At the end of October 1957, Dr Vladimir Yazdovsky took home a three-year-old mongrel stray to play with his children. She was a placid mixed breed who had been found on the streets of Moscow, and Yazdovsky had been tasked with preparing her for specialist work, along with two other female strays. Strays were supposedly chosen for their hardiness, females because they didn’t cock their legs, which would’ve been a drag in the environment they would work in. Yazdovsky later said of his decision to bring her home: “I wanted to do something nice for the dog.”Her name was Kudryavka (Little Curly) until, according to some, she went on a Russian radio show and barked. After that everyone called her Laika (Barker).
She was said to be quiet and charming.
On Sunday November 3rd, 1957, Laika blasted off atop an adapted ballistic missile bound for space. She was sent alone with a seven-day supply