Coba, a 3-year-old chocolate lab and tactical explosives

Coba, a 3-year-old chocolate lab and tactical explosives detector dog, chews contently on a tennis ball as David Sheffer, her handler and a dog trainer with Vohne Liche Kennels in Denver, Ind., explains the capabilities of the dog, June 14, at the National Training Center on Fort Irwin, Calif., during a demonstration of Coba's abilities for 4th Stryker Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division Soldiers, role players and government civilians. Sheffer spent 10 days - from June 5 to 15 - escorting Coba to various companies and platoons across the brigade, which will soon select 25 handlers for training to lead a similar dog in Afghanistan when they deploy later this fall.