An unusual animal rescue played out along a North Carolina highway when passersby noticed an abandoned suitcase mysteriously “moving” by itself.
A closer inspection revealed four live puppies were zipped inside, according to Guilford County Animal Services.
It happened Saturday, Sept. 17, and agency officials are lauding the good Samaritans who stopped to investigate.
Their identity and details of where in the county the suitcase was found were not released. Guilford County is about 75 miles west of Raleigh, along Interstate 40.
“They saw the suitcase moving, and a nose was poking out of an unzipped corner. There were four puppies in the suitcase,” shelter officials said. “They were shocked as to what they found, and immediately brought them to the shelter.”
People are also reading…
The four puppies, all female, are about 10 weeks old and are believed to be “Labrador/pit bull mixes.” The shelter has given them “suitcase/travel names,” including Tumi, Samsonite, Stowaway, and Carion (carry on).
The couple who found the suitcase brought it to the shelter along with the puppies, but an inspection of it gave no indication of an owner.
“This was a first for us,” shelter officials said. “These puppies will now be medically evaluated and hopefully up for adoption or rescue soon.”
News of the rescue has gotten hundreds of reactions on social media, with most lauding the rescuers and condemning whoever left the dogs trapped.
“This just breaks my heart and makes me so angry all at the same time,” one woman wrote on the shelter’s Facebook page. “It’s so cruel. They all had to be terrified.”
Photos: Ukrainians fleeing war can't leave pets behind
A woman holds a dog while crossing the Irpin River on an improvised path under a bridge as people flee the town of Irpin, Ukraine, Saturday, March 5, 2022. (AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda)
A refugee who fled the Russian invasion from neighboring Ukraine comforts her dog as they sit in a ballroom converted into a makeshift refugee shelter at a 4-star hotel & spa, in Suceava, Romania, Friday, March 4, 2022.(AP Photo/Andreea Alexandru)
A puppy peers his head from a pet carrier after his owner fled the conflict from neighboring Ukraine at the Romanian-Ukrainian border, in Siret, Romania, Sunday, Feb. 27, 2022. (AP Photo/Andreea Alexandru)
A Ukrainian girl pets her cat in her coat inside Lviv railway station, Monday, Feb. 28, 2022, in Lviv, west Ukraine. (AP Photo/Bernat Armangue)
Julia Lazarets plays with her cat Gabriel, after fleeing Ukraine and arriving at the train station in Przemysl, Poland, Tuesday, March 8, 2022. (AP Photo/Daniel Cole)
Katya holds her two dogs after fleeing from Ukraine, at the border crossing in Medyka, Poland, Wednesday, March 9, 2022. (AP Photo/Visar Kryeziu)
A refugee holding her dog sits by the side of the road approaching the border with Poland in Shehyni, Ukraine, Sunday, March 6, 2022. (AP Photo/Daniel Cole)
Ukrainian servicemen help a woman carrying a small dog across the Irpin River on an improvised path while assisting people fleeing the town of Irpin, Ukraine, Saturday, March 5, 2022. (AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda)
A refugee holding a small dog gives a sip of tea to a toddler after fleeing the conflict from neighboring Ukraine, as they sit in a bus at the Romanian-Ukrainian border, in Siret, Romania, Friday, March 4, 2022. (AP Photo/Andreea Alexandru)
A girl comforts a cat before the departure of a Lviv-bound train in Kyiv, Ukraine, Thursday, March 3, 2022. (AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda)
A Ukrainian girl and her cat wait at the platform inside Lviv railway station, Sunday, Feb. 27, 2022, in Lviv, west Ukraine. (AP Photo/Bernat Armangue)
A refugee who fled the Russian invasion from neighboring Ukraine comforts his dog as they sit in a ballroom converted into a makeshift refugee shelter at a 4-star hotel & spa, in Suceava, Romania, Friday, March 4, 2022. (AP Photo/Andreea Alexandru)
A dog named Josephine licks a Ukrainian woman reunited with her sister after crossing the border from Ukraine at the Romanian-Ukrainian border, in Siret, Romania, Friday, Feb. 25, 2022. (AP Photo/Andreea Alexandru)
A refugee fleeing the conflict from neighboring Ukraine wipes away tears after seeing a relative at the Romanian-Ukrainian border, in Siret, Romania, Monday, March 7, 2022. (AP Photo/Andreea Alexandru)
A woman from neighboring Ukraine sits with her dog at a train station that was turned into an accommodation center in Przemysl, Poland, on Thursday, Feb. 24, 2022. (AP Photo/Petr David Josek)
A couple talks after people rushed to board a Lviv-bound train in Kyiv, Ukraine, Monday, Feb. 28, 2022. (AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda)
Antonina, 84 years old, sits in a wheelchair after being evacuated along with her 12 dogs from Irpin, at a triage point in Kyiv, Ukraine, Friday, March 11, 2022. A large scale evacuation operation of residents of a satellite area of capital Kyiv continued Friday, with more and more people deciding to leave areas now under Russian control.(AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda)
