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 15-year-old girl denied a horse from her parents has turned to a cow to fulfil her riding dreams. Teenager Regina Mayer, from southern Germany, is able to ride her cow, Luna. She has even trained her bovine pet to soar over a beer-crate hurdle like a regular show jumper. Why, you may well ask, when most cow-owners are surely content to let the creatures chew and lactate and sit down to indicate the imminent arrival of rain? Well, Regina's parents wouldn't let her have a horse.

A body of a victim lies trapped in the debris after an earthquake hit, in Kathmandu, Nepal April 25, 2015. Rescue efforts in Nepal are intensifying after nearly 2,000 people were killed on Saturday in the worst earthquake there in more than 80 years. Many countries and charities have offered aid to deal with the disaster. Seventeen people have been killed on Mount Everest by avalanches – the mountain's worst-ever disaster. Meanwhile a powerful aftershock was felt on Sunday in Nepal, India and Bangladesh, and more avalanches were reported near Everest. (Photo by Navesh Chitrakar/Reuters)

Faithful jump into the waters of Fasilides Bath as part of a ceremony in which the waters are blessed by the priest of Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo church during the second day of Timket in Gondar, Ethiopia, January 20, 2016. “Timket”, the greatest Ethiopian festival of the year is to commemorate Jesus Christ's baptism in the Jordan River by John the Baptist. (Photo by Tiksa Negeri/Reuters)

A man performs ablution using water at an old fountain before performing prayers in the old city of Algiers Al Casbah, Algeria December 3, 2015. The Algiers Casbah is a UNESCO World heritage site that includes the Sidi Ramdane mosque and former fortress, 10 centuries old. Decay from the passing years, as well as earthquake damage in 2003, leads some to consider a move to modern apartments with financial backing from the government. Others refuse to leave a neighbourhood they have called home for decades. (Photo by Zohra Bensemra/Reuters)

People participate in a pillow fight to mark International Pillow Fight Day in the Heroes' Square, in central Budapest, Hungary, Saturday, April 2, 2016. The Pillow Fight Day attracts tens of thousands people in more than 100 cities all over the World each year. ((Photo by Zoltan Balogh/MTI via AP Photo)

Inmates are seen at the transgender gallery in La Joya prison on the outskirts of Panama City, Panama February 3, 2016. Inmates of La Joya prison on the outskirts of Panama City are housed in makeshift cells amid heavy overcrowding, living in grimy conditions and with limited medical attention. Many prisoners in the Central American nation languish for years without being sentenced. (Photo by Carlos Jasso/Reuters)

Iraqi soldiers work at a radio station at Makhmour base, Iraq April 17, 2016. The Iraqi army has set up a radio station at its base in Makhmour broadcasting into areas south of Mosul controlled by Islamic State militants. The radio, which reaches villages halfway to the northern city, broadcasts military anthems and messages to the more than one million civilians living there. Radio operators said their aim was to weaken the militants’ morale and reassure civilians that the military has not forgotten them after nearly two years under Islamic State control. (Photo by Ahmed Jadallah/Reuters)