Shelby writes: I think Laika would be a cute name for a dog. My boyfriend says it’s creepy and inappropriatepesowin, since the original Laika passed because of her participation in the Soviet space program. But I think Laika was a Very Good Girl and a space-travel hero!
I’m a pessimist when it comes to a human afterlife, but I firmly believe that all space dogs go to heaven. Because otherwise, Laika’s story is simply too unbearable to contemplate. One minute you’re a plucky husky mix running free on the Moscow streets. The next you’re strapped into Sputnik 2 and shot into orbit (a word you do not know or care about) and abandoned to overheat and die alone in space. That’s a lot of sadness to heap on your fur baby’s shoulders, and I wouldn’t advise it. I’m sure there are lots of Laikas out there in the world, and I know they are all such good dogs, but in my judgment, not one of them deserves to be a cosmic bummer.
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