Mickey Rourke: Don't Eat Dogs! Mine Saved My Life

Mickey Rourke was seconds away from putting a bullet in his head, until one of his Chihuahuas gave him a look that melted his heart and made him put the gun down.

Rourke told the emotional story while attending the premiere of "Eating Happiness" -- a documentary about dog meat consumption in Asia. Mickey told reporters on Sunday night, "I was hurting myself and I was sitting in the closet one day. I couldn’t take it anymore and picked up a gun.”

He said, “I was deciding what part of my head to put it on and my dog, Beau Jack, looked over and he looked up at me like this and … he said [with his eyes], ‘Who’s going to look after me?"

Mickey added, "It made me put the gun down. I was ready to go.”

Page Six first reported Mickey's comments. He didn't mention the date of his suicide attempt, but it's been several years since we know Beau Jack died in 2002.

Mickey told the heart-wrenching story once before ... to Barbara Walters in 2009.