Today, the UKC recognises the Russo-European Laika within their Northern Breed Group. The most successful breeding programme is thought to have been officially set up in 1944 by a Mr. Not only was appearance important, but breeders would ensure that animals were field tested before mating in order to guarantee that they were adequate hunters. At this time, the modern white and black coat became the more popular option, rather than the historic red or grey coat. Once again, the remaining Russo-European Laika dogs were bred with other local dogs in a bid to ensure their survival. Starving survivors were forced to consume their pets to stay alive. While the breeding programme was a success, the population suffered a second blow during World War II. The few remaining dogs were bred with other similar Laika breeds, adding genetic variety and improving the health of the Russo-European Laika. Local hunters were aware of their perilous situation and made a conscious effort to re-establish the breed. The Russo-European Laika would commonly mate with these new dogs, rendering the breed ‘impure’ and jeopardising their existence.īy the 1930s, it was rare to find a purebred Russo-European Laika. The breed fell out of favour in recent years and there was an influx of new working breeds, such as shepherding dogs and sighthounds, that were more suited to the farmers’ needs. Hunting has always been the main purpose of the Russo-European Laika – a job that has become less necessary with the modernisation of the agricultural industry. The Russo-European Laika has traditionally been used to hunt squirrels but can also be used to a hunt a variety of large and small game, including bears, racoons and rabbits. It is often theorised that these are the dogs most closely related to the wolf, and indeed, their DNA confirms this belief.įor more than 10,000 years, the ancestors of the Russo-European Laika, who are thought to closely resemble today’s modern Laika dog, have been in existence in Europe. All of these Laika breeds are the modern descendants of the ancient Spitz type dogs that have been used as hunting dogs for thousands of years. The Karelo-Finnish Laika is sometimes also grouped with these breeds. “I wanted to do something nice for her: She had so little time left to live.One of the few Laika breeds that are recognised by the FCI, the Russo-European Laika is linked to the East Siberian Laika and the West Siberian Laika. Vladimir Yazdovsky wrote in a book about Soviet space medicine, as quoted by the AP. He even brought her home to play with his children before she began her space odyssey. One of Laika’s human counterparts in the Soviet space program recalled her as a good dog. Sputnik 2 continued to orbit the Earth for five months, then burned up when it reentered the atmosphere in April 1958. Nearly a half-century later, Russian officials found themselves handling PR fallout once again after it was revealed that reports of Laika’s humane death were greatly exaggerated.Īlthough they had long insisted that Laika expired painlessly after about a week in orbit, an official with Moscow’s Institute for Biological Problems leaked the true story in 2002: She died within hours of takeoff from panic and overheating, according to the BBC. When Laika’s vessel, Sputnik 2, shot into orbit, the U.S. Just a month earlier, they had launched Sputnik, the world’s first satellite. (Other dogs had gone into space before Laika, but only for sub-orbital launches.) The mission was another in a series of coups for the Soviet Union, which was then leading the way in space exploration while the United States lagged. All of the 36 dogs the Soviets sent into space - before Yuri Gagarin became the first human to orbit Earth - were strays, chosen for their scrappiness. She was promoted to cosmonaut based partly on her size (small) and demeanor (calm), according to the Associated Press. Laika was a stray, picked up from the Moscow streets just over a week before the rocket was set to launch. The flight was meant to test the safety of space travel for humans, but it was a guaranteed suicide mission for the dog, since technology hadn’t advanced as far as the return trip. 3, in 1957, the Soviet Union launched the first-ever living animal into orbit: a dog named Laika. It was a Space Race victory that would have broken Sarah McLachlan’s heart.
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