It was in the news this morning - somebody checked in a suitcase at the international Miami, FL airport with suspicious odor. They've checked, didn't find anything prohibited. The airport did not experience any delays.

Now, what possibly could smell in a suitcase? Spilled liquids? Parfume? Oils and vinegars? Forgotten sandwich?

What could've smelled so strongly as to cause sniffing dogs and police squad to be brought to that suitcase?

I had a sniffing dog double check me once. That morning, before I left, I had a cat laying on my leg. When the dog went through the room, he sniffed and started to pass and then re-sniffed EXACTLY where the cat's bottom had been on my leg. I hate to think what he was smelling, but it wasn't any illegal substance. I would think that perhaps if a dog or cat had pee'd on a suitcase that it might be extremely enticing to take a second whiff.

But these were people, the luggage employees, who first felt the odor. They called sniffing dogs and whoever else.

Our small hard-sided suitcase has a perpetual smell of olive tapenade from the time that a jar smashed en route. Nothing we've tried will made the odor go away--good thing it's not a nasty smell!

Kind of related:

From what I heard on a news report on the radio this afternoon here in SoCal:

"Today in Oxnard, a police dog was supposed to take a bite out of crime, but instead, he took a bite out of the Chief of Police. A suspect stole a vehicle and gave chase with police officers following him. When they stopped the officers chased the man and brought out a police dog, which then bit the Chief in the leg and held on until the handling unit arrived to call the dog off."

Ouch!! I wonder <b>what <i>he</i> smelled like!</b>

Faina, if it was the people that first smelled it, then it could have been anything. Sniffing dogs are pretty well-trained, but people don't get any training on how to distinguish smells.

If could have had mothball smells, pest control sprays (think of things that might be used in a storage/attic area), or perhaps the kids were playing with it and spilled something in it.

Don't know about odors people can smell but my last air trip with checked luggage I realized that the suitcase I was using had previously been stuffed with fireworks - I was worried the residue would trigger something, but it did not.