A musher races with his dogs during a sled dog European Championship in Venek November 22, 2014. (Photo by Laszlo Balogh/Reuters)

The more representative dogs from every country photographed wearing the uniform of their football national team for Life on White

A dog and its owner perform a routine in the main arena on Day three of Crufts at the Birmingham NEC Arena on March 10, 2012 in Birmingham, England. (Photo by Dan Kitwood/Getty Images)

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.

A Sloth Bear recently befriended a human family in Lakhapada village in India. While he was never domesticated, the sloth bear chose to bond with the family and become more than a pet, he was a member of the family.

A Dandy Dinnmont Terrier is displayed at the World Dog Show in Rho, near Milan, Italy, Saturday, June 13, 2015. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno)