It could have been any animal chosen for this feat. The Truth About the Unfortunate Death of Laika, the First Dog in Space. In her book, Soviet Space Dogs, Olesya Turkina quotes one of the scientists that worked on the mission, “The more time passes, the more I’m sorry about it. She was a young, mostly-Siberian husky. In truth, the Sputnik-2 mission was a direct consequence of the first generation space race that was gradually unfolding, issued in haste owing to then-Russian Premier Nikita Khrushchev's demand for a "space spectacle". While science and space missions did learn something from this tryst, Laika the space dog was not meant to survive the journey to the Earth's orbit, by mission design. Fine Art Images/age fotostock Laika was a small (13 pounds [6 kg]), even-tempered, mixed-breed dog about two years of age. However, since the Soviets did not create a re-entry plan, Laika died in space. Aboard the Soviet's Sputnik 2, Laika, a dog, became the very first living creature to enter orbit on November 3, 1957. Laika's death sparked debates about animal rights around the world. We shouldn’t have done it. Looking back, there are regrets over sending Laika to her doom. We did not learn enough from the mission to justify the death of the dog.” Photo by NASA. Laika Laika, the dog who became the first living creature sent into space, aboard Sputnik 2, November 1957. Internationally known as Laika, which is a Russian word for several breeds of dog similar to a husky, the dog was rescued from the streets of Moscow.