Pushinka, a Soviet Dog in the White House

The year was 1960, and the Space Race was at one of its most intense moments. In mid-August, the Russians managed to place in orbit and bring back the dogs Belka and Strelka. After their return, Strelka had six puppies, and determined to share the bounty with their American rivals, Prime Minister Nikita Khrushchev sent the Kennedy family Pushinka, who, besides becoming the official pet of the White House, also starred in a love story.

Belka and Strelka survived 24 hours in Earth orbit, confirming that the minimum conditions had been reached to send a human into space. Eight months later, Yuri Gagarin claimed his place in history, but the adventure of those cosmonaut dogs carries an additional chapter.

Strelka had a litter of six puppies with a male named Pushok, who never traveled to space (he did participate in several ground tests). During a state dinner, Prime Minister Nikita Khrushchev spoke to First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy about the birth of those babies, and that exchange led to the arrival of one of the most unusual and irresistible ambassadors of the Soviet Union in the United States: Pushinka.

A Soviet Dog in the White House

Of course, there was a pinch of trolling in Khrushchev's gift, because Pushinka also served as a reminder of the technological advantage the Soviet program had at that time, but the Kennedy family gladly received the dog, and President Kennedy himself sent a letter to Khrushchev in thanks, noting that Pushinka's flight to Washington "was not as dramatic as her mother's".

Naturally, Pushinka stole half of the White House, and the heart of Charlie, the Kennedys' Welsh terrier obsessed with eating little Caroline's ducks. Pushinka and Charlie got along very well, to the point that they became the parents of four new babies known as "pupniks", the best nickname the universe has ever given a dog. Their names? Butterfly, White Tips, Blackie, and Streaker.

What happened to those puppies? Available information suggests that more than 5,000 people wrote to the Kennedys to adopt them. Butterfly and Streaker were given to two children from the Midwest (chosen by the first lady), while White Tips and Blackie spent some time at the Kennedy home on Squaw Island, to be later given to family friends.

Some historians believe that both Pushinka and other gifts between leaders were fundamental in developing a sufficiently robust diplomatic base, and thus avoiding an irreversible conflict. Maybe they are right.