Two puppies abandoned in a suitcase were saved from being blown to smithereens as a suspected bomb when they started yapping at explosives experts.
Suspicious passers-by had called for police after spotting the battered blue suitcase sitting alone on a street corner in Prague, the capital of the Czech Republic.
The suspicious bag sparked a terrorist alert and officers called in the bomb squad to dispose of it with a controlled explosion.
Close shave: The two puppies are seen inside the suitcase where their owner abandoned them. They were nearly blown up by Czech bomb disposal experts after passers-by raised the alarm over the abandoned bag
But as bomb disposal experts gingerly approached the suspected suitcase bomb, the pups trapped inside began howling and whimpering.
'They heard some howling coming from inside and then the bag started moving,' explained police spokesman Jan Cihak.
'When they opened it they saw two mongrel puppies who were very pleased to see our men,' he added.
Healthy: As bomb disposal experts gingerly approached the suspected suitcase bomb, the pups trapped inside began howling and whimpering. They are now recovering at a local animal refuge
The four-month-old pups are now recovering from their close shave at a local animal refuge centre.
'They're fit, healthy animals - a boy and a girl - and it seems their owner simply abandoned them in the street,' added Mr Cihak
'We've had lots of calls from people who want to take them in.'