Disabled dogs outfitted with wheelchairs walk at an animal rescue center on July 12, 2008 in Chengdu of Sichuan Province, China. The center has adopted over 100 stray dogs and cats from quake-struck areas. Those who were hurt or disabled are outfitted with a cart to help support they're body and make them mobile. (Photo by China Photos/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 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)

Performers participate in the Day of the Dead parade on Mexico City's main Reforma Avenue, Saturday, October 28, 2017. Mexico's capital is holding its Day of the Dead parade, an idea actually born out of the imagination of a scriptwriter for the James Bond movie “Spectre”. (Photo by Eduardo Verdugo/AP Photo)

London's Regent Street was transformed into a festive wonderland as over 800,000 revellers enjoyed the Hamleys annual Christmas Toy Parade on November 19, 2017 in London, England. (Photo by Tristan Fewings/Getty Images for Hamleys)

Atmosphere at the 84th Annual Hollywood Christmas Parade held at The Roosevelt Hotel on November 29, 2015 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Zuma Wire/Rex Shutterstock)

Boys dressed in historical uniforms stand before a military parade in Red Square in Moscow November 7, 2014. The parade marked the anniversary of the 1941 parade when Soviet soldiers marched through the Red Square towards the front lines of World War Two. (Photo by Maxim Shemetov/Reuters)