A collection of whimsical cats in fantastical hats, created by Carol Cavalaris.

Paddington the Shar Pei dog and his best friend cat named Butler are perhaps the cutest pair you've ever seen. The two of them live with their owner Annie Jacob and three other cats in Tasmania on the south coast of Australia and are pretty much inseparable.

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

A man carrying butchered dogs drives past a pet dog at a dog meat market in Yulin, Guangxi Autonomous Region, June 21, 2015. (Photo by Kim Kyung-Hoon/Reuters)

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.