Redditors Learn How Strelka, A Dog Who Returned From A Space Mission, Had A Puppy Named Pushinka, Whose Offspring Were Jokingly Named Pupniks

This is one story that is indeed very intriguing

Maryjane

• Published in Animal Stories
• January 25, 2023

Belka and Strelka, also known as "Whitey" and "Squirrel," spent a day in space on Korabl-Sputnik 2 (Sputnik 5) on August 19, 1960, before making a successful return to Earth. They are the first higher living things to make it through an interplanetary journey.

A total of 42 mice, a grey bunny, two rats, flies, and other plants and fungi were also present. They all made it out alive.

They were the first living things from Earth to orbit the planet and return, and the first recovered since the United States sent fruit flies into space on a suborbital voyage on February 20, 1947. Pushok, a male dog who took part in numerous ground-based space projects but was never sent into space, had six puppies with Strelka later on.

In 1961, Nikita Khrushchev gave President John F. Kennedy a puppy by the name of Pushinka. The union of Pushinka and Charlie, a Kennedy dog, produced four puppies that JFK jokingly referred to as pupniks.

Children in the Midwest received Butterfly and Streaker, two of their puppies. White Tips and Blackie, the other two puppies, remained at the Kennedy residence on Squaw Island but were eventually donated to close family friends.

This information is what a redditor brought to the TodayILearned group and this is the headline

Pushinka mated with one of Kennedy's dogs and he jokingly called their offspring Pupniks

Even adversaries were brought together by their love of dogs, regardless of how severe the space race or the Cold War tensions became. This is one of those instances - the tale of Pushinka ("Fluffy"), a puppy raised by the Kennedy family, whose father was a famous cosmonaut dog named Strelka.

Belka and Strelka were both common dogs that were rescued from the streets; they were by no means purebreds of any kind. Their lives weren't easy; they were starving and freezing, so it was inevitable that they would adapt to new situations. 

We've gathered some of the comments made by redditors in response to this information

Why this redditor believes the puppies were monitored by the CIA

According to this redditor, the sleeper agent pups killed Kennedy

Do you see what this redditor did here?

This redditor calls it a diplomatic behavior

Ham's remains are at the national museum

This redditor smells a new Disney movie coming up

If you want to get a dog, the idea is good

Another redditor who believes this is diplomatic

On the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, D.C., White House electrician and kennel manager Traphes Bryant sits with Kennedy family dog Pushinka and her puppies. The Kennedy's Welsh terrier Charlie is the father of the four puppies named Butterfly, White Tips, Blackie, and Streaker.

Drop your thoughts about this information in the comments below and share this post to enlighten others as well.

Maryjane