I'm reading about the early Soviet space program & their use of dogs as human proxies.
Most were street dogs that were found rummaging through trash on base, and they ran away so frequently that half have names like "ZIB", the Russian acronym for “Substitute for Missing Dog, Bolik.”
"Smelaya ran off the day before the launch. The crew was worried that wolves that lived nearby would eat her. She returned a day later and the test flight resumed successfully."
*in best Yakov Smirnov voice*
"In Soviet Russia, launch to space is better than eaten by wolves (mostly)!"
