A daring rescue engineered by a Slovakian beauty pageant winner has saved the life of a kidnapped dog that was thought to have been killed, according to a press release issued Friday by the Danish State Security Office.  Authorities said the pug dog Gustl, owned by Slovenian forward Anze Kopitar, had been held by Russian mob members who threatened to kill it if Moscow failed to rebound in their playoff series with Copenhagen. Danish authorities would not implicate Russian president Vladimir Putin in the kidnapping plot. Putin said he has launched an investigation into the incident and promised to punish those responsible.

Moscow lost in four games, but in the tense final moments of Game 4, with Spartak pressing for the tying goal that never came, Miss Slovakia was able to slip into the Russians’ hotel unnoticed (Uh huh, sure). She located and grabbed Gustl, making it to the street below before the mobsters rushed outside, looking for the dog. Miss Slovakia said the only thing she could think of doing at that point was walking naturally and pretending she wasn’t scared for her life. That seemed to work. “The men didn’t even seem to notice the dog. It was like Gustl was invisible,” she told Danish authorities.

The pair was able to evade the Russians and leave Denmark thanks to a series of disguises and transportation changes. Gustl changed identities at least eight times during the escape, officials said.

Authorities said the closest Gustl came to getting recaptured was in Maribo, near the country’s southern coast, when the pug stepped outside a shack he was hiding out in. He heard Russians turning the corner of a nearby building and quickly “played dead.” The mobsters apparently looked Gustl over for several minutes, but did not check to see if he was breathing. They concluded the dog was indeed dead and left after a while. Gustl quickly donned a biker disguise to escape further toward the coast and an awaiting boat. Miss Slovakia said she is trying to reach Mr. Kopitar but admitted she will have a tough time giving up Gustl. “He treats me like a person – not a piece of meat – and he’s the cutest man I’ve ever been with.”