On a busy Saturday evening at Otopeni International Airport’s Terminal B, Lena and her German Shepherd, Rex, were patrolling the transit area. Rex suddenly became alert near an unattended brown suitcase close to the boarding gate. When the team opened it, they found a silent five-year-old girl hidden inside, surrounded by clothes and toys.

The girl, Ana, had been reported missing three days earlier after disappearing from a nearby park. Authorities suspected she was a victim of a child trafficking ring operating through airports. The kidnapper had fled when he noticed the inspection team approaching, leaving Ana abandoned in the suitcase.

Ana was taken to the hospital, where she was found unharmed but scared and dehydrated. When her mother, Irina, arrived at the airport and learned her daughter was safe, she embraced Lena tightly and whispered, “You saved my child’s life.”

The next day, images of Rex sitting beside the suitcase spread nationwide. Media outlets celebrated the rescue with headlines like “A Dog, a Heart, and a Life Saved at the Last Moment.” Rex became a symbol of hope, and Lena’s quiet heroism inspired many.