<P> Laika was found as a stray wandering the streets of Moscow . Soviet scientists chose to use Moscow strays since they assumed that such animals had already learned to endure conditions of extreme cold and hunger . This specimen was an eleven - pound mongrel female , approximately three years old . Another account reported that she weighed about 6 kg ( 13 lb ) . Soviet personnel gave her several names and nicknames , among them Kudryavka ( Russian for Little Curly ) , Zhuchka ( Little Bug ) , and Limonchik ( Little Lemon ) . Laika , the Russian name for several breeds of dogs similar to the husky , was the name popularised around the world . The American press dubbed her Muttnik ( mutt + suffix - nik ) as a pun on Sputnik , or referred to her as Curly . Her true pedigree is unknown , although it is generally accepted that she was part husky or other Nordic breed , and possibly part terrier . NASA refers to Laika as a `` part - Samoyed terrier . '' A Russian magazine described her temperament as phlegmatic , saying that she did not quarrel with other dogs . Vladimir Yazdovsky , who led the program of test dogs used on rockets , in a later publication wrote that `` Laika was quiet and charming '' . </P>
what type of dog was laika the spacedog
mongrel female