OK, I need to add my favorite Russian joke here: A German and a Russian die. Neither has been the best person in their life, so they get sent down there. When they arrive in hell, the devil says, "Well, especially bad people have been dying lately, and we're all full up. I can only accept one of you, the other will go to purgatory and get a chance at redemption." He proposes a simple test of their human decency: Each…
That's not even a joke. Take a look at this huge list of dogs that Soviet Union sent to the outer space :) https://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%A1%D0%BE%D0%B1%D0%B0%D0%BA...
Since the spaceship was technically a military vessel there had to be an officer on board during the mission so a Red Army Colonel had been sent in the same mission with Belka and Strelka (the dogs). As it gets into the orbit a radio communication is established with the Flight Control Center.
Center: Belka, come in!
Belka: woof
Center: Transmit the navigation data, over.
Belka: woof, woof!
[The data transmission completes]
Center: Strelka, come in!
Strelka: woof
Center: You need to fire engine #3 for 5 seconds to correct course, over.
Strelka: woof, woof!
[The observation detects engine firing]
Center: Comrade Colonel, come in.
Colonel: Woof!
Center: Don't "woof" at me, feed the dogs and don't touch anything there, over.