While the U.S. primarily used monkeys and primates to test the viability of space travel, the USSR—in the middle of its own ambitious space program—used a group of dogs who became known as “dogmonauts ...

WARNING: DISTRESSING CONTENT: Laika was a Russian dog who was sent on a one-way trip into space and has become a symbol for the use of animals in scientific testing which has been shared online ...

The first dogs in space, named Dezik and Tsygan, were launched in July 1951 and returned safely. Perhaps the most famous dog in space was Laika, a stray sent aboard the Sputnik 2 satellite in 1957.

Sigh. Alabama’s top two dog names last year, according to U.S. News, seemingly were at least partly inspired by the Harry Potter characters Bella and Luna, in that order.