A stray dog is getting credit for thwarting a prison breakout in Paraguay and a yellow labrador helps to sniff out stolen money in Argentina.  

Officials say three dangerous inmates dug a 26-foot tunnel leading from their cell to the street, and were about to break free just before dawn. That’s when the stray started doing what comes naturally – barking – which put an end to the escape.

Authorities at the Tacumbu prison on the southern edge of the capital, Asuncion, dragged the unlucky prisoners before the media to tell the tale.

“Because of a stray dog we couldn’t escape,” complained Hilario Villalba.

“When I reached the street, sticking my head out, the stupid dog barked and alerted a guard.”Villalba, who is serving a 30-year double-murder sentence, vowed in his native Guarani language that he’ll keep trying to escape because he said his sentence isn’t fair.

Meanwhile in neighboring Argentina, a yellow labrador named Tiza alerted border guards to a motorist trying to smuggle $110,000 in $100 bills into Uruguay. The driver denied carrying any money, but the dog sniffed out the bills hidden in the glove compartment, another compartment and inside the rear seats, Argentina’s tax collection agency announced.

The domestic dog (Canis lupus familiaris), is a subspecies of the gray wolf (Canis lupus), a member of the Canidae family of the mammalian order “Carnivora.” The term “domestic dog” is generally used for both domesticated and feral varieties. The dog may have been the first animal to be domesticated, and has been the most widely kept working, hunting, and companion animal in human history.

The present lineage of dogs was domesticated from gray wolves about 15,000 years ago. Remains of domesticated dogs have been found in Siberia and Belgium from about 33,000 years ago.