Brush your teeth and get cleaned up for the week ahead! These animals answered the call of good dental hygiene. Here: Hamster holds toothbrush. (Photo by Neo Vision/Getty Images/Amana Images RM)

A massive sand storm cloud is close to enveloping a military camp as it rolls over Al Asad, Iraq, April 27, 2005. (Photo by Cpl. Alicia M. Garcia, U.S. Marine Corps/Reuters/U.S. Department of Defense)

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.

Zhang Jinduo's wife tries on a self-made racing car on the outskirts of Shenyang, Liaoning province May 10, 2008. Zhang, the 53-year-old local farmer made the racing car with the help of his son who is a car mechanic. The car is equipped with a rear-mounted motorcycle engine and can achieve 60-80 km per hour, according to local media. (Photo by Reuters/Stringer)

Model Bar Refaeli arrives at amfAR's Cinema Against AIDS 2007 at Le Moulin de Mougins on May 23, 2007 in Mougins, France. The amfAR Foundation raises funds for research, education and treatment of AIDS/HIV worldwide.

Actress Penelope Cruz attends a photocall promoting the film “Chromophobia” at the Palais during the 58th International Cannes Film Festival May 21, 2005 in Cannes, France. (Photo by M. J. Kim/Getty Images)

A motorcycle fitted out to look like a giant telephone in an effort by the GPO to bring home to the public the importance of the phone. The dial on the wheel bears the slogan, “The World at Your Finger Tips”. (Photo by Topical Press Agency/Getty Images). 20th June 1932

“Sir Thomas John Woodward, Officer of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (OBE), (born 7 June 1940), known by his stage name Tom Jones, is a Welsh singer, particularly noted for his powerful voice. Since the mid 1960s, Jones has sung many styles of popular music – pop, rock, R&B, show tunes, country, dance, techno, soul and gospel – and sold over 100 million records”. – Wikipedia

Photo: Singer Tom Jones with a small potted plant, 17th February 1965. (Photo by Bob Haswell/Express/Getty Images)