have to wait three months to catch a glimpse of the first panda born in Taiwan, officials said after she was successfully delivered by parents who were gifted from China. (Photo by AFP Photo/Taipei City Zoo)

People in costume take photos during a Halloween event on October 31, 2015 in Lan Kwai Fong, Central District, Hong Kong. Halloween, a named taken from 'All Hallows' Even' falls on the day before All Saints' Day on November 1, a holiday when Christians remember their deceased loved ones. (Photo by Jerome Favre/Getty Images)

A hot air balloon flies close to the ground in the Jezreel Valley in northern Israel during an international hot air balloon festival October 14, 2014. (Photo by Nir Elias/Reuters)