In 1950s and 1960s Russia was using stray dogs for sub-orbital and orbital space flights previous to the first human space mission. Here is a featured list of Russian space dog names:
Bars (BARS) – snow leopard
Bolik (BO-lik) – hypocorism
Dezik (DE-zik) – hypocorism
Pushok (poo-SHOK) – fluff
Ryzhik (RY-zhik) – ginger
Tsygan (tsy-GAN) – Gypsy
Ugolyok -(oogo-LYOK) – small piece of coal
Veterok (vete-ROK) – slight wind
Female space dog names (capitals for stress)
Albina (al-BEE-na) – female name
Belka (BEL-ka) – whitie
Chernushka (cher-NOOSH-ka) – blackie
Damka (DAM-ka) – “king” in checkers
Krasavka (kra-SAV-ka) – little beauty
Laika (LAJ-ka) – barker
Lisa (lee-SA) – fox
Lisichka (lee-SICH-ka) – small fox
Malyshka (ma-LYSH-ka) – little one
Mushka (MOOSH-ka) – little fly
Otvazhnaya (ot-VAZH-naya) – brave
Pchyolka (PCHYOL-ka) – little bee
Smelaya (SME-laya) – fearless
Snezhinka (sne-ZHEEN-ka) – snowflake
Strelka (STREL-ka) – little arrow
Tsyganka (tsy-GAN-ka) – Gypsy girl
Zvyozdochka (ZVYOZ-dochka) – little star
Laika
Laika is the best known Russian space dog name. In 1957 Laika became the first ever living creature in orbit.
Kennedy’s dog
On his 1961 visit to the United States the Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev has gifted John F. Kennedy’s daughter Caroline a Russian puppy called Pushinka, a daughter of the Russian space dogs Pushok and Strelka. Caroline recalls the story.
