Photographer Lori Nix hand-crafted dioramas are fictional scenes of a post-apocalyptic world in which plants and decay reclaim both grand and mundane structures. Each structure is built in Nix's living room and can take over half a year to build. Photo: Library, 2007. Photographer Lori Nix says this is the most popular image she has made for this project that she calls “The City”. (Photo by Lori Nix)

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 woman jumps over a puddle as she crosses a street after a torrential downpour in the South Beach part of Miami, July 18, 2014. (Photo by Carlo Allegri/Reuters)

Old Heidelberg, Dog with Pipe, 1905. (Photo by Detroit Publishing Company)

Actress Michelle Rodriguez attends the Shane Black 9th annual Hallowen party held on October 31, 2003 in Hancock Park, Los Angeles. (Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images)

Cosplayers dressed as Star Wars characters Chewbacca (R) and Darth Vader talk at a Star Wars Day fan event in Tokyo May 4, 2015. Star Wars fans celebrate May 4 as Star Wars Day, a pun that comes from an iconic quote in the movie, “May the Force be with you”. (Photo by Toru Hanai/Reuters)

A gibbon drinks from a soft drink bottle, given by a tourist, at a zoo in Kunming, Yunnan province, June 18, 2015. (Photo by Wong Campion/Reuters)

Couples take part in the “Love and Challenge Marathon” in Hanoi, Vietnam, 16 August 2015. Fifty couples, who are going to get married, participated in the event which is held the fifth time. This year, the winners of the marathon received a honeymoon trip to Malaysia. (Photo by Luong Thai Linh/EPA)