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.

David Nickerson, 28, competes dressed as artist Bob Ross, during the ZJ Boarding House Halloween Surf Contest in Santa Monica, California October 26, 2013. (Photo by Lucy Nicholson/Reuters)

A musher handler with Alan Eischens team embraces one of Eischen's dogs just before the ceremonial start of the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race that begins a near 1,000-mile (1,600-km) journey through Alaska’s frigid wilderness in downtown Anchorage, Alaska March 5, 2016. (Photo by Nathaniel Wilder/Reuters)

A dog catches a wave during the Surf City Surf Dog Contest in Huntington Beach, California September 27, 2015. (Photo by Lucy Nicholson/Reuters)