A stray dog rescued a family from serious harm when it urinated on a bomb which had been left in front of their home and disabled it by extinguishing the fuse.

The attackers had left the explosive device in front of the family’s home in the El Porvenir district in Trujillo, Peru, on 29th November.

A neighbour saw the bomb that was by that point in a puddle of wee and notified the family, who were inside the home.

An unnamed family member told local media: “The neighbour knocked on the door early, at 6 in the morning, we were sleeping.”

She said: “The dog must have turned the device off because the ground was wet, next to the explosive.

“The wick was wet, and there was a large urine stain next to it.”

According to local media, the motive for leaving the bomb was extortion.

However, the family believe the alleged extortionists targeted them by mistake as they are dedicated to the sale of natural products and are not rich.

The agents from the National Police of Peru who came to the scene then deactivated the explosive after the stray dog disabled it, according to local media.

In another twist, it was revealed that the caretaker of the building usually put bleach on the walls to discourage dogs from urinating there, but on the day of the attack, had forgotten to do it.

Authorities are investigating the motive and the perpetrators.